Manuel Antonio National Park
Today began with a beautiful sunrise over the rocky headlands, bays and sandy beaches of Manuel Antonio National Park. This small slice of paradise is considered by many to be the “crown jewel” of the park system in Costa Rica. There are several wonderful wide sandy beaches separated by rocky outcroppings, and the area behind the beaches is carpeted in lush green forest.
To avoid the crowds of tourists that would surely be arriving, we headed ashore as the park opened, and spilt into small groups and set off on the trails in search of wildlife. No-one was disappointed, we soon spotted white-faced Capuchin monkeys, Howler monkeys, and sloths, indeed we spotted sloths galore – of the two-toed and three-toed varieties. Some of us on the Cathedral point trail had an encounter with the Capuchin monkeys that was perhaps a little too close for comfort, as the monkeys clambered over one of our guests backpacks in search of food!
Once we had explored the trails there was still much to do, the ocean waves were inviting us to swim, float and surf. The water temperature was perfect, and we splashed and enjoyed the body surfing until lunch.
But there was more! Some of us went inland in small vans to enjoy a zipline adventure and we were not disappointed, as the zipline took us zooming through the tree-tops, across wide valleys and we could imagine what it feels like to fly through the trees like a bird.
We all came back aboard by sunset after a very full and very fulfilling day. A perfect day to end our adventure through Panama and Costa Rica. PURA VIDA.
Today began with a beautiful sunrise over the rocky headlands, bays and sandy beaches of Manuel Antonio National Park. This small slice of paradise is considered by many to be the “crown jewel” of the park system in Costa Rica. There are several wonderful wide sandy beaches separated by rocky outcroppings, and the area behind the beaches is carpeted in lush green forest.
To avoid the crowds of tourists that would surely be arriving, we headed ashore as the park opened, and spilt into small groups and set off on the trails in search of wildlife. No-one was disappointed, we soon spotted white-faced Capuchin monkeys, Howler monkeys, and sloths, indeed we spotted sloths galore – of the two-toed and three-toed varieties. Some of us on the Cathedral point trail had an encounter with the Capuchin monkeys that was perhaps a little too close for comfort, as the monkeys clambered over one of our guests backpacks in search of food!
Once we had explored the trails there was still much to do, the ocean waves were inviting us to swim, float and surf. The water temperature was perfect, and we splashed and enjoyed the body surfing until lunch.
But there was more! Some of us went inland in small vans to enjoy a zipline adventure and we were not disappointed, as the zipline took us zooming through the tree-tops, across wide valleys and we could imagine what it feels like to fly through the trees like a bird.
We all came back aboard by sunset after a very full and very fulfilling day. A perfect day to end our adventure through Panama and Costa Rica. PURA VIDA.
