Manuel Antonio National Park, in Spanish the Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio, is a small National Park in the Central Pacific Conservation Area located on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, just south of the city of Quepos, Puntarenas, and 132 km from the national capital of San José. Established in 1972 with an area enumerating 16.24 km², it is the destination of as many as 150,000 visitors annually and well-known for its beautiful beaches and hiking trails. It is famous as well for being a very gay-friendly and oriented area as well.
Four beaches are contained within the limits of the park: Manuel Antonio, Espadilla Sur, Escondido, and Playita. With their large light sand berms, it is easy to see why they attract beach goers of all ages. The first is separated from the second by a "tombolo", or natural land bridge formed by sand accumulations. Visitors may enjoy a roughly hour-long hike from Espadilla to the top of Punta Catedral (100 m). Both Manuel Antonio and Espadilla Sur contain tidal pools and offer the possibility of snorkeling.
Dolphins can be observed there, as well as the occasional migrating whale. Scuba diving, snorkeling, sea kayaking, mountain biking, and hiking provide great opportunities to experience the tropical wildlife that enriches Manuel Antonio, arguably one of the country's most beautiful and protected costal areas. Source: Wikipedia.org
Costa Rica Family Vacation
We just got back from a Costa Rica Family Vacation. Loved it!!!! Love the diving there . We went to Manuel Antonio, the kids loved the squirrel monkeys, they call them Mono Titi. They are so small that they fit in your hand. We got a lot of great information from the Costa Rica travel blog.
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comment by Stan Martin, 2008-02-15 09:59:54