Manuel Antonio National Park
We awoke to find the National Geographic Sea Lion at anchor in calm waters off Manuel Antonio National Park. Manuel Antonio is considered a crown jewel of Costa Rica’s national park system. Although spanning a mere 682 hectares, and therefore the smallest national park in the country, Manuel Antonio enshrines several distinct habitats at the juncture of the drier northern Mesoamerican and wetter South American zones. Hence, it boasts an astounding variety—and profundity—of wildlife, which is easily seen from the park’s wide, well-maintained trails.
Shortly after breakfast, we began transferring to Playa Espadilla Sur beach, where the National Geographic Sea Lion staff had already placed beach chairs, towels, and juice and water. Our experienced Zodiac skippers skillfully navigated crashing surf to land us safely ashore, where we divided into groups to explore the park. Naturalist guide Isabel Salas led a nature hike around Cathedral Point along a 1.5-mile-long loop trail, while Marcel Lichtenstein and Cristian Moreno our led a third group along ‘Sloth Valley,’ an access road that forms the main trail and is named for the ubiquitous sloths that are easily seen along the mile-long trail. Meanwhile, Naturalist/photographic guide Willy Alfaro and National Geographic photographer Christopher P. Baker jointly led a party of photo enthusiasts on a leisurely hike intended to enhance participants’ photographic skills.
Manuel Antonio is one of the most popular parks in the nation, but we were fortunate to be the first to access the park. Almost immediately, we thrilled to animal sightings: A sloth snoozing in a tree overhanging Playa Manuel Antonio. Spiny-tailed lizards sunning atop logs. Blue morpho butterflies fluttering lazily along the trails. Red-eyed tree frogs clinging tight to trailside leafs. Howler monkeys leaping between treetops. And a troupe of white-faced monkeys feasting on termites almost within fingertip reach.
After exploring the forests, we took time to enjoy the beach and warm waters, including games of Frisbee and boogie-boarding.
Following lunch, the National Geographic Sea Lion cruised north toward Herradura. Our naturalist presentation series continued with an afternoon PowerPoint show, “Costa Rica: Nature’s Paradise,” by Christopher P. Baker, author of National Geographic Traveler Costa Rica. Then, Willy Alfaro introduced a selection of favorite images taken during the voyage by National Geographic Sea Lion passengers. We then gathered for farewell cocktails as we anchored at Herradura, where we were blessed by a magnificent sunset.
