From Wikitravel

Manuel Antonio is a national park on the mid-Pacific coast of Costa Rica, just south of the city of Quepos. The park is open 7 AM until 4 PM every day except Monday. Visit early, because it is a very popular park and can get very crowded.

Contents 1 Understand 1.1 History 1.2 Landscape 1.3 Flora and fauna 1.4 Climate 2 Get in 2.1 By car 2.2 By bus 3 Fees/Permits 4 Get around 5 See 6 Do 7 Buy 8 Eat 9 Drink 10 Sleep 10.1 Lodging 10.2 Camping 10.3 Backcountry 11 Stay safe 12 Get out

Understand

History

• The park was created in November 1972, to an extent to protect it from development as the area's tourist industry began to boom.

Landscape

• The park is 682.7 Hectares in size; partly land, partly sea and mostly known for its beautiful beaches and wildlife. It is Costa Rica's smallest park. There are four primary beaches in Costa Rica: Espadilla Sur, Manuel Antonio, Escondido and Playita. This national park is located on the pacific coast of Costa Rica in the province of Puntarenas.

Flora and fauna

• In the park there is a lot of wildlife to be seen, for instance: Squirrel monkeys, white-faced monkeys, sloths, iguanas, crabs, toucans, bats, birds.

• Please DO NOT feed the monkeys As tempting as it may seem and even if others are doing it, please do not feed the monkeys. The reasons to avoid this are endless and doing so contributes to the endangerment of the animals in and around the park.

Climate

• The dry season lasts from December through March, but it is commonly rather humid year-round. In rainy season the paths can get extremely muddy, on the other hand you have the chance to experience the park rather empty.

Climate: Dry Dec-Apr, Wet May-Nov, Wettest Sep/Oct Temp: Avg. high 92°

Get in

By car

• About 3 hours by car from San José.

If you go by car or shuttle service you should really stop at Puente Río Tarcoles (the bridge over Tarcoles river) about halfway between San José and Manuel Antonio. This is a favorite spot for crocodiles that come here to warm up before hunting at night. You will normally be able to see at least 30 crocodiles here. The reptiles pose no threat (unless you plan to jump down to them), but you should pay attention to the traffic, especially when you cross the road to see the crocodiles on the other side.

By bus

• There is a bus driving the route Quepos-Manuel Antonio that leaves every 30 minutes. You can catch the bus at any of the many stops along the way. Fare 200 colones (US $0.50) each way (tel.777-03-18).

Fees/Permits

• Entrance fee $7.

There is a limit of 600 allowed (simultaneous) visitors on weekdays and 800 on weekends, but this tends only to be a problem in the Easter week and the last week of the year. At these times you might have to stand in queue and wait for someone to leave before you are let in if you arrive late.

Get around

Once close to Manuel Antonio, it is possible to walk from most hotels to the beach and to any restaurants/attractions in between. Take care to carry a flashlight at night, though, for the dark and windy roads can spell disaster for pedestrians after hours. The Parque Nacional de Manuel Antonio is discovered quite easily by foot, but at high tide a ferry is (often) required to reach it, costing a nominal fee. The intrepid traveler could, of course, ford the waters by swimming it...

See

Do

• Hiking in the national park. There are 4 short trails in the park (1-3 km).
• Wildlife watching with guide. $20 per person.
• Relax at the beautiful beaches inside the park. Water is normally clear-blue in color.
• Park tour with guide (http://www.nature-adventures-tours.com Nature Adventures is one of them) 39$ per person.

Buy

Eat

• It is not possible to buy food or drinks inside the park, although just outside the park there are plenty of opportunities to do so.
• Take care not to allow your lunches to be infiltrated or stolen by the Park's resident thieves, the coatimundi.

Drink

Sleep

• Unfortunately, camping is prohibited in the park, as it is small and the impact of even a few people could possibly damage the fragile natural environment that the park is attempting to maintain.

Lodging

• Because camping is prohibited within the park, a number of lodging choices have sprung up around the perimeter of the park. One of the popular local lodging offerings consists of "cabinas" (cabins) which vary in price ($20-$30/night) and quality. Cabinas Pedro Miguel (tel.777-00-35) and Cabinas Piscis (tel.777-00-46) are two popular choices for this type of lodging. The Manuel Antonio Park area also has a number of hotels which average about $50-$60/night. There are also a few upscale hotel/resort style properties in the area such as the Makanda by the Sea (tel.777-04-42) and the ancient Spanish style Hotel El Parador (tel.290-76-82).

Camping

Backcountry

Stay safe

Manuel Antonio gets a rough, mainly US-American-party town at night, pickpocketing etc. are common.

Get out

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