26 March 2009
Manuel Antonio is (one of?) the smallest and the most popular of Costa Rica’s National Parks. It has a terrific reputation based on a combination of first-class beaches and first-class wildlife sightings. Our visit today lived up to the reputation.
We have not seen so many animals anywhere else in Costa Rica. Also, many of the encounters were close. Main species: capuchin monkeys, squirrel monkeys, sloths, and giant lizards.
The main section of the park is a small island joined by a sand isthmus to the coast. There are beaches with protected coves on both sides of the isthmus. We hiked along the main trail from the entrance to the isthmus and later on a trail that looped around the island.
One photo shows a rest spot in the middle of the afternoon during the hike around the island. The other photos illustrate a few of the many excellent animal sightings: a capuchin monkey and a three-toed sloth. We saw the sloth climb from about 2 m up to about 15 m above the ground. Moving steadily, it probably took 2 minutes. This is the first time of the half dozen or so sloth sightings where I actually got to see one do something significant. The experience leaves no doubt about the meaning of “sloth.”
No comments:
Post a Comment