Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica

Attractions

ABOUT MANUEL ANTONIO

Within a relatively small corner of Costa Rica, tourists can find the excitement and adventure of a vacation in the tropical forest, surrounded by one of the country's most beautiful natural environments, without sacrificing life's modern conveniences. There's a magic to Manuel Antonio that is hard to explain. One thing, however, is absolutely certain: once you've been here you'll want to come back again.


Manuel Antonio, with its 1700 acres of land mass and 135,906 acres of marine reserve, is the smallest of the 20 national parks Costa Rica has put aside for total protection. Even so, it is the country's second most visited conservation area, after the Poas Volcano.


Last year alone, 143,520 tourists visited the park. Conservation officials have fixed the park's carrying capacity at 600 people per day from Tuesdays to Fridays, and 800 on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. On Mondays the park is closed to the public. "If there are already 600 visitors at 10 a.m., we close it right then", said Javier Herrera, in charge of environmental education at the park, which is usually open from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m.


Located 100 miles south of San Jose on the Pacific Coast (a pleasant three-hour drive, or a short 20 minutes by plane), Manuel Antonio, which was declared a national park in 1972, is the natural habitat of species such as the endangered squirrel monkey (endemic to the area), white faced capuchin monkey, raccoons, three and two-toed sloths, white-nosed coaties, brown pelicans, black-collared hawks and green kingfishers. They share the space with primary and secondary forests, bursting with cedars, bully trees, black locusts and silk cotton trees. A mangrove swamp covers about 44.5 acres and three different species: red mangrove, buttonwood mangrove and white mangrove, adding to the biodiversity of the region.


ACTIVITIES

Adventure Sport fishing, scuba diving, snorkeling, surfing, sea kayaking, river rafting, mountain biking, horseback riding to pristine waterfalls, relaxing on white-sand beaches...


If that's not enough to keep you busy in the Quepos and Manuel Antonio area, then how about hiking through the jungle, bird watching, photographing monkeys, sloths and other wildlife, swimming and exploring mangrove forests and rocky islands?


Boredom is simply not a word in the Quepos dictionary. The question here may not be what to do, but what to leave out. After all, there's only 24 hours in a day...


Not to be missed is Manuel Antonio National Park, arguably the country's most beautiful and popular protected coastal area. The national park contains pristine white-sand beaches, hidden coves ideal for snorkeling, trails through tropical forest filled with wildlife and the landmark Punta Catedral, towering high above the deep blue Pacific Ocean.


ADVENTURE TOURS


FOR ANY INFORMATION ABOUT THE TOURS AND ACTIVITIES YOU CAN ASK EDDIE, OUR ON-SITE MANAGER, AND HE WILL BE ABLE TO GIVE YOU THE BEST OPTIONS AVAILABLE AT THE MOMENT.