Manuel Antonio National Park and Agujitas River
Manuel Antonio National Park is an encouraging example of efforts both private and public with a common goal: conservation. A slow process has significantly increased the size of one of Costa Rica’s smallest and most visited National Parks and promises to create a biological corridor with a larger forested area.
Mother Nature privileged us today with a wonderful array of wildlife. It was only our first visit to a rainforest and we experienced an overwhelming density of animals. As we were about to drop anchor in Manuel Antonio National Park, the early risers had a chance to enjoy a colorful sky at sunrise.
We disembarked and went on different trails. Before we were able to cross the very narrow Tombolo, we had the opportunity to see our first Central American agouti and a common basilisk. To our surprise, that was only an announcement of what was still awaiting us. Mantled howler monkeys, white-throated capuchins, Central American squirrel monkeys, white-nosed coatis and sloths were only some of the many species that kept us fascinated with their different habits.
After lifting anchor, we cruised to Drake Bay to our afternoon activity at the Agujitas River. Before arriving, the humpback whales interrupted a great lecture by herpetologist Cecil Schwalbe on “Creepy ‘n’ Crawly Creatures of Panama and Costa Rica.”
We had a wonderful day beyond compare.
Manuel Antonio National Park is an encouraging example of efforts both private and public with a common goal: conservation. A slow process has significantly increased the size of one of Costa Rica’s smallest and most visited National Parks and promises to create a biological corridor with a larger forested area.
Mother Nature privileged us today with a wonderful array of wildlife. It was only our first visit to a rainforest and we experienced an overwhelming density of animals. As we were about to drop anchor in Manuel Antonio National Park, the early risers had a chance to enjoy a colorful sky at sunrise.
We disembarked and went on different trails. Before we were able to cross the very narrow Tombolo, we had the opportunity to see our first Central American agouti and a common basilisk. To our surprise, that was only an announcement of what was still awaiting us. Mantled howler monkeys, white-throated capuchins, Central American squirrel monkeys, white-nosed coatis and sloths were only some of the many species that kept us fascinated with their different habits.
After lifting anchor, we cruised to Drake Bay to our afternoon activity at the Agujitas River. Before arriving, the humpback whales interrupted a great lecture by herpetologist Cecil Schwalbe on “Creepy ‘n’ Crawly Creatures of Panama and Costa Rica.”
We had a wonderful day beyond compare.
