Quepos/Manuel Antonio National Park

You don’t really need a guide here. Well, unless it’s the only national park type place you’re going to in Costa Rica to see wildlife.

Taxis from the hotels in Manuel Antonio hotels cost 3,500 colones (about $7) but the public buses are frequent and cost somewhere around 200-300 colones ($0.75ish). The public buses run from the station in Quepos to the beach.

The best beaches are in the national park. You can even see some wildlife, and I saw iguanas, Capuchin monkeys, and an anteater. No sloths, however.

On September 11th we made a trip to Parque Manuel Antonio.
Evidently, people were not talking too much about the wildlife but rather about what they saw on TV…

I think you must take a guided tour. If not, you will not see a lot of animals. Guides are specialized to help you seeing animals so… it worth it. We want there with Pablo from Nature Adventures . Wow, such a great guide! We had a lot of fun. Pablo provided us with a lot of info, priceless!

I plan on spending a lot of time there in the near future. I was just recently in Manuel Antonio….it was great. The beach was ultimatly relaxing, the people were one of a kind. There was not TOO many tourists the week I was there and within three days I had made amigos with some coolass locals. There are lots of activities,the weather is beautiful, the environment is the best.

I would highly recommend a visit to Manuel Antonio – Quepos. It is truly spectacular and has great beaches and views. There are fantastic restaurants (My favorite was the Rico Tico Grill at the Si Como No Hotel) Whatever you do, don’t stay at the Banana Treel Hotel. Hope soon-to-be visitors enjoy it as much as I did!

I didn’t really like Quepos and Manual Antonio. They were both waaaaay too tourist-y for me and Quepos was dirty and we were told not to swim there because the water is nasty around there. Manuel Antonio’s beach looked pretty but again, too many friggin people! Not worth it.

lay on pristine beaches (DON”T GO ON WEEKENDS) and get there early b/c they stick to the policy of # of people allowed at once. Expect a line, walk to most remote beaches if you want really private, beautiful beaches. Do take the tour, you will spot monkeys, snakes, and just tons of fauna.

sunsets from the top of the bluffs are incredible.

if you have the cash – I’d recommend staying at the la mariposa hotel http://www.lamariposa.com. I hadn’t intended on staying there, but all the other hotels/hostels/motels were booked. It is NOT cheap, but its one of the most beautiful luxurious hotels I have ever stayed at and worth every dollar.