Manuel Antonio National Park, Costa Rica
The first day of our trip began as we anchored off the Espadilla Sur beach in one of the most visited national parks in Costa Rica. Manuel Antonio was established as a protected area in the early 1970’s, one of the first official national parks. This small park, about 3500 hectares in area, contains an interesting “transitional” forest that has almost vanished from the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. The term transitional refers to the fact that the central pacific coast is the place where “the north meets the south,” meaning that this is where the seasonally dry forest of the northeast reaches its southernmost limit, and where the wet lowland forest reaches its northernmost limit. Some of the species of plants, trees specifically, that we found here “would never meet” if it were not for this type of forest. A few examples of the tree species that reach a limit are the raintree or Cenizaro tree and the stinking-toe tree or Guapinol.
We disembarked onto the white sandy beaches of the park as soon as we got the approval from the rangers, and our group divided into two options of trails. Some of us decided to complete a long, arduous loop trail called Punta Catedral or Cathedral Point Trail, unofficially called the “stairmaster of the forest.” Historically this trail is not known for spotting a lot of wildlife, but today it proved history wrong. Pale-billed woodpeckers, white shouldered capuchin monkeys, coatimundis, agoutis and three-toed sloths welcomed us into their home with activity and rainforest sounds. The second group decided on a more leisurely trail called the Sloth Valley trail, which is a wider trail/road that allows better footing and better chances of looking for wildlife. We were not deceived, as parties of capuchin monkeys, crab-eating raccoons, black ctenosauras (lizards), howler monkeys, coatis and many species of birds rewarded our walking efforts. After our walks, we all took a refreshing dip in the very warm waters of the Costa Rican Pacific coast, enjoying the warmth that many people coming from the cold northern weather and waters were able to appreciate.
As we visited the trails and enjoyed the great beach, we cannot help but think how close the park came to being just another bunch of noisy restaurants and cabins of the zone.
