Manuel Antonio National Park in Costa Rica
If Manuel Antonio National Park in Costa Rica is on your list of things to do, then you’re on the right track. Though Manuel Antonio National Park may be smallest in Costa Rica, it is also one of the most beautiful. Part of it is a marine park that may be explored by scuba diving or snorkeling, either from the beach or on a tour. (Another one that is nearly all underwater is Las Baulas in Guanacaste. Closed on Mondays, it is a rare treat for ecotourists and beach lovers. Several tour outfits run buses from Jaco Beach on day trips to this park.
You’ll find it at the end of the road that leads up the hill from Quepos. The local bus leaves from the downtown station every fifteen minutes or so, or you can get a taxi for a couple of dollars. There is parking outside the Mar y Sombra beach restaurant, which turns into a lively open air disco on weekend nights
Entrance fee was $7 last time we were there.
After strolling past a huge asteroid-looking boulder on the beach, you enter by wading across a stream or taking a very brief boat ride. (It gets pretty deep at high tide) A footbridge is under construction and may be ready by high season, 2004. Once inside, you’ll find palm-shaded footpaths that wind along through the jungle to seven beaches and a variety of scenic vistas and places to picnic. Snacks and beverages are available at a stand about halfway along the main path.
Tahiti, Tonga, Mora Mora — you won’t find a more exotic set of tropical beaches anywhere on the planet. Several cliff side hotels and restaurants offer a beguiling vista of the beaches and bay, often dotted with sailboats and other craft. It is quite a hike to the farthest ones, but the reward is more privacy. Snorkeling tours will sometimes drop you off on a beach while the rest of the group winds their way among coral reefs where delicately colored tropical fish swim gracefully and huge ones occasionally emerge from a submarine canyon.
Swimmers should not go in the water alone and should stay close to shore, as it can be dangerous. Do not leave possessions unguarded on the beach, unless you are not truly attached to them.
There are lots of monkeys, birds, crabs, butterflies and other wildlife to observe, but not in the numbers seen several years ago. This is because it is the most visited of all the parks in the country. Still, there are few beaches on the Pacific side where the jungle meets the sea in such an enchanting fashion as it does here, and a laid back afternoon on one of these playas is almost a religious experience
If Manuel Antonio National Park in Costa Rica is on your list of things to do, then you’re on the right track. Though Manuel Antonio National Park may be smallest in Costa Rica, it is also one of the most beautiful. Part of it is a marine park that may be explored by scuba diving or snorkeling, either from the beach or on a tour. (Another one that is nearly all underwater is Las Baulas in Guanacaste. Closed on Mondays, it is a rare treat for ecotourists and beach lovers. Several tour outfits run buses from Jaco Beach on day trips to this park.
You’ll find it at the end of the road that leads up the hill from Quepos. The local bus leaves from the downtown station every fifteen minutes or so, or you can get a taxi for a couple of dollars. There is parking outside the Mar y Sombra beach restaurant, which turns into a lively open air disco on weekend nights
Entrance fee was $7 last time we were there.
After strolling past a huge asteroid-looking boulder on the beach, you enter by wading across a stream or taking a very brief boat ride. (It gets pretty deep at high tide) A footbridge is under construction and may be ready by high season, 2004. Once inside, you’ll find palm-shaded footpaths that wind along through the jungle to seven beaches and a variety of scenic vistas and places to picnic. Snacks and beverages are available at a stand about halfway along the main path.
Tahiti, Tonga, Mora Mora — you won’t find a more exotic set of tropical beaches anywhere on the planet. Several cliff side hotels and restaurants offer a beguiling vista of the beaches and bay, often dotted with sailboats and other craft. It is quite a hike to the farthest ones, but the reward is more privacy. Snorkeling tours will sometimes drop you off on a beach while the rest of the group winds their way among coral reefs where delicately colored tropical fish swim gracefully and huge ones occasionally emerge from a submarine canyon.
Swimmers should not go in the water alone and should stay close to shore, as it can be dangerous. Do not leave possessions unguarded on the beach, unless you are not truly attached to them.
There are lots of monkeys, birds, crabs, butterflies and other wildlife to observe, but not in the numbers seen several years ago. This is because it is the most visited of all the parks in the country. Still, there are few beaches on the Pacific side where the jungle meets the sea in such an enchanting fashion as it does here, and a laid back afternoon on one of these playas is almost a religious experience
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