A cruise aboard the National Geographic Sea Lion in December 2012 along the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, venturing into the rain forests of the Osa Peninsula and Manuel Antonio National Park, before heading further south to Panama and Coiba National Park, another UNESCO World Heritage site. Finally we break off our transit of the Panama Canal so we can squeeze in a morning visit to the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute on Barro Colorado Island in Gatun Lake.