We actually didn't see that many humpback whales on our whale watching tour, we were there at the end of the season when most had already migrated. Usually, you can just see whales from the shore and they're kind of everywhere during peak season when they're giving birth. But we did see a few, and more than once, and my kids were not at all disappointed--they thought it was incredible! The guide felt bad though and did more whale watching with us the next day to try to find us more (and he did!).
We spent an hour or two looking for whales. It was beautiful, just seeing the coastline with the mountains and crazy greenery.
There's El Valle in the distance, you can tell from the smoke and the cell tower.
Pretty fish we saw in the tide pools.
Tide pools really are so cool!!! We all loved looking through them.
The little cove we were in was part of Puerto Utria, part of Parque Nacional Natural Utria. We didn't go specifically to Utria National Park, just this little side trip during our whale watching tour. But honestly, the whole coast was amazing, I don't know that spending time specifically in Utria could have been any better than what we did anyway.
We could have stayed there for hours! But our actual time for most activities was regulated by the tides. That seems so poetic and not like real life in the 21st century, but seriously, EVERYTHING is planned according to the tides there.
Efraim loved finding all the seashells!
So cool!! It's a ophiocoma erinaceus. Painted ghost crabs were everywhere on the beach too. If you walked to a new area, they would scuttle away en masse. It was wild.
It was felt like the jungle would just swallow you up if you ventured close at all. Just looming there at the edge of the sand.
A yellow-bellied sea snake. For real, that's it's name.
We were all pretty subdued that first day too, because a bunch of us had taken anti-nausea meds and not the non-drowsy kind. That was unfortunate planning on our part. The next day we just braved getting sea sick.
So crazy beautiful!
Humpback whales!!!! Moms and babies!!
This trip definitely gave me more appreciation for people who just go off and explore in the wild--it's pretty intimidating.
And a brown booby just chilling on a log.
