Manuel Antonio National Park and Curú Wildlife Refuge
This morning we woke up just outside one of the jewels of Costa Rica: Manuel Antonio National Park. This small park – only 6.8 square kilometers – is one of the country’s most visited areas due to its postcard beaches, its unique tombolo formation in Punta Catedral and its explosion of wildlife. Lindblad Expeditions has a special deal with the park: we are allowed into the area three hours earlier than anyone else! Yes! Right at the break of dawn, we were disembarking onto the white sand beach of Espadilla Sur and headed towards the different trails. Some of us chose the more difficult hike of Punta Catedral and others chose the easier road of “Sloth Valley.” Raccoons, monkeys, sloths, and many species of birds were our reward. Plus, we enjoyed a wonderful time on the beach– most of us expected rain this morning and we were pleasantly surprised by bright sunlight and a very calm ocean.
Back on board for breakfast, a lecture, a nap and lunch, we reached our afternoon destination: Curú Wildlife Refuge. Quite small and privately owned, this preserve protects a wide variety of flora and fauna of the semi-deciduous forest in the area, also known as tropical dry forest. We were welcomed by howler monkeys, scarlet macaws, white-throated capuchin monkeys, and a very, very friendly spider monkey who drank our sodas and sat in some of our laps. Obviously, she was one of the rehabilitated individuals who now roam freely around the property. Another bit of beach fun was had, and the last opportunity for picture taking on the expansive coastlines of the Nicoya Peninsula.
Just before dinner we had a breathtaking lightning show, our hair standing on end from the electricity in the air, our last night on board the M.V. Sea Voyager went with fireworks on calm seas.
This morning we woke up just outside one of the jewels of Costa Rica: Manuel Antonio National Park. This small park – only 6.8 square kilometers – is one of the country’s most visited areas due to its postcard beaches, its unique tombolo formation in Punta Catedral and its explosion of wildlife. Lindblad Expeditions has a special deal with the park: we are allowed into the area three hours earlier than anyone else! Yes! Right at the break of dawn, we were disembarking onto the white sand beach of Espadilla Sur and headed towards the different trails. Some of us chose the more difficult hike of Punta Catedral and others chose the easier road of “Sloth Valley.” Raccoons, monkeys, sloths, and many species of birds were our reward. Plus, we enjoyed a wonderful time on the beach– most of us expected rain this morning and we were pleasantly surprised by bright sunlight and a very calm ocean.
Back on board for breakfast, a lecture, a nap and lunch, we reached our afternoon destination: Curú Wildlife Refuge. Quite small and privately owned, this preserve protects a wide variety of flora and fauna of the semi-deciduous forest in the area, also known as tropical dry forest. We were welcomed by howler monkeys, scarlet macaws, white-throated capuchin monkeys, and a very, very friendly spider monkey who drank our sodas and sat in some of our laps. Obviously, she was one of the rehabilitated individuals who now roam freely around the property. Another bit of beach fun was had, and the last opportunity for picture taking on the expansive coastlines of the Nicoya Peninsula.
Just before dinner we had a breathtaking lightning show, our hair standing on end from the electricity in the air, our last night on board the M.V. Sea Voyager went with fireworks on calm seas.
