Pure theatre
The National Geographic guest speaker, Hernan Arauz, is a leading authority on the people, history and wildlife of Panama. Conceived during the 1960 Trans Darien Gap expedition, Hernan is a great speaker (with a voice like a Spanish version of Sean Connery) and his breadth of knowledge was quite extraordinary. In my ignorance I had no idea of just how wild, important and interesting the history of Panama is from the arrival of the first Conquistadors to the failure of the Scottish colony which led to the union of Scotland and England, and the dominance that the canal has had over the politics of the whole region since the French first tried (and failed) to dig the canal.
Aside from his great knowledge and communication skills, he was a fantatstic story teller.
"There was a buccaneer (Not a pirate - in the Caribbean they were Buccaneers) called George Gayney. He was part of a band trying to make their way across the Isthmus of Panama in about 1679. He had to cross a river in flood and drowned while carrying a bag containing three hundre Pieces of Eight.
300 years later a metal detectorist discovered 300 Pieces of Eight in almost exactly the same spot"
There followed a big pause. Then Hernan reaches inside his short and pulls out what looks like a medallion on a chain:
"And this is one of them!"
Thank You Hernan. I now have a pile of books about Panama to read.
Click Panama Canal Cruise to see our relevant cruises
Click Darien Gap cruise to see relevant cruises
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Prices quoted here are often dependent on currency fluctuations. Please check with (01432 507450 or info@small-cruise-ships.com) for the very latest price, which may well be cheaper than the one advertised here.
National Geographic Quest
| Built | 2016 |
|---|---|
| Max passengers | 100 |
National Geographic Quest is a state-of-the-art, purpose-built expedition vessel made for exploring coastal waters, shallow coves, and fast-moving channels where wildlife congregate while sailing with the luxury of supreme comfort. Spacious cabins, open decks for wildlife viewing, and specialty tools for exploration make it the ideal platform for sailing in the remote areas of Alaska, the Pacific Northwest, Costa Rica, Panama, and Belize.
Designed with decades of expedition experience in the region, National Geographic Quest more than comfortably accommodates 100 guests in 50 cabins. Her twin expedition craft landing platform allow us to rapidly get on and off the ship to take advantage of wildlife sightings and to ensure we maximize our time off the ship exploring. Created with a shallow draft, Quest draws only nine feet of water allowing her to sail into places where much larger ships cannot go.
Deck plans are for illustrative purposes only – The actual ship and cabin layout may differ.
