Manuel Antonio National Park and Beach

On this bright and sunny morning, we visited the Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio (the National Park), which was just a short walk down the road from our hotel. Our tour guide, Juan Luis, lead us through the forest where he set up his telescope to point out some of the hidden treasures among the trees, including a sack of frog eggs on a leaf, howler monkeys, sloths, and toucans. We also encountered several spider monkeys who were not at all camera shy, coming within only a few feet of the tourists. At one point along the path, Juan surprised the group by shaking out a handful of termites from a tree; he then invited the group to eat one, but Samantha and Sarah were the only ones brave enough to accept the offer. After walking through the forest for about an hour, we arrived at the beach and laid down to soak up the hot Costa Rican sun. There were more monkeys lurking in the trees, so we had to be cautious not to fall victim to their hungry, thieving hands.

We returned to the hotel for lunch and naps. Joanna and Lauren rented boogie boards in the afternoon and caught some great waves with a few of the local kids. We ate dinner at the hotel that night, exhausted and sunburned, but glowing just the same as we reminisced about the fabulous time we've had here in Costa Rica and the breathtaking scenery here in Manuel Antonio.