Million Air Fall 2024

EXPLORE THE JOURNEY

I think there must be some kind of mistake. As wind and rain lash against the plane window from an angry sky, it looks like 10 hours in the air has not brought me to Panama City, but instead circled back to my home city of Glasgow in deepest darkest January. It is in fact late June, and I am in the Central American capital, as the balmy temperature soon reminds me. I’m here for the night ahead of a four day adventure at Islas Secas, a 100% solar-powered eco-resort immersed in coastal rain forest. But Islas Secas is not your typical luxury private island resort. In fact, it is not a private island resort at all; it is a private archipelago. Hosting some of the world’s most discerning travelers, the tropical playground encompasses 14 volcanic islands o ff

Panama’s Paci fi c Coast in the Gulf of Chiriquí. It is over fl owingwith biodiversity: The latest species count includes over 128 plants, 15 reptiles, 114 birds, 750 fi sh and 12 mammals. It also happens to be in the middle of the migratory path of humpback whales traveling thousands of miles from the Antarctic Peninsula. Prime whale-watching season is July to October, during which time the resort says you are “guaranteed” to see whales — a pretty bold claim. (A second season runs from December to April, when a smaller population visits from the Northern Hemisphere.) Though I am early, I am hopeful. And, thankfully, the rain will not dampen the whales’ spirits, so it will not dampen mine.

This image Isla Cavada is the largest of the 14 islands that make up the Islas Secas archipelago