Manuel Antonio National Park, Costa Rica
We could not have found a better spot than Manuel Antonio National Park for the last day of our trip, with an area of almost 1300 hectares (3200 acres), and just 132 kilometers (220 miles) away from San Jose, this is one of the most visited parks in the Costa Rican park. This small but rich area offers the visitor not only beautiful sandy beaches, but also a great collection of medium sized mammals and birds; the park is located on the Central Pacific side of Costa Rica, a fact alone that allows for great diversity. The seasonally dry forest of the north and the wet lowland forest of the south, meet in this area; thus allowing organisms that might be specific to both habitats to meet and coexist.
The park was created in 1972, at a time when the area was set for massive tourist development, and was the silent protagonist of a dispute between the local government and the owner. The first wanted to preserve it, the later to develop it. The government in the end expropriated it, and thus the park was established.
Today the park protects a beautiful if small remnant of the tropical forest that once covered the region, as well as some sandy beaches and rocky headlands. The park also guards about 353 species of birds, 99 species of mammals of which 59 are bats, as well as many species of reptiles and insects.
This morning we chose to disembark as early as the park authorities allowed us, in order to explore a couple of the various trail options the park offers. The first one is the well-known “Sloth Valley” trail which is the easy walking option, allowing us to look slowly for wildlife. The second option was the “Punta Serrucho” trail, part of it shares the way with the sloth valley trail, but then turns east and begins climbing. We also had the option of staying at the beach and taking advantage of our last chance at swimming, reading a book and walking the beach.
All of our options rewarded us, as we spotted three and two toed sloths, the three species of monkeys that can be found in the area, crab eating raccoons, Central American coatis, ctenosaurs and basilisk lizards, pale-billed wood peckers, and much more. We wrapped the morning with a warm dip in the Central Pacific of Costa Rica, boogie boards and our own bodies made great ways to try some surfing. A fantastic way to finish our trip in Panama and Costa Rica.
