Manuel Antonio & Playa San Josecito
Early this morning when we got out of our cabins on the Sea Voyager, we got to see why Manuel Antonio National Park is considered a jewel of the Costa Rican national park system: in front of us was a beautiful white sandy beach shaded by a lush wet tropical forest, the word “paradise” crossed our minds. So we got ready and after breakfast we went ashore excited about the wildlife we expected to see over here. We didn’t have to wait long before a troop of white-throated capuchin monkeys was spotted on the distance. They were searching for food up in the trees, and several females were seen carrying their offspring on their backs. At the same time, we spotted a brown basilisk; this large lizard was blending perfectly with the leaf litter on the ground.
Suddenly, someone saw some motion straight ahead in the trees, and howler monkeys showed up. It took a while to find the two kinds of sloths that are in Costa Rica, but we found them also!
There is a large population of them, but thanks to different adaptations that they have like green algae growing on their fur, they blend well with the lush vegetation. But we were anxious to find them and we did! We got to see both species: brown-throated three-toed sloth and the Hoffmann’s two-toed sloth.
On our way to the nearest wetland, we caught the beautiful calls of the gray-necked wood rail and wrens.
We came back to the ship, and after lunch we started cruising to the southwest towards our next destination, the Osa Peninsula. While we were cruising, we crossed a big pod of false killer whales; about 50 of them were spotted close to the ship. They started to get closer to the ship as we slowed down the engines and it gave the impression that they were having fun with the surf that the Sea Voyager was producing. After a while, probably bored with such a slow boat, they went away. These animals can get to be 19 feet long (4 – 6 m.). They are widely distributed, though not really abundant anywhere. What a sighting!
By late afternoon we arrived to our destination: San Josecito beach in the Osa Peninsula. This part of Costa Rica has remained one of the most remote areas of the country, unknown to most Costa Ricans. Its large virgin rainforests receive 160 inches of precipitation per year, and hosts an incredible variety of tropical flora and fauna, including endemic birds such as the black-cheeked ant tanager. While some of our people got in the water, others decided to walk along the beach, and yet others took a little walk with the naturalists.
As we rested at the edge of the picturesque Drake Bay, our anchorage spot, we saw fishing bats at the bow at night. Another day in paradise!
Early this morning when we got out of our cabins on the Sea Voyager, we got to see why Manuel Antonio National Park is considered a jewel of the Costa Rican national park system: in front of us was a beautiful white sandy beach shaded by a lush wet tropical forest, the word “paradise” crossed our minds. So we got ready and after breakfast we went ashore excited about the wildlife we expected to see over here. We didn’t have to wait long before a troop of white-throated capuchin monkeys was spotted on the distance. They were searching for food up in the trees, and several females were seen carrying their offspring on their backs. At the same time, we spotted a brown basilisk; this large lizard was blending perfectly with the leaf litter on the ground.
Suddenly, someone saw some motion straight ahead in the trees, and howler monkeys showed up. It took a while to find the two kinds of sloths that are in Costa Rica, but we found them also!
There is a large population of them, but thanks to different adaptations that they have like green algae growing on their fur, they blend well with the lush vegetation. But we were anxious to find them and we did! We got to see both species: brown-throated three-toed sloth and the Hoffmann’s two-toed sloth.
On our way to the nearest wetland, we caught the beautiful calls of the gray-necked wood rail and wrens.
We came back to the ship, and after lunch we started cruising to the southwest towards our next destination, the Osa Peninsula. While we were cruising, we crossed a big pod of false killer whales; about 50 of them were spotted close to the ship. They started to get closer to the ship as we slowed down the engines and it gave the impression that they were having fun with the surf that the Sea Voyager was producing. After a while, probably bored with such a slow boat, they went away. These animals can get to be 19 feet long (4 – 6 m.). They are widely distributed, though not really abundant anywhere. What a sighting!
By late afternoon we arrived to our destination: San Josecito beach in the Osa Peninsula. This part of Costa Rica has remained one of the most remote areas of the country, unknown to most Costa Ricans. Its large virgin rainforests receive 160 inches of precipitation per year, and hosts an incredible variety of tropical flora and fauna, including endemic birds such as the black-cheeked ant tanager. While some of our people got in the water, others decided to walk along the beach, and yet others took a little walk with the naturalists.
As we rested at the edge of the picturesque Drake Bay, our anchorage spot, we saw fishing bats at the bow at night. Another day in paradise!
