Guests in the Wild Kingdom

© Adam Sievering / RumBum.com

Spiny-tailed igauna.

After hours of standing in the aisle of a full bus, we arrived in the small town of Quepos, only to immediately hop on another bus that took us to our hostel in Manuel Antonio.

Hostel Vista Serena had a long porch that offered a great view of the ocean behind a few rolling green hills, which was an excellent place to sit in a hammock and enjoy a cold beer while watching the sun disappear below the Atlantic horizon. The brothers from Southern California who operated the hostel suggested that my brother and I check out Manuel Antonio National Park, which is internationally known for spectacular hikes that cut through dense rainforest and eventually open up to small, isolated beaches.

Hiking these trails is something like hiking through the “no trespassing” areas of a zoo. There are no bars or observation windows that divide hikers from the slews of Black Spiny-tailed Iguanas, Brown-throated Three-toed Sloth, Motmots and Howler Monkeys that inhabit the area. The park is their home and hikers are guests, fortunate enough to get up close and personal with some of the world’s most exotic wildlife. Also, hikers should not be deceived by the trees that seem to block the sweltering Pacific sunrays. Due to high humidity levels, wear the lightest clothes possible; even then hikers are bound to need a towel to soak up some sweat.

After a four mile hike, my brother and I posted up on one of the beaches we found at the end of a trail for lunch. In a matter of minutes we found ourselves being assailed by an iguana that stormed out of the forest behind us in hopes of scoring a peanut butter sandwich. The three foot long reptile was fearless of humans and practically domesticated, like the most of the animals in the park that stay close to the ground.

We were warned ahead of time to keep an eye out for thieving packs of monkeys and raccoons, which aren’t modest about stealing belongings out of tourists’ packs. Like looters, they travel in numbers and make quick work out of ransacking food, cameras, hats or anything else that they might like to bring home with them. Visitors should be on guard like they would on a busy city street—keep belongings close and don’t trust anyone with your wallet, even if it has a cute face and furry tail.

Although it was fantastic to behold the spectacle of crystal clear ocean surrounded by jagged rock faces and thick, tropical forest, the park seemed to be too touched by tourism. It intrigued me these animals were so used to tourists feeding them that they no longer had to endure the task of hunting for their own nourishment. I wondered if they could they even survive anymore without a human hand to feed them, however the fact of the matter is they will never have to as long as people continue to come to Manuel Antonio on vacation.

Later that night, the brothers at the hostel prepared an enormous feast in the outdoor kitchen for everyone staying there. All 26 of us ate together while watching the sunset and getting to know a little something about each other and the lives we lead back home. It was a unique experience to eat at the same table as four Israeli girls who had just completed their mandatory military training, along with a couple of boozers from Dublin and a guy who had just finished two terms in the U.S. Army. One thing I can always count on: diversity, alcohol and a good meal together will ceaselessly make for lively conversation.

Hell bent on keeping the party going, the two brothers tapped into their fireworks supply and entertained everyone by firing mortars off the porch into the night sky. It was a triumphant way for my brother and me to spend our final evening in Manuel Antonio.