Manuel Antonio Beach, Costa Rica

The town of Quepos on the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica, with its small airstrip, is the gateway to Manuel Antonio Beach and National Park. Within a relatively small corner of Costa Rica, travelers can find the excitement and adventure of a tropical forest, surrounded by one of the most beautiful natural environments, without sacrificing modern conveniences. There's magic to Manuel Antonio that is hard to explain. One thing, however, is absolutely certain: once you've been here you'll want to come back again. Manuel Antonio, with its 1700 acres of land mass and 135,906 acres of marine reserve, is the smallest of the 20 national parks Costa Rica has put aside for total protection.

Even so, it is the country's second most visited conservation area (after Poas Volcano National Park).
Conservation officials have fixed the park's carrying capacity at 600 people per day from Tuesdays to Fridays, and 800 on Saturdays, Sundays and holidays. On Mondays the park is closed to the public. The park, which is usually open from 7 AM to 4 PM, is closed as soon as the capacity is reached for that day.

Located 100 miles south of San Jose on the Pacific Coast (a pleasant three-hour drive, or a short 20 minutes by plane), Manuel Antonio, which was declared a national park in 1972, is the natural habitat of species such as the endangered squirrel monkey (endemic to the area), white-faced capuchin monkey, raccoons, three and two-toed sloths, white-nosed coaties, brown pelicans, black-collared hawks and green kingfishers. They share the space with primary and secondary forests, bursting with cedars, bully trees, locust 'sur,' black locusts and silk cotton trees. A mangrove swamp covers about 44.5 acres, adding to the biodiversity of the region. Three different species: red mangrove, buttonwood mangrove and white mangrove - abound.