Manuel Antonio National Park
If you want to experience beaches, rainforest, and an abundance of wildlife all within a short walking distance, Manuel Antonio is the place to visit. Three hours southwest of San Jose, Manuel Antonio is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Costa Rica due to its beauty and diversity. Staying in Hotel San Bada, right next to the national park meant that we could wake up and waste no time walking into the park!Â
The first trail we took was Sendero el Perezoso (aka Sloth Trail). As the name suggests, and from what we’ve read online, this trail provides a great chance to spot a two-toed or three-toed sloth. Unfortunately we, and the half-dozen people we talked to in the park, weren’t so lucky that day. We definitely heard the intimidating screams of howler monkeys, but also weren’t able to spot any type of monkeys either. (Although a bunch of people we talked with did spot some capuchin monkeys!) Although we didn’t see any sloths or monkeys we did spot some deer, land crabs, and several birds. From what we’ve read, usually if you go early, take your time, and keep your eyes open you will have a pretty good chance to spot some wildlife. But if you really want to increase your chances, you can pay a guide around $50 USD to help spot some sloths and monkeys.Â
The park has several different trails. The main trails are pretty flat, and easy to hike. A great blog that we read to help us choose which trails to hike is this post from Mytanfeet.com.Â
The highlight of our trip was Playa Manuel Antonio, the main beach within the National Park. This beach is iconic because of its unique peninsula shape! It is a cool feeling getting to walk out from the dense jungle onto the wide-open, sandy beach.
If you look closely you can see that even the beach is teeming with wildlife. The sand is covered with big and small hermit crabs! The beach is a great place to end the day by relaxing and cooling off from the jungle humidity.
~ Read our 16 Best Things To Do in Costa Rica post for more ideas on what to experience in this beautiful country!
