Manuel Antonio National Park, Refugio Curu
The first rays of morning light found us anchoring off the northern beach formed by the “tombolo” peninsula that makes up part of the Manuel Antonio National Park. Although the smallest national park in Costa Rica it is also one of the most visited. However the attraction is the lovely sandy beaches and the chance to see a variety of wildlife. This morning we had the opportunity to enjoy as much as we could at this park.
A long hike ventured up the steps on a trail called Cathedral Point which is the high hill forming the inflated end of the tombolo. Not only was the hike good for exercise but it also produced good sightings nof monkeys and sloths as well as a few bird species. The other walks followed the flat terrain of the spit connecting Cathedral point to the mainland. Not far away was the southern beach forming another picturesque bay. The park ranger access road provided easy walking conditions so everyone could focus on spotting and looking at the flora and fauna. And we saw lots of both. Two-toed and three-toed sloths were not easy to spot in the trees and among the leaves but the staff naturalists have trained eyes to look for anything of interest. After spending time walking and looking many people returned to the beach in time to enjoy the warm waters by swimming.
During the middle part of the day we traveled northward toward the Gulf of Nicoya. Tranquil sea surface conditions provided smooth sailing. We were escorted en route by a number of brown boobies taking advantage of air lifting upward off the ship moving through the water. Some of the birds plunged to various depths as they attempted to catch fish that we startled ahead of our path.
By late afternoon we approached the private nature reserve of Refugio Curu. The Schutt family has lived on the property since the early 1940’s. Originally making a living off a diverse set of crops and products, the family began protecting some of the dry tropical forest on the surrounding hill slopes. Costa Rica encourages such private reserves which is fortunate for us to be able to visit this unique and highly endangered habitat. We were thrilled by the sightings of birds unique to this habitat, and also of more monkeys, especially the howlers and their distant roar the males make announcing the presence of his group. As the sun dipped below the forest of Curu we picked up anchor and headed for our final destination the port at Bahia Herradura.
The first rays of morning light found us anchoring off the northern beach formed by the “tombolo” peninsula that makes up part of the Manuel Antonio National Park. Although the smallest national park in Costa Rica it is also one of the most visited. However the attraction is the lovely sandy beaches and the chance to see a variety of wildlife. This morning we had the opportunity to enjoy as much as we could at this park.
A long hike ventured up the steps on a trail called Cathedral Point which is the high hill forming the inflated end of the tombolo. Not only was the hike good for exercise but it also produced good sightings nof monkeys and sloths as well as a few bird species. The other walks followed the flat terrain of the spit connecting Cathedral point to the mainland. Not far away was the southern beach forming another picturesque bay. The park ranger access road provided easy walking conditions so everyone could focus on spotting and looking at the flora and fauna. And we saw lots of both. Two-toed and three-toed sloths were not easy to spot in the trees and among the leaves but the staff naturalists have trained eyes to look for anything of interest. After spending time walking and looking many people returned to the beach in time to enjoy the warm waters by swimming.
During the middle part of the day we traveled northward toward the Gulf of Nicoya. Tranquil sea surface conditions provided smooth sailing. We were escorted en route by a number of brown boobies taking advantage of air lifting upward off the ship moving through the water. Some of the birds plunged to various depths as they attempted to catch fish that we startled ahead of our path.
By late afternoon we approached the private nature reserve of Refugio Curu. The Schutt family has lived on the property since the early 1940’s. Originally making a living off a diverse set of crops and products, the family began protecting some of the dry tropical forest on the surrounding hill slopes. Costa Rica encourages such private reserves which is fortunate for us to be able to visit this unique and highly endangered habitat. We were thrilled by the sightings of birds unique to this habitat, and also of more monkeys, especially the howlers and their distant roar the males make announcing the presence of his group. As the sun dipped below the forest of Curu we picked up anchor and headed for our final destination the port at Bahia Herradura.
