Manuel Antonio Day Trip from Jaco

JacoHotels.com Staff

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Manuel Antonio is one of the most exclusive areas in Costa Rica. This tiny Costa Rica village with a beautiful national park, took on its name, hence the name Manuel Antonio National Park. Word got out and it quickly received worldwide attention.

As the Costa Rica park grew in popularity, a variety of Costa Rica hotels, vacation rentals and luxury hotels filled the area. Because of Manuel Antonio’s small size, hotels are built on the main road from Quepos and offer panoramic views. Soon very exclusive high end hotels arrived, bringing us to present day Manuel Antonio. Budget hotels can still be found near the main beach, near the entrance to the park. More expensive hotels have loftier, breezy rooms and offer off season discount rates. Many hilltop hotels may have steep steps, so its best to inquire.

If your taking public transportation while in Quepos - Manuel Antonio, it can be quite a hike to your hotel. The public bus from the beach to Quepos runs every half hour, or you can catch a taxi.

The National Park is 682 hectares, however it offers everything tourists want to see while visiting Costa Rica. Stunning beaches, lush rainforest, easy trails and ample wildlife. There is good chance you will see monkeys. The white face monkeys frequent the beach around lunch time. Keep your valuables and food stored away; they are know as Costa Rica thieves and will go through your packsack to get to what they want. Howler monkeys, squirrel monkeys, sloths, and coatimundis can be spotted. Scarlet macaws do frequent the area, but may be a challenge to see.

Despite Manuel Antonio’s size, it is one of Costa Rica's most popular parks, with 150,000 visitors annually. In 1994, the park service began limiting the numbers of visitors to 600 per day, and make note that the park is closed on Mondays. If you want to do your share in preserving Manuel Antonio Park, consider visiting in the “green” or wet season. Litter and pollution are additional problems, please take out what you bring in.

Unfortunately the park is too small to sustain a healthy population of certain animals. If the monkeys do not have access to areas outside the park, the population will decline because they cannot breed. Corridors that allow the animals’ access outside the park have been taken up by the growing amount of hotels, and the park has become an island for them. As a result, the squirrel monkey, Titi monkey, population is declining. Fortunately, in 2000, a decree was issued to triple the park’s size to just under 1800 hectares, almost tripling its size.

While visiting Jaco a day trip to Manuel Antonio is a must see. Many tour operators in Jaco offer day trips which include transportation and a guide. A a self guided tour is easy and no problem. Many Costa Rica guides are available when you get to Manuel Antonio, and prices do vary, so shop around. The guides are equipped with a telescope, and can point out a variety of wildlife you may not spot on your own. If traveling by car, there are a couple of parking lots right outside the park entrance. For a small fee, a guard will make sure its secure. To avoid problems, I highly recommend not to leave any valuables - or anything in view.