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Manuel Antonio National Park

With the establishment of ManuelAntonio National Park in 1972, the people of Costa Rica decided to preserve, for future generations, one of the most beautiful and bio-diverse areas in the world. Although it is the country's smallest national park, the stunning beauty and diversity of wildlife in its 683 hectares is unequaled.

Manuel Antonio contains a charming combination of rain forest, beaches and coral reefs. This beaches are the most beautiful in the country, lined with lush forest, and the snorkeling is excellent too. The forest is home for sloths, iguanas, the rare and adorable squirrel monkeys and millions of colorful little crabs. And the trail that winds around Punta Catedral affords some spectacular views. The park is easy to reach, south of the town of Quepos, and is near a good selection of hotels and restaurants.

Visiting the park, one is treated to an abundant diversity of wildlife. Cathedral Point, with its forest topped cliffs was once an island, but is now connected to the coast by a thin strip of island. This land bridge now forms the spine separating the parks two most popular beaches, Playa Espadilla Sur and Playa Manuel Antonio.
The southern facing beach, Playa Manuel Antonio, is a picturesque half mile long, white sand crescent bisecting deep green foliage to one side and a private, secluded cove to the other.

Standing with your feet dug into the sand and watching the wave crash against the rocks on either side of the lagoon, it is easy to believe that you are a thousand miles from anywhere.

Getting there
Travel to the area is easy and can be done in a number of different ways. Regularly scheduled air service is available through Sansa Airlines, the flight takes 20 minutes. It is a three and a half hour or more, drive by car or bus from San José depending on the weather and traffic.

If you wish to take public transportation you can head down to the downtown San Jose "Coca Cola" bus station, take the "Directo" Quepos/Manuel Antonio bus, 6 daily departures, cost $5. There are also private buses that travel directly from San Jose to Manuel Antonio, and they are: Saragundi Specialty Tours (tel.255-00-11) or American VIP Coach Service (tel.222-81-34).

If you are renting a car it is advisable to rent a 4X4 vehible because certain sections of the road can be difficult.

Bus service between Quepos' main terminal and the national park departs every half hour from 5:00 am. till 10:00 pm. And is less than $0.40.

The Manuel Antonio National Park entrance fee is US$6 per person. Children under 12 free. Hours: 7am. to 4pm. Closed on Monday.

When you reach Quepos, continue into town across the last bridge and take a left on Avenida Central. This will take you into the center town where you will also find the main bus terminal. There are several reasonably priced places to stay and lots of bars and restaurants. If you want to continue on into Manuel Antonio, continue down Avenida Central for the next two blocks, untill you pass the main bus terminal. At the next stop sign turn right, go down the one block to the next street and turn left. This road will take you all the way down to the national park where it ends. The drive is about four miles long through twisting and turning roads.