Manuel Antonio National Park & Curu Biological Preserve

Sunrise found us with swollen skies, but some of us braved the steady downpour and had an adventuresome two hours ashore at Manuel Antonio National Park. This was not the ideal conditions for wildlife spotting, but we were quite successful with an armadillo, several species of reptiles and five different sloths. Conditions were much improved for our late afternoon stop at the Curu Biological Preserve and all hikers were rewarded with views of howler monkeys, white-faced capuchin monkeys, scarlet macaws and many other great sightings. Some of the wildlife views were of the more subtle nature. The emerald green of a juvenile ctenasaur or just sitting on a log watching the beach. Our landing was at low tide and an army of ghost crabs were busy feeding and keeping their burrows clear of sand. When approached they would quietly disappear, but with patience they would return, keeping a wary eye upon us.

It has been an exceptional expedition with an amazing amount of diversity. Dinner was a bittersweet affair with the glow of the end of a successful expedition, but tinged with regret that it was soon to be over