1. Belize, Turneffe Islands – Diving into the Blue Hole
From the air, the Blue Hole, an awe inspiring vertical chute that falls several hundred feet through the reef, looks like an inky blue eye in the middle of a shallow lagoon. The Blue Hole was first dived by Jacques Cousteau in 1970 and has since become a ‘must do’ on any self-respecting diver’s list of sites. With a vertical drop of 412 feet – the Blue Hole is like swimming down a mineshaft, but a mineshaft with hammerhead sharks. As we dropped down deeper and deeper we saw one, then another and another until we were surrounded by four circling hammerheads. Our hearts were pounding like a drum.
2. Costa Rica, Osa Peninsula – Jumping Spinner Dolphins
The Osa Peninsula still holds many surprises for those seeking out nature. In fact the area has been described as “the most biologically intense place on Earth” (National Geographic) and on our visit to the Cano Island Biological Reserve, we were amazed with what we saw. On the crossing from our hotel to Cano Island our guide told us to look out for dolphins and whales, but our expectations were low. Suddenly though we had to grip on tight as the boat veered off in a completely different direction and the guide shouted, “Spinner dolphins!” Within minutes we were surrounded by a huge shoal of spinner dolphins dancing in the waves and showing off by jumping in out of the water. This has to be one of our fondest memories of our time in Costa Rica.
3. Ecuador, The Galapagos Islands – Up Close and Personal with Nature
The Galapagos Islands is like no other place in the world and nothing prepared us for what we were about to experience. On our first day we went snorkelling and as we swam around the cliff edge we saw two seals swimming underneath. When they saw us they came closer and began doing summersaults around us. When they suddenly stopped we thought we had scared them away, but then saw a reef tip shark approaching at which point the seals suddenly began surrounding the shark until it went away. Were they protecting us or themselves, we will never know. On our third day whilst walking on one of the islands the guide said, “Don’t touch the wildlife, but they can touch you”. We all thought he was joking, until one of Darwin’s finches landed on my shoulder, had a quick look and disappeared. A truly unique encounter.
4. Belize, Lamanai – A River Cruise with Caiman’s
Lamanai meaning ‘submerged crocodile’ is an impressive Mayan ruin lying within a vast impenetrable jungle, accessible only by boat. Situated in the northwest corner of Belize – this is the most remote and wild district of them all. Setting off at night by boat with no moon and surrounded by rippling, pitch black river water you couldn’t help but wonder ‘What is under the water and is it looking at us?’ We suddenly saw two glinting eyes on the river bank just a couple of metres away. The scuffling of caimans on the banks was followed by big splashes, as we held our breath noticing that the eyes were coming closer and closer to our small canoe like boat until they eventually glided alongside.
5. Brazil, The Pantanal – Searching for Jaguar
Being in Brazil’s Pantanal is the closest you will get to being on safari in Africa in South America! Early morning walks, returning for breakfast, avoiding the midday heat and returning in the evening to go game viewing. We were here to see wildlife, but especially the elusive jaguar. On our last afternoon, having seen numerous birds, capivara and caiman, we knew this would be our last chance to see the jaguar. We decided to go by canoe along one of the small creeks in the hope they would come to drink. As the sun was about to set we heard a large rustling in the bushes. We held our breath, hoping. Suddenly, we saw it. It was amazing, not a jaguar, but a giant anteater. A fully grown male standing over two metres in length and with a tail measuring over a metre!
