Aboard National Geographic Sea Lion we had the opportunity to explore the best of two countries, Panama and Costa Rica. The last destination of our journey is one of the most important national parks of Costa Rica: Manuel Antonio. Located in the Central Pacific area of Costa Rica and selected by Forbes in 2011 as “one of the 12 most beautiful national parks in the world.” This park provides an easy access for our guests with beautiful beaches and extensive vegetation
We begin early today and were rewarded by being practically the first travelers inside the park. We were escorted by two local guides who gave us all their knowledge, making our visit very pleasant. During our walks we saw birds such as the northern oriole, which makes a long journey migrating every year to this area. We also spotted woodpeckers and trogons , among others.
We watched black iguanas trying to catch the sun to replenish their energy. We saw two-toed sloths on the top of the tree, and when we observed them through our spotting scope, we saw that it was a mother with a baby. It was a unique experience because the baby tried to move out and the mother hugged it, as if trying say “it’s not your time yet to leave and explore.”
Wildlife was everywhere: three-toed sloths; howler monkeys moving from side to side, young ones jumping and playing; white-throated capuchin monkeys in the picnic area; and many crab-eating raccoons expecting a hand-out from the visitors.
Then we returned to our ship for an excellent lunch and in the early afternoon we had the opportunity to return to the park, where our beach station was set up with chairs and refreshments, providing a relaxing atmosphere for a few more hours.
Our week together ended up with a beautiful sunset as we sailed to Herradura Bay. Our vivid conversations in the lounge inspired by our guests’ slide show offered many great memories of our tropical experience in Central America.