Manuel Antonio National Park & Cruising, Costa Rica
The first day of our excursion began with anchoring off of the Sandy beaches of Manuel Antonio National Park, on the Central Pacific Coast of Costa Rica. It is by far, one of the most visited parks in the country, and it harbors a large population of medium sized mammals like sloths, monkeys, and raccoons. The park is a haven for these animals since there are no natural predators within it, as its area is too small to hold a predator population; consequently the smaller species have taken advantage of the resources found inside.
Good to its name and reputation, the Park treated us amazingly well. We disembarked onto its sandy beach and separated into two groups of interest. Part of our group decided to take the flatter option, the Sloth Valley trail, with aims at spotting as much wildlife as they could. They were favorably rewarded with two species of sloths, two more of monkeys (capuchins and howlers), large reptiles like ctenosaurs and basilisk lizards, many species of birds and at the end, a refreshing dip in the warm Pacific waters. All of these already made for a great morning ashore.
The other half of our group chose more exercise and took the longer more strenuous trail, called Mirador – or the Viewpoint. A great view of Punta Serrucho and the several islets that comprise the whole area of the park were a good enough token, but it was topped with views of lots of wildlife, including the elusive Central American squirrel monkey; they came to look at us and both species of primates glared at each other with extreme curiosity and hopefully respect. It is certainly considered a good day when we spot the three species of non-human primates in one same area, but to watch one of them mating is certainly not a staple occurrence. The first of the long walking groups encountered a troop of howler monkeys and witnessed the mating of one of its couples. Howling monkeys are promiscuous and both genders may copulate with more than one mate during the estrous period of the females.
After we went back on board for lunch and the mandatory boat drill, we thought we deserved a siesta since these are the Tropics, but a mother humpback whale and her young calf thought otherwise. Through the radio we heard the officer in the Bridge call for whales, one of the naturalists spotted two humpbacks that were in a cooperating mood and decided to approach our vessel. For around half an hour we enjoyed their interactions and the exhilarating sound of their heavy breathing every time they came out of the water. We reluctantly left them in order to reach the anchorage site for tonight. The quick visit of Pantropical spotted dolphins during our afternoon’s lecture began the end of our exciting first day. As we bid goodbye to the last sunrays of the sunset, we are eager to know what tomorrow will bring.
