Manuel Antonio National Park & Curu Wildlife Refuge; Costa Rica
After spending two days in the rainforests of the Osa Peninsula, we sailed up to the north-west to Manuel Antonio National Park. Manuel Antonio is located in the Central Pacific coast of the country and it is one of the smallest parks in the conservation areas of Costa Rica (these conservation areas form about one fourth of the country’s territory). It is important because it is located midway between the tropical rain forests in the South and the tropical dry forests to the North, for this reason in spite of its small size this park hosts a remarkable number of plant and animal species. Its proximity to San Jose and its beautiful beaches have made this site a favorite vacationing spot for local and foreign tourists who come and stay in the hotels around the park. In order to prevent massive tourism from damaging the place, the Costa Rican National Park service has restricted the entrance to 800 visitors at a time. For this reason we disembarked early in the morning before anyone else arrives to the Park.
Our group was divided according to personal preferences; some took longer walks through the forest, others went to the “Sloth Valley” or the “Mirador Trails” and the rest stayed and enjoyed the shade of the forest over the soft sands of the beach. Everyone had a great time and the satisfaction of encountering plenty of wildlife: sloths, capuchin monkeys, agoutis, iguanas, and long-nosed bats, just to mention a few.
After our visit to Manuel Antonio we sailed further north into the Nicoya Peninsula where one can still find tropical dry forests. We landed on Curu Wildlife Refuge and proceeded to take the various hikes which were offered. Scarlet macaws, magpie jays, crested caracaras, howler monkeys and more were seen amidst the earth tones of the deciduous trees of Guanacaste.
After spending two days in the rainforests of the Osa Peninsula, we sailed up to the north-west to Manuel Antonio National Park. Manuel Antonio is located in the Central Pacific coast of the country and it is one of the smallest parks in the conservation areas of Costa Rica (these conservation areas form about one fourth of the country’s territory). It is important because it is located midway between the tropical rain forests in the South and the tropical dry forests to the North, for this reason in spite of its small size this park hosts a remarkable number of plant and animal species. Its proximity to San Jose and its beautiful beaches have made this site a favorite vacationing spot for local and foreign tourists who come and stay in the hotels around the park. In order to prevent massive tourism from damaging the place, the Costa Rican National Park service has restricted the entrance to 800 visitors at a time. For this reason we disembarked early in the morning before anyone else arrives to the Park.
Our group was divided according to personal preferences; some took longer walks through the forest, others went to the “Sloth Valley” or the “Mirador Trails” and the rest stayed and enjoyed the shade of the forest over the soft sands of the beach. Everyone had a great time and the satisfaction of encountering plenty of wildlife: sloths, capuchin monkeys, agoutis, iguanas, and long-nosed bats, just to mention a few.
After our visit to Manuel Antonio we sailed further north into the Nicoya Peninsula where one can still find tropical dry forests. We landed on Curu Wildlife Refuge and proceeded to take the various hikes which were offered. Scarlet macaws, magpie jays, crested caracaras, howler monkeys and more were seen amidst the earth tones of the deciduous trees of Guanacaste.
