Manuel Antonio Beach Trip
4 days / 3 nights
Minimum 2 passengers
Though one of Costa Rica's smallest national parks, Manuel Antonio is immense in beauty with its impressive combination of tropical rainforest, abundant wildlife and two idyllic beaches.
Manuel Antonio, located on the Central Pacific coast, is one of the most beautiful and popular parks in Costa Rica, and is one of the easiest places to see wildlife. The park entrance – next to a mangrove estuary that you have to cross in a boat at high tide – leads to lush jungle and open clearings where manzanillo and Indian almond trees line beige beaches perfect for swimming and sun bathing. The park is home to three monkey species: the howler monkey, which roars like a tiger, the tiny squirrel monkey, which chips like a bird, and mischievous white-faced monkeys. Because the park’s wildlife is so used to people, you may be able to walk right up to a monkey, an armadillo, or a large rodent called an agouti. You’ll want to wear a bathing suite and bring a towel, because the park’s second beach is a great swimming spot, and the rock formations submerged offshore are home to lobster, eels, and countless other marine life, making it a good snorkeling spot as well.
Just as impressive as the national park is the area nearby, where most of the lodges and restaurants are surrounded by lush forest that is home to the same wildlife found in the park. The long, palm-lined beach next to the park, Playa Espadilla, is gorgeous and has decent surfing waves during certain times of year, and good swimming when the sea is calm. It’s a popular spot that gets quite busy on weekends, and it thus has plenty of restaurants and souvenir vendors nearby. The forested ridge behind the beach is covered with hotels and restaurants, from which you might see monkeys, iguanas, and other wildlife, and there are plenty of outdoor activities available in the sea and rainforest.
Itinerary: Price per person: *Rates vary depending on season, method of transportation and accommodations.
Day 01 Transfer by air to Quepos.
Overnight at Si Como No Hotel, or similar.
Day 02 Half Day Manuel Antonio National Park guided tour.
Overnight at Si Como No Hotel, or similar.
Day 03 Choose one of the following tours:
A relaxing hour-long horseback ride through the rainforest and hike with a naturalist guide to Tocori Waterfall, where you can swim in pools at the foot of the cascade. Coastal Kayaking from Quepos to Manuel Antonio past rugged coastline, thick jungle, and a palm-lined beach, including a snorkeling break in a protected bay.
Overnight at Si Como No Hotel, or similar.
Other Optional tours available (not included in our price): Deep-sea fishing for large game fish, canopy tours, sailboat cruises, skin diving.
Day 04 Air transfer back to San José or add this package to one of our other exciting trips in Costa Rica.
Included: Round-trip transportation (by air or by land); three nights at one of Manuel Antonio's best hotels; daily breakfast; Manuel Antonio National Park entrance and half-day guided tour (closed Mondays), one optional tour on day 3.
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