Costa Rica - Day 8 (1/26/2016)

The morning of Day 8 had us scheduled for a visit to Manuel Antonio National Park.  Since our hotel was only steps from the park entrance (we could hear howler monkeys throughout the night), we were at the gate early.  This proved to be important because the park is so popular.  Attendance is regulated to avoid overcrowding and, when we returned several hours later, there was a mass of visitors waiting to gain entry.  

One reason for the park's popularity is the number and variety of animals who live in the jungle there, said to be 107 species of mammals and 335 bird species.  Another reason is the large Pacific bay and beautiful sand beach.  Numerous hiking trails are available to access various scenic overlooks and provide a chance to see the wildlife in its native habitat.  Not having time for the full experience, we walked the main path about a mile or so to the beach, seeing mostly monkeys  along the way.  There were also iguanas, other lizards, a deer and a three-toed sloth.  Very few birds were seen, although we could definitely hear them.

White-faced monkey

 

White-faced monkey

One man lured a monkey to the ground with a banana.  Although I don't like the idea of feeding the wildlife, I took advantage of the opportunity for close-ups of the little guy.

White-faced monkey

Three-toed sloth

Howler monkey

???? lizard

 After returning to the hotel, I had time for a few more photos of the building and grounds before we boarded the bus for our next tour stop.

Hotel entrance

Hotel from the pool

 Our final tour stop was at the Rain Forest Adventures, which offers several ways to visit what is called a transitional forest.  Since we were in the dry season, and the area has been in drought for several years, it was not truly a rain forest.  While there are zip lines through the jungle canopy, we were there to ride the aerial trams, much safer for a group of seniors.

Tram ride through the jungle.

Colorful tree

Mountain stream below

Torch ginger

Tram returning to base.

The aerial tram was intended to not only show us the jungle, but to let us see many birds that live there.  Unfortunately, we saw almost no birds and those were quite a distance from us.  Needless to say, this was a major disappointment.

Later, our bus returned us to San Jose for our last night in Costa Rica, which included a farewell dinner.  Our flight to Atlanta was scheduled early the next day, requiring that we catch a 4:30 am shuttle to the airport and uneventful flights back home.   Despite the discomfort inherent in a bus tour, and a little disappointment in the lack of bird sightings, we were pleased to have seen much of this beautiful country.

Time for a break now in the travelogue until the RV travel season gets underway, probably in April.