Manuel Antonio National Park
At the break of dawn, the National Geographic Sea Lion dropped anchor near the shores of Manuel Antonio National Park. This is Costa Rica’s most visited park because of its beaches and animals. The waves gently washed the shores, inviting us to go and explore its splendid beauty. This park is known to have a great population of medium sized mammals, which sometimes are so easy to see. Once upon a time, major predators such as jaguars and cougars would roam the area, but due to the massive development they are no longer seen here. For this reason, monkeys like white shoulders capuchins and howlers are thriving over the canopies. Sloths on the other hand, are easy to spot since Harpy Eagles also left the region.
We decided to go ashore as soon as the park opened its gate. As we started to explore the park, a parade of wildlife began to show up. The beach had tracks from a group of Northern Raccoons, principal predators of the eggs of turtles and iguanas. Spiny tailed iguanas passed next to us ignoring our presence. As we got deeper into the trail more animals began to show up. It was a paradise for photographers. A Lesser Nighthawk tried to escape the cameras by blending in with a branch, but the scopes and binoculars clearly revealed his position. A big troop of howler monkeys rested on the canopy after their morning meal, while a troop of white shoulder capuchins moved from tree to tree looking for something to eat. Several sloths were found resting in different trees unaware of our cameras.
One of the highlights of our exploration was the sighting of a juvenile Ornate Hawk Eagle. Our entire group of naturalists and guests were delighted with the presence of this majestic bird. If we could only see through the eyes of this bird, and also through the eyes of the rest of the animals that live in the park, we might see how this place has suffered changes. It’s in our hands to make a better place for them to live; far from being harassed by massive visits and connecting it with other parks using protected corridors.
Before getting back on board, some of us decided to jump in the cool waters of the beach to refresh ourselves. We just didn’t want our exploration to end. It was hard to believe that six days ago our journey had started in Panama and now it had come to an end. As the National Geographic Sea Lion sailed to its anchorage site, we all shared our thoughts and personal experiences of our exploration through the wild side of Panama and Costa Rica.
