Morning dawned as National Geographic Sea Lion approached Manuel Antonio National Park.
Created in 1972, it is one of Costa Rica’s best known and most visited parks, as well as the smallest. The
park protects a beautiful remnant of the tropical forest that once covered this region. It is named after a Spaniard from the early conquest years who was killed in a skirmish with the Quepos.
After breakfast we made a wet landing on beautiful sandy Espadilla Beach. Two nature walks were offered.
Some opted for a “tropical stair master” and climbed Cathedral Point, with scenic views over the ocean. Others explored the Sloth Valley trail. We learned that this is a bird watcher’s paradise with over 300 species of birds living here! We saw brown pelicans, magnificent frigatebirds, and a golden-napped woodpecker. Plant diversity is also high with more than 100 species of trees in this small park. We saw Manzanillo trees which have poisonous sap, Panama trees and black palms.
We were very fortunate to observe a three-toed sloth with her baby high in a tree and also found some lesser white-lined bats. It was a delight to watch the white-faced capuchins gracefully moving from branch to branch and we also saw the all-black howler monkeys. Groups of coati, raccoon-like animals, were seen scurrying about.
After a delicious taco lunch we returned to the beach for a relaxing swim in the warm Pacific Ocean.
Our first, fabulous day in Costa Rica ended with a lively celebration for our youngest guest who turned eight years old today.
