Wednesday, April 24th, 2019

Day 12 of Full Costa Rica adventure by Bamba Experience

Todays itinerary:
“Manuel Antonio National Park Day Trip

Depart at 07:00 am from your accomodation Jungle Vista inn, Manuel Antonio to Manuel Antonio National Park with Iguana tours. The tour will last 4 hrs with a professional guide an option to spend more time on your own in the national park.

Manuel Antonio is perhaps the most popular national park in all of Costa Rica attracting more than 160,000 visitors annually to visit its tranquil white-sand beaches along turquoise-colored Pacific Ocean waters tucked away in mangrove swamps in the rainforest.

Walking along the main trails that lead you through this majestic forest, you can see over 100 different types of animals including white-faced monkeys, squirrel monkeys known locally as “mono titi”, sloths, coatimundis and howler monkeys along with lizards, iguanas, crabs, marine life and over 180 bird species.

The Main Trail (1.3 miles) is the most popular and most frequented trail taking you through a short loop of the park to the beaches. The Punta Catedral Trail takes you a bit further off the beaten track and out to the Cathedral Point for beautiful look out points.

Visit the Playa Gemelas and Punto Escondido Beaches by following a trail of the same name for 1 mile and lastly for the most spectacular views of the park, take the Mirador Trail (a slightly more difficult trail a little less than a mile) to a beautiful overlook point. Enjoy the day wandering down endless trails into a naturally pristine refuge and feel that you are thousands of miles away from civilization.”

I get up early. Constructions are not an issue. Behind the house is forest. I have appartment B, which is first floor facing the trees. The howler monkeys get up early, throw fruits onto the metal roof of the neighbours house. Then they start earning their name and howl.

Ok, I get up and cook coffee. Not so bad for filter coffee. I pack my backpack with the lunch package and swimming gear and go downstairs.

Construction workers are already on the site, but working quietly.

Iguana tours bus is picking me up.

The guide tells me, no food in the park. The rangers will confiscate nuts, cereals, … fruit is ok. I tell him I will not sacrifice my lunchbag to the rangers.

We get out, get our tickets and go to the checkpoints.

I hide my nuts and show the lunchpack. The ranger recognizes the hotel logo and doesnot further care (look inside or whatever). On the other table they confiscate all cigarettes.

We go in. We are totally alone. “Always be on the same side of the pathway as the telescope” gets a reason. So many groups and a soon as one guide puts his telescope in position, everybody groups around to have a look, blocking everything.

Anyway, by time, the masses spread, our guide tells a lot of new things about sloths (why do they get off the tree to shit? All channels out the body are one. Due he eats some days and digests very efficient, it has to dislocate the legs to shit. The legs are the only thing which jolds it to the tree – arms are not strong enough, therefore, not to fall of the tree, it has to come down or sit very safe), bats hiding, healing plants, hummingbirds, monkey social order, iguanas, crabs … .

The guide spots everything, even if a supertiny animal is 20 meters away and I need 36x enlargement, he spots with free eyes. Impressive. I see a lot of Animal, guide is expert in cell phone photos through telescope.

Bat

Three toes sloth. His vertex is on his belly to let rain water flow away easier. It lives on ant-trees. In its four a certain kind of bacteria and seaweed. The seaweed is the nutrition for a moth. This bacteria an moth identifies the sloth to the ants of the tree as friend. If a jaguar comes, to eat the sloth, the ants will attack the jaguar and therefore protect the sloth.

In the center I get fruits and water (one way plastic). The guide tells me where to walk and how to get back with public bus, gets 5 usd tipp, I walk on for some hours.

I check the beaches.

Beagle boys

Then I go out the park, get a beer at Marlin and catch the next chicken bus. Ride with the locals. Only tourists on the bus. Driver opens the door by leaning over, grabbing it and open I by force. Closing is the same.

I get off at Los Altos and get something to eat. Super burger.

I sleep at the pool. More wildlife here than in Manuel Antonio.

The internet is fantastic here. The sunset, too.

I go to the pool and write my blog. The to jungle vista inn, shower, back to loas altos for the tuna tartar and the ofen baked fish.

I go home. Hot. I jump into the small pool. Then I go to sleep.

Accomodation: Jungle Vista Inn, Manzel Antonio