Costa Rica has set aside approximately one-third of its land mass as national parks. Manuel Antonio is probably its best known national park and although it is the smallest, it is certainly the most popular. It is located 132 miles from San Jose along a picturesque road winding down through the mountains to the sparkling beaches of the Pacific Coast.

The park is a short distance from the town of Quepos . At a time when the area was poised for massive development, the government protected a beautiful piece of tropical forest that flourishes right to the edge of some of the country's best beaches. You will feel like you have landed inside a picture postcard of a white sand beach against a backdrop of thickly forested green hills. The walking trails through the park are an easy climb to a lookout point on the ocean. A guided tour, lead by a trained naturalist, will give you the opportunity to spot the wide variety of wildlife that inhabits the forest. The little white-faced monkeys have grown so accustomed to visitors that they will make their presence felt with requests for food. Feeding them is not suggested, however, because their forest home provides them with all they need to maintain a healthy life. We ask our guests to respect the fact that these are, in fact, wild creatures who should be enjoyed and not disturbed.

The park is teaming with wildlife. In addition to the ever present monkeys, you will be able to spot the slow moving two or three toed sloth, and a wide variety of birds including brown pelicans, brown boobies, tyrant hawk-eagles, gray-headed chachalacas, solater's ant bird, coatimundis, ocelots among others.