Cruise arrives at Cébaco Island, in Veraguas

The Star Pride cruiser of the Windstar Cruises company docked for the first time in Cébaco island, Montijo district, province of Veraguas, with 150 passengers and 150 crew, mostly from the United States.

The ship left the Puerto de Golfito in Costa Rica and arrived at about 11:00 am on the island, where tourists disembarked to enjoy the sun, the white sand and the crystal clear waters of the place, which also took advantage of Practice snorkeling (water-based diving).

Puerto Balboa in the Pacific was the second anchor of this cruise in Panamanian waters. In Puerto Cristóbal the tourists disembarked, ending the trip, while another waiting group boarded the ship to return by the usual route: the Canal, Isla Parida, in the Gulf of Chiriquí and Puerto de Golfito in Costa Rica.

At least 12 times, from December to March that is the cruise season, this boat will carry out this same journey, said Michelle Pérez, general tourism guide, who was part, along with the Panama Tourism Authority (ATP) of the entourage Which received tourists on this island.

Pérez is part of the 30 certified guides in areas protected by the ATP and MIAMBIENTE.

As explained the guide almost every Saturday there are shipments and landings in Puerto Cristóbal. “Generally, the tourists who arrive at this port choose to visit the indigenous communities in the Chágres, the capital city and the Old Town.

He said Isla Cébaco is on the cruise list. With 40 kilometers long and 5 kilometers wide, it is the largest island of the Gulf of Montijo, in the province of Veraguas and is part of the buffer zone of Coiba National Park.

Despite its wide extension, few people live on the island composed of five communities: Platanares, Almácigos, Manzanillo, El Jobo and Playa Grande. Its population is dedicated to fishing, agriculture and livestock, as a means of subsistence.

The boats that drive to the island are approached in Puerto Mutis and the trip is made in an hour and a half, in which route you have to cross a group of rivers, among them: Jesus, San Pedro, Piña, Ponuga, Santa Lucía, that empty In the protected area of ​​the Gulf of Montijo wetland.

ATP supervisor in Veraguas, Angelo Solanilla, says that the arrival of tourists from the United States, Canada, Italy, France and Germany occurs during the dry season throughout the Gulf area.

It maintains that the main tourist attractions of Veraguas are its beaches, islands and mountains. This is why the province is highly sought after for sports practices. For example, surfers choose Santa Catalina, near the Cébaco and Governor islands.

While Isla Coiba, about an hour by boat, is very visited by tourists and is considered one of the 10 best places to dive in the world.

In the months of August, September and October, Cébaco Island is visited by tourists, especially Europeans, for whale watching, who come to these waters of the Pacific to have their offspring and for the sport fishing tournaments “Don Fabio Spiegel and “Captain Tapita”, organized the latter by the Active Club 20-30 and sponsored by the ATP.

Solanilla says that a large percentage of cruise passengers return to the destinations they visit during their voyages on these ships.

Source: Capital Financiero