Manuel Antonio National Park and Drake Bay
Happy New Year! Our first sunrise of the week aboard the ship took us to the jewel in the crown of the Central Pacific of Costa Rica: Manuel Antonio National Park. This protected area with pristine ocean, towering trees on the edge of a white sand beach and wonderful wildlife was our first exploration of the day.
We walked different trails to Cathedral Point and Sloth valley with the opportunity to enjoy views of different birds and some mammals such as long-nosed bats, two and tree-toed sloths, Central American agouti, and white-throated capuchin monkeys. At the end of our walk we had some time to enjoy a swim in the unusually calm waters at the landing beach. By late morning we were back on board and we continued with our navigation by heading south to the area of Drake Bay. At times we even traveled in the company of pantropical spotted dolphins.
This afternoon was full of adventure in this remote region of Costa Rica; we enjoyed the unique riparian tidal forest in Agujitas river through exploration by Zodiac and kayak. The main highlight was entering this natural narrow passage and finding ourselves in view of several birds including the ones with odd-looking bills like chestnut-mandibled toucans and boat-billed herons. Swimming in this river was an opportunity taken by a few, a great choice since we felt as one with this magnificent natural place. The day ended with a fantastic, colorful sunset in the bay, and hopes for another new day equally full of wildlife and exciting adventures.
Happy New Year! Our first sunrise of the week aboard the ship took us to the jewel in the crown of the Central Pacific of Costa Rica: Manuel Antonio National Park. This protected area with pristine ocean, towering trees on the edge of a white sand beach and wonderful wildlife was our first exploration of the day.
We walked different trails to Cathedral Point and Sloth valley with the opportunity to enjoy views of different birds and some mammals such as long-nosed bats, two and tree-toed sloths, Central American agouti, and white-throated capuchin monkeys. At the end of our walk we had some time to enjoy a swim in the unusually calm waters at the landing beach. By late morning we were back on board and we continued with our navigation by heading south to the area of Drake Bay. At times we even traveled in the company of pantropical spotted dolphins.
This afternoon was full of adventure in this remote region of Costa Rica; we enjoyed the unique riparian tidal forest in Agujitas river through exploration by Zodiac and kayak. The main highlight was entering this natural narrow passage and finding ourselves in view of several birds including the ones with odd-looking bills like chestnut-mandibled toucans and boat-billed herons. Swimming in this river was an opportunity taken by a few, a great choice since we felt as one with this magnificent natural place. The day ended with a fantastic, colorful sunset in the bay, and hopes for another new day equally full of wildlife and exciting adventures.
