Manuel Antonio National Park
Welcome to Costa Rica! This small country on the isthmus of Central American possesses an amazing array of features for a small developing nation: no armed forces since 1948, a life expectancy of 78 years, 93% literacy rate and 25% of its territory devoted to conservation. Its democratic system has been especially respected among Latin American countries. Incidentally, in exactly two weeks, Costa Ricans will celebrate another presidential election. The expected attendance is around 70% of the possible total voters, showing the world their esteem for this scheme.
Our morning started with a magnificent sunrise in the small bay in Manuel Antonio National Park. This protected area is among the smallest with only 4900 acres on land and a large underwater area.
We were highly motivated to start an early exploration of this beach and forest! We went on two different walks: cathedral point and sloth valley. At certain moments it seemed like nature’s dynamics were in a quiet momentum. Nevertheless, at other instants, the natural world showed its unique vitality. This included observations of Central American agouti, Hoffmann’s two-toed sloth, and white-faced capuchin monkeys.
Once we returned to our ship, we started sailing into the southern pacific section of Costa Rica. While we were at sea our National Geographic representative, photographer and writer Christopher Baker gave an excellent presentation on how to take better pictures. Many of us took this unique chance to put into practice a brand new approach on taking pictures.
With this wonderful first day reaching its end, we watched the sun set onto the hazy horizon with great expectations for the rest of our week.
