Manuel Antonio National Park and Drake Bay
As a naturalist I am very used to hearing expressions such as “cute”, “little rascal” or “natural beauty”. However, please do not take me wrong since these words were meant to describe the monkeys, not me! I believe I am alright with all these forms of admiration for the natural world but there is one adjective that I consider especially out of context: “clowns”. Not that I hear this from our guests, but when it comes to everyone who visits the park after we are gone, this is perhaps the most common way to refer to monkeys.
We are talking about the Cebus capuchinus, which incidentally happen to be among the most intelligent critters on earth. The White-throated Capuchin monkeys are everything but clowns. We had a fascinating first encounter with them while they enjoyed their mid- morning brake. Some limbs graciously hanging from branches, plus a few staring eyes in the midst of the dense rain forest foliage, announced the presence of our very peculiar cousins, so to speak! As usual, our friends up there on the canopy showed some interest –not much- for our human activities which concentrated on taking their photos, and then brag with our friends back home. To the pictures and our agitated enthusiasm, the capuchin monkeys responded with more foraging, more jumping from branch to branch, and much more natural entertainment for our guests’ amusement. After a good look at the monkeys, we also had the opportunity to enjoy the sloth. By this time, we all suffered from “rainforest neck-stiffness” , as a direct consequence of observing these animals way up in the canopy!
After some more trail exploration, and quite a few more species of birds and reptiles, such as the black or spiny iguana, our guests came back on board to be repositioned to Drake Bay later in the afternoon. We enjoyed a family-style lunch served by the galley. Afterwards, we had a brief talk regarding safety when snorkeling and kayaking. Also, Maguil –our staff naturalist- presented his History of Costa Rica with great success to the audience. Soon, we were dropping anchor in the calmed waters of Drake Bay to get started with the promised Zodiac rides in Agujitas River. The rest of the afternoon we spent sailing towards Drake, and as we approached the bay, we could see the entrance to our enchanting river. Agujitas River did not disappoint anyone. Lots of birds and other critters were spotted by the naturalists and the zodiac drivers who really have a keen eye for nature. The phenomenal sunset accompanied our guests while they finally returned to the ship after a great experience in the remote waters of Osa Peninsula. All too soon it was time to come back on board and start sharing unforgettable prized memories with all other guests on board National Geographic Sea Lion!
