Manuel Antonio (August 5-7)

We arrived at the apartment in Manuel Antonio on Monday night in a pouring rain, after a traffic jam of about half an hour due to an accident on the main road. The morning forecast had called for a very rainy day, but that didn’t really happen. In any case, we dedicated the morning to getting organized and having a relaxed breakfast in the apartment. Afterward, Tamar went to catch up on some sleep, and the three of us went to the beach. It’s a lovely beach where the jungle comes right up to the sand. We didn’t even bring a phone, so there are no pictures, but on the way from the car to the beach, we saw a troop of howler monkeys in the trees, and while we were wading in the sea, we saw two spiny-tailed iguanas (Ctenosaura similis). After a shower, we went out for an early dinner at a highly recommended Indian restaurant. The food was indeed very tasty, despite Daniel’s complaints that it was terrible (he ate it anyway). From the balcony, we saw howler monkeys and a pair of macaws that decided to land in a very close tree, but one that was exactly hidden from our view. From the restaurant, we hurried to a night tour in a private park on the hilltop directly across the street from our apartment. Besides the usual frogs and insects, we also saw two very special nocturnal mammals: a kinkajou—a mammal somewhat similar to a nocturnal loris or lemur—and a tree porcupine. Of the porcupines, we only saw the tip of one’s nose and the tail of another, but we got a good look at the kinkajou, including a mother with a cute cub.

By the time we woke up and had breakfast on Wednesday, it was already too late to get any tickets to Manuel Antonio Park, so we bought tickets for the first slot of the next day. We went to a small coastal outcrop in town, where we had a very good view of a couple of spiny-tailed iguanas, and also saw a frigate-bird and some other see birds. After that, we weren’t sure about our plans. Tamar wanted to tour the local supermarkets, so I went with her, and Lilach took the car to look for a more attractive activity with Daniel. As we were walking towards the first supermarket, we heard scarlet macaws squawking in the sky, and saw a pair of them flying by, rather low and very clearly seen. Then there were several more – 7 or 9 in total – quite a view, and in the most unexpected place! We met a while later, after Tamar and I toured three non-air-conditioned supermarkets (one of us liked this pastime more than the other), while the others tried in vain to book a tour of a cacao plantation… To wrap up this not highly productive day, we went to a recommended but rather disappointing restaurant.

The next morning, Daniel, Lilach, and I woke up early, and by 7 AM, while Tamar was still fast asleep, we were already at the entrance to Manuel Antonio National Park just as it opened. This is one of the most famous parks in the country, and for good reason! It combines a beautiful rainforest and mangrove-covered beaches and serves as a home for many animals. We saw mammals, reptiles, birds, and quite a few insects, in addition to innumerable crabs among the mangroves.