Manuel Antonio 1
Posted in Costa Rica on Nov 3rd, 2008
Aerial view of Manuel Antonio National Park Costa Rica
One of the most famous destinations in Costa Rica is Manuel Antonio. Manuel Antonio is actually a park and not a town. It is located on the Southern Pacific side and is about three to four hours away (depending on traffic and road conditions) from San Jose by bus or car. The park has beaches that have to be seen to be believed. There are monkeys in the park as well as many other interesting critters.
Before you get to Manuel Antonio you will hit Quepos. This small town is connected to the park by a bus system that departs about every fifteen minutes. The buses run from the early morning to the late evening. A one way taxi ride is about five or six bucks. The taxis are available 24 hours a day. Quepos has cheap hotels and eats. If you want to save money you can stay in Quepos and take a bus to and from the park. There is a small restaurant inside the bus station. The food is cheap and quite good. I like Tico food so I may be biased.
From Quepos you will take the bus and begin to descend to the coast. There are some magnificent vistas on the ride to the park. There are many hotels between Quepos and the park entrance. You can find some great deals here. You may not be able to walk to the beach but some of these hotels have incredible views and the sunsets…wow.
When you complete the descent you will see many hotels, restaurants and shops lining the left side of the road leading to the park entrance. On the right hand side is the beach. The road ends in a cul-de-sac and you can see the entrance to Manuel Antonio a short walk away. This area is touristy but the prices are not outrageous. If you want to eat for cheap there are people selling hot food on the beach. If you really want to save money then buy groceries when you are in Quepos. On the beach you will find many vendors hawking the usual tourist wares; t-shirts, beach towels, arts and crafts, pipes, etc. I’m not really a souvenir type guy so I really can’t comment on the price or quality.
The beach before the park is good for sunbathing or a massage during sunset. The water can be pretty rough so its not always good for swimming. The beaches inside the park are a different matter entirely. They are protected from the waves and current by the geography of the park. There’s Playa Espadilla Sur and Playa Manuel Antonio. Playa Espadilla Sur is crazy beautiful. If you were going to design and build an ideal tropical beach it would look pretty much like this.
Playa Espadilla is one of the beaches on the narrow strip of land (see pic above) connecting the hill-like outcropping to the mainland. The hiking in the park in great. The rainforest is beautiful and filled with animals. There are some great vistas from the higher elevations in the park.
Further inside the park is Puerto Escondido. Its a bit of a hike and you have to be ready to climb down some rocks to the actual beach. No elevator or stairs, sorry. Puerto Escondido means “hidden port” in English. Once you see it you’ll know why. Tall cliff walls flank a narrow inlet leading to the beach. Its something out of “Pirates of the Caribbean” or “Master and Commander”. Very dramatic and well worth the effort.
There are guides outside the park who will show you around for a fee. I think they are worth the extra expense because they can point out many plants and animals that you will probably miss.
The park can be experienced in one day. If you want to hang around longer and soak up its atmosphere that’s up to you. Its pretty touristy but that’s good for families and security. How much you want to spend is up to you. You definitely have some options.
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