Manuel Antonio National Park and marine wildlife watching
The first day of our voyage found us anchored just outside the white, sandy beaches of Manuel Antonio National Park. This small park is one of the most visited parks of Costa Rica by both foreigners and locals, because of its beautiful scenery and calm beaches. The park offers habitat for several species of trees and animals, including mammals, birds, reptiles and a large array of insects. Because of its isolation from other pieces of forest, Manuel Antonio acts as a small island and allows larger numbers of animals to group within its area.
Early this morning we disembarked onto the shores of the park to start on the first options of the week, of which there were two. The first option was a long strenuous walk up Cathedral Point, once a rocky island itself, the point became attached to the mainland by a geological formation called a “tombolo” which is basically a sedimentary isthmus. The trail is an attractive one with lush vegetation and possibilities of spotting wildlife, but basically a very good exercise walk, which rendered great fruit in the form of monkeys and reptiles. The second option was a walk up a wide, flat access road, which is of easy walking and gives more chances of looking up and trying to spot animals. As we walked through the trail early, we were amazed at how quiet the forest was, and when it was time to head back to the ship, Alas! We were in for quite a surprise… As we were leaving the trail, we encountered specimens from all three species of monkeys in the park. We had already seen the two species of sloths, agoutis, spiny tailed iguanas, skinks, and several species of birds earlier that morning. Wow! We all came back on board quite satisfied.
The afternoon had a very unusual treat for us: a couple of whales consisting of a mother and calf humpback treated us with their visit. Along with the whales we had dolphin acrobatics and spotted eagle rays jumping and flipping out of the water! Quite a spectacle! Waving the marine animals good bye, we headed down south towards our destination for tomorrow: the Osa Peninsula.
The first day of our voyage found us anchored just outside the white, sandy beaches of Manuel Antonio National Park. This small park is one of the most visited parks of Costa Rica by both foreigners and locals, because of its beautiful scenery and calm beaches. The park offers habitat for several species of trees and animals, including mammals, birds, reptiles and a large array of insects. Because of its isolation from other pieces of forest, Manuel Antonio acts as a small island and allows larger numbers of animals to group within its area.
Early this morning we disembarked onto the shores of the park to start on the first options of the week, of which there were two. The first option was a long strenuous walk up Cathedral Point, once a rocky island itself, the point became attached to the mainland by a geological formation called a “tombolo” which is basically a sedimentary isthmus. The trail is an attractive one with lush vegetation and possibilities of spotting wildlife, but basically a very good exercise walk, which rendered great fruit in the form of monkeys and reptiles. The second option was a walk up a wide, flat access road, which is of easy walking and gives more chances of looking up and trying to spot animals. As we walked through the trail early, we were amazed at how quiet the forest was, and when it was time to head back to the ship, Alas! We were in for quite a surprise… As we were leaving the trail, we encountered specimens from all three species of monkeys in the park. We had already seen the two species of sloths, agoutis, spiny tailed iguanas, skinks, and several species of birds earlier that morning. Wow! We all came back on board quite satisfied.
The afternoon had a very unusual treat for us: a couple of whales consisting of a mother and calf humpback treated us with their visit. Along with the whales we had dolphin acrobatics and spotted eagle rays jumping and flipping out of the water! Quite a spectacle! Waving the marine animals good bye, we headed down south towards our destination for tomorrow: the Osa Peninsula.
