On our first visit to San Blas, we went on a panga ride down the Estuario San Cristobal, where we spotted all manner of birds and other wildlife.
It was so much fun we couldn’t resist returning a few weeks later with my sister Ruth, who flew down from the States. We hoped to soak up a lot of sun, get a better look at the local crocodiles and find out what goes on during the Festival of San Blas.
Well, as far as beaches go, we were delighted to find long stretches of clean sand lined with a lot more palm trees than people, and water the temperature of a pleasantly warm bath. Apparently, in the fall, these beaches get the world’s longest surfable waves, which surely must result in a lot of bodies splashing about. But in February, the situation was idyllic.
This time we took a boat trip up instead of downstream, once again spotting elusive boatbill herons hiding in the shadows and unabashed anhingas stretching their wings to catch the morning sun. At last, we succeeded in getting a close look at San Blas’ famed rosyette spoonbills, conveniently perched on branches right above us.
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