Wonderful Manuel Antonio hikes

Suspension Bridge, Punta Catedral Trail, Manuel Antonio National Park

I started preparing for the Punta Catedral Trail of Manuel Antonio National Park early in the morning just as the sun was just beginning to creep out. I quickly slipped on my hiking boots in preparation for that Punta Catedral Trail.

As the  sweet smell of the rainforest made it into my nostrils, I saw a humming bird, this my heart jump.  This adventure has been weeks in the making,  hiking Punta Catedral trail inside Manuel Antonio National Park.

Perhaps the first I ever saw myself surrounded by lush green forest folage, or knew that every new look was  a virgin sight of magic. The park was a very peculiar jungle/forest with extraordinary vistas of the ocean I have never seen before in my life. With the stunning views from it and hearing promises of wildlife in the area, it had all turned into a bit more of an informal tradition for me to hike at least one new trail everywhere I went.

So I still had not set foot on any trail and Manuel Antonio as it was coming to life in terms of flora and fauna, too. The squeaks of Capuchin monkeys split the silence as well; and sharp, high-pitched chirps were seen from time to time where tropical birds hopped in or out through giant trees.

The park was alive with creatures, Sloths and Monkeys other hairy beasts humming about, like gorgeous morphus butterflies. I set my foot on the path to find that in this silence, everything danced and teemed with life. The large, circular walk to Punta Catedral is worth doing and winds around a very scenic peninsula with views out over the Pacific Ocean.

• A gentle climb

Most of the way was a brisk uphill path, starting through dense jungle. The trees that surrounded them stood high, their limbs sporting bounteous flora. They were so wide that I doubted even one of us could have fully wrapped his arms around them. The ferns hit my legs every time I walked, which was lovely.

It was magical to be undisturbed and walk alone outside with mother nature. I slowed down, and I took in the sounds: my boots as they hit ground and leaves. There was a gusty wind speaking through lazy tree branches above but the ocean smacked into rocks not too far off.

• The wild of the rainforest

This, I soon found out was what brought me here. It was the perfect mix of dense jungle and wild, uncultivated coast. As I looked down, at one of the tiny beaches hidden within craggy rock formations that held ivory colored sands. This was the real deal paradise, even better than a advertised.

The path led on, and grew smaller; the way was steeper. I had to avoid looking down, every step was trying to swallow me whole but every 5 minutes I would be staring back at that ocean!!! Further in, the water goes from blue to green around the shallows and there’s a stage where it shifts again. Everything was so bright! especially the way that the coast curves back up on itself.

I was making my way down the trail, and I see a group of hikers coming up. With their red faces,  yet splendid with the same experience. All of us had been called here for the very same reason; to feel that feeling of wonder and acceptance of this paradise on earth, with all its magical wonders.

 

As I approached my path along the ridge to Punta Catedral, the forest became  much denser. Beneath the high canopy, there was some slight respite from the heat. I peered up, scanning the canopy for movement and heard a shuffling above me. High in the branches a troop of white-faced capuchin monkeys They darted around as if unbound by gravity, leaping from one branch to the next. A few of the youngsters hung head-down from the rollers on creepers in surrounding vegetation and gave me quizzical looks. I watched in amazement at their youthful playfulness.

• Beauty all around me

I Picked up a flat stone to sit on and sat down in a  sun lotion. Small sips of the tea i brought, soon made my mind wonder to the miraculous feats of nature. Somehow those far away cares and burdens of ours going lives seemed truly meaningless. If only I could stuff this feeling in my rucksack and keep it forever.

Before long, I had company: the butterflies.  Concealed behind stood a pair of enormous wings, glinting like blue diamonds in the filtered sunlight. I watched them twinkle as they swung through the air like angelic acrobats and darted back into shade of the forest. These were moments that were filled me with wonder and delight.

• The way back

Coming back down the trail was just as exciting, and you had better believe my focus level went up a few notches. I had to be cautious climbing down the steepest parts of it. Still, I hesitated several times because I was not ready to exit this wondrous place just yet. With almost fantastical step away, it was like a saying goodbye to the wondrous journey i could not have dreamed of.

We were finally walking back from the hike when I saw what was at least my dream Nirvana sighting, a Sloth high in an ancient tree. I could only tell due to the way it moved so gingerly. It had one very long tentacle which was inching out to get a leaf and continued for some time while I watched. I had a bit of an obsession with sloths, I mean who would not love those animals totally oblivious to what was going on around them — amazing creatures! It was truely amazing, awesome and fantastical all warped up into a feeling of warmth and bliss.

I took a long while to sit on one of the fallen logs, wind whistling cool across my sun kissed skin,  I wished  absorb as much of what lay behind me along the path till in front of me…add it to my memories which became unforgettable.

Manuel Antonio National Park will slapped  me down into humility like nothing else, reminding me of how small and meaningless I am in the grand scheme of things yet proving to myself that my existence is irrevocable. That was a feeling that would lodge itself in my brain over decades.