Manuel Antonio National Park, Costa Rica
The early morning sunlight found us still sailing south towards Manuel Antonio National Park, in southern Pacific Costa Rica. Last night our voyage was happily delayed by a humpback whale with its calf, that forced us to stop and enjoy the spectacular sightings of these two individuals just a few feet away from the bow.
Manuel Antonio National Park received us with lots of surprises: Hoffmans two-toed and brown-throated three-toed sloths were spotted on all of our walks. These solitary mammals feed mainly on leaves and live up high in the forest canopy where they sunbathe. They only come down to ground to defecate and that only happens every six or seven days. Those who went on the long trail walk along Cathedral Point were entertained by a troop of white-throated capuchin monkeys. These monkeys travel in groups of up to 30 individuals, and they move through trees within the forest looking for insects, lizards, eggs and fledglings in bird nests, etc. They also eat some fruit. Other mammals seen were the white-nosed coati (diurnal member of the raccoon family) and Central American agoutis, a rodent that disperses seeds on the forest floor. Amongst the reptiles, Ctenosaurs and Jesus Christ lizards were common sightings. The latter receive their name because their young are capable of running across water without sinking.
The beautiful view of Manuel Antonio forest and rocky hills, as well as its beautiful buff-colored sandy beaches, were a constant view from the Sea Voyager throughout the day. Its beauty made some people decided to spend the whole day at the beach.
The early morning sunlight found us still sailing south towards Manuel Antonio National Park, in southern Pacific Costa Rica. Last night our voyage was happily delayed by a humpback whale with its calf, that forced us to stop and enjoy the spectacular sightings of these two individuals just a few feet away from the bow.
Manuel Antonio National Park received us with lots of surprises: Hoffmans two-toed and brown-throated three-toed sloths were spotted on all of our walks. These solitary mammals feed mainly on leaves and live up high in the forest canopy where they sunbathe. They only come down to ground to defecate and that only happens every six or seven days. Those who went on the long trail walk along Cathedral Point were entertained by a troop of white-throated capuchin monkeys. These monkeys travel in groups of up to 30 individuals, and they move through trees within the forest looking for insects, lizards, eggs and fledglings in bird nests, etc. They also eat some fruit. Other mammals seen were the white-nosed coati (diurnal member of the raccoon family) and Central American agoutis, a rodent that disperses seeds on the forest floor. Amongst the reptiles, Ctenosaurs and Jesus Christ lizards were common sightings. The latter receive their name because their young are capable of running across water without sinking.
The beautiful view of Manuel Antonio forest and rocky hills, as well as its beautiful buff-colored sandy beaches, were a constant view from the Sea Voyager throughout the day. Its beauty made some people decided to spend the whole day at the beach.
