Hi, friends of the IECR blog,

IECR and the students of the Troy University, Alabama, have just visited the national park Manuel Antonio located on the Central Pacific. During this trip we enjoyed nature at its best and made interesting and memorable experiences.

We started our trip using the new highway which had been inaugurated only some weeks ago and made our first stop at Orotina, where our students could appreciate many local fruits and handicraft articles. Then we continued our trip on the Coastal highway till Manuel Antonio beach.

After our check-in at the hotel we had a typical Costa Rican lunch followed by a visit of Manuel Antonio beach. The students rode horses on the beach what turned to be very relaxing for all of them! The tropical beach under a completely cloudless sky allowed us to appreciate the wonderful contrasts of the colors: the blue sky, the green vegetation, the white sand and the turquoise of the Pacific Sea.

From time to time we had the visit of some monkeys and iguanas which seemed to be very curious about the students.

The horse-riding tour was fabulous because the guide not only showed us how to ride a horse but he also explained us how to make a glass with a leaf and how to open a coconut without any tool. With the sunset we returned to the hotel in order to have a dinner with fish and Carribbean style vegetables. A delicious dinner! That night we visited a place with live music and the students had the opportunity to dance to Latin music.

Saturday morning started with a typical Costa Rican breakfast followed by the visit of the national park Manuel Antonio under the leadership of our guide Miguel Gamboa. He provided us with expert comments regarding the botany of this park and showed us hidden wild animals.

Some of the animals which attracted attention were the sloths, the iguanas, the two-colored chameleon, the invisible bird, the white-faced monkeys, the howlers, the morpho butterflies and many interesting insects. After this tour we enjoyed the beach of the national park which is one of the most beautiful places of this region. The day came to an end with a spectacular afternoon of an unforgettable summer day. As you can see, I am posting some photos of these nature`s wonders … so you can enjoy them too.