Manuel Antonio - Quepos
10/8/09 – 10/10/09
A windy foggy drive through the hills brought us to the beach at Manuel Antonio on the Pacific coast. On the way we stopped at the Rio Tarcoles to spot the huge crocodiles in the waters below. A few flamingos flew by as an extra treat.
American Crocodiles
Rio Tarcoles
We were happy to stay with our new friends, Ali and PJ, who we had met at Tabacon. They had a nice room at the Hotel Costa Verde with an excellent view of Manuel Antonio Park.
View of Manuel Antonio Park from the Hotel Costa Verde
The four of us headed out in the morning to explore the park. It was raining heavily and we entered the park at the same time as a large group of tourists. These factors combined with the big construction projects and subsequent trash piles did not make for a pleasant nature experience. The muddy paths soon lead to an area filled with porta-potties and telephones! Again, not the experience I am looking for when I go to a highly touted national park.
March of the Penguins
Construction projects and debris in the park
Trash!
Telephones in the park?!?
They paved paradise, and put up a row of honeybuckets
The beaches in Manuel Antonio are certainly beautiful and it turned out that most of the large group were coming in to swim in the protected bays. We decided to walk around the Punta Catedral Point which provided sweeping views of the ocean on a muddy trail speckled with paving blocks. A full loop brought us back to the rocky side of the beach.
Playa Manuel Antonio
Punta Catedral Trail
Playa Manuel Antonio
Rainy Day Woman
Ali, PJ and Jessica
While we did see two types of monkeys, a two-toed sloth and a crocodile, the amount of visitors and infrastructure made Manuel Antonio feel like a visit to a crowded zoo more than a national park. I would recommend the other parks in Costa Rica over this one if you are looking for a more natural experience.
That being said, we thoroughly enjoyed our time in the neighboring towns of Manuel Antonio and Quepos. The public beach is beautiful and laid-back and the views can’t be beat from the excellent restaurants and bars in the area. We particularly enjoyed Salsipuedes and Bar Tutu (“dance club” above Gato Negro) in Manuel Antonio along with Dos Locos, Monchados and Jorge’s Monkey Café in Quepos. We were thrilled to meet up with a friend of a friend, Patricia, with whom we enjoyed lots of laughs and great conversation. A flat tire that night in the rain at the bottom of a steep hill threatened to ruin our experience but we managed to make it out and changed the tire with the help of a bikini-clad gal and four local brothers. We later had our tire repaired for 2000 colones, making it definitely the best deal in all of Costa Rica. Much thanks to Patricia, PJ and Ali for their hospitality – what fun and we hope to meet up again!
A windy foggy drive through the hills brought us to the beach at Manuel Antonio on the Pacific coast. On the way we stopped at the Rio Tarcoles to spot the huge crocodiles in the waters below. A few flamingos flew by as an extra treat.
American Crocodiles
Rio Tarcoles
We were happy to stay with our new friends, Ali and PJ, who we had met at Tabacon. They had a nice room at the Hotel Costa Verde with an excellent view of Manuel Antonio Park.
View of Manuel Antonio Park from the Hotel Costa Verde
The four of us headed out in the morning to explore the park. It was raining heavily and we entered the park at the same time as a large group of tourists. These factors combined with the big construction projects and subsequent trash piles did not make for a pleasant nature experience. The muddy paths soon lead to an area filled with porta-potties and telephones! Again, not the experience I am looking for when I go to a highly touted national park.
March of the Penguins
Construction projects and debris in the park
Trash!
Telephones in the park?!?
They paved paradise, and put up a row of honeybuckets
The beaches in Manuel Antonio are certainly beautiful and it turned out that most of the large group were coming in to swim in the protected bays. We decided to walk around the Punta Catedral Point which provided sweeping views of the ocean on a muddy trail speckled with paving blocks. A full loop brought us back to the rocky side of the beach.
Playa Manuel Antonio
Punta Catedral Trail
Playa Manuel Antonio
Rainy Day Woman
Ali, PJ and Jessica
While we did see two types of monkeys, a two-toed sloth and a crocodile, the amount of visitors and infrastructure made Manuel Antonio feel like a visit to a crowded zoo more than a national park. I would recommend the other parks in Costa Rica over this one if you are looking for a more natural experience.
That being said, we thoroughly enjoyed our time in the neighboring towns of Manuel Antonio and Quepos. The public beach is beautiful and laid-back and the views can’t be beat from the excellent restaurants and bars in the area. We particularly enjoyed Salsipuedes and Bar Tutu (“dance club” above Gato Negro) in Manuel Antonio along with Dos Locos, Monchados and Jorge’s Monkey Café in Quepos. We were thrilled to meet up with a friend of a friend, Patricia, with whom we enjoyed lots of laughs and great conversation. A flat tire that night in the rain at the bottom of a steep hill threatened to ruin our experience but we managed to make it out and changed the tire with the help of a bikini-clad gal and four local brothers. We later had our tire repaired for 2000 colones, making it definitely the best deal in all of Costa Rica. Much thanks to Patricia, PJ and Ali for their hospitality – what fun and we hope to meet up again!
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