Let’sBeWild.com is an online home for the stories and photos of intrepid travelers, shared for the inspiration and enjoyment of avid adventurers. Each day, the site newly recreates the feeling that your jetsetting best friend has just returned from a trip to splay their photo album open on your lap and dish on the details of their latest journey.
From cross-continental treks to sailing voyages, no corner of the world goes untapped for its adventure potential on Let’sBeWild. And yesterday, they spotlighted one of my favourite corners: Isla Palenque in Panama’s Gulf of Chiriqui, and my island home for a month earlier this summer.
A shot of Isla Palenque’s Northeast Coast supplied the intrigue for yesterday’s Photo of the Day on Let’sBeWild, depicting the bat cave on Isla Palenque within the context of the rocky coastline and overhanging jungle, with a glimpse of the glittering blue Gulf just beyond the shore. It was captured as I explored this part of the island, camera in hand, to demonstrate how the ocean tides shape the hiking experience on Isla Palenque, turning stretches of walkable sand into gardens of volcanic rock requiring more careful navigation.
I’d already encountered a plethora of wildlife – howler monkeys, lightning-fast lizards and lazy iguanas, frogs and birds and plenty of interesting bugs (my favourites) – but was delightfully surprised to find this shallow cave a home to creatures I’d previously only seen diving through the sky at dusk: bats!
Inside the cave, I got the chance to observe these little bats more closely and listen to their chirps and squeaks as they chattered to one another on the ceiling. It was a welcome challenge to film these wild creatures and the hike to reach them, to show future guests of the Panama resort what’s in store if they let their curiosity lead the way on Isla Palenque.
Adventure travel photography and filmmaking is my niche; it’s where I apply the knowledge I’ve acquired as a biology graduate and world traveler, in an effort to inspire others to pursue wild experiences of their own. So it is especially gratifying to see my work published on a site that aspires towards the same goal. Let’sBeWild maps the world from an elemental standpoint: Earth, Sky, Water, Snow & Ice. It’s apparent that they want to connect people to the environment in meaningful ways. I’m all about that – and I hope my photo of Isla Palenque contributes to the cause!
Thank you, Let’sBeWild, for sharing this incredible destination with your adventure-loving travel community. And a word to the wise for future Isla Palenque explorers: keep your cameras handy! The island is extremely photogenic, and you never know what you might discover that will sound the exuberant call: “let’s be wild!”
TAGS: Adventure Isla Palenque Must Read Panama Photo Blog Photos Travel
