Manuel Antonio National Park is the country's smallest national park at just over 683 hectares, but it is also one of it's most amazing. Home to one of the last sizable populations of the endangered Squirrel Monkey in the region, White Faced and Howler monkeys are also common in the park. Cathedral Point with its forest topped cliffs is connected to the mainland by a thin land bridge that separates the parks two most popular beaches, Playa Espadilla Sur and Playa Manuel Antonio

Playa Manuel Antonio is one of the most beautiful beaches in Costa Rica and has been rated one of the top ten in the world. The beach is a half mile long, perfect white sand crescent bordered by deep green mangroves and palms. The park abounds with wildlife and in a day’s visit it is possible to see iguanas, monkeys, sloths agoutis, paccaries armadillos, pisotes, coatimundis and raccoons.

Manuel Antonio is the right place to go if you want to see a beautiful national park on the beach and if you also want to be close to popular nightlife activities, such as fine dining or partying. The advantage of Manuel Antonio is that there’s an ample variety of cabins and hotels to choose from, that might be close to “town” or set in the lush and peaceful hillside.

This park is only seven kilometers Southeast from Quepos, and it’s one of the most visited protected areas. The park entrance is in Playa Espadilla, and the fee is $15 or $10 if you pay in advance. Unfortunately for camping lovers, this activity isn’t allowed in the park, since the park is small and the impact on nature would be too great.

Before discussing accommodations, restaurants, and nightlife in general, it’s only fair to discuss the flora and fauna of Manuel Antonio, since the human presence is of secondary to the national park. The park consists of beautiful beaches and the surrounding vegetation of the forest that grows right next to the coastline.

The four beaches are: Espadilla Sur, Manuel Antonio, Escondido, and Playita. Visitors can walk on the beach or on the cooler trails in the forest, where they can spot animals including monkeys (capuchin and howler for the most part) sloths, raccoons and quatamundis or “pizotes.” You can also see caimans, river otters, pacas, and even ocelots. The best time for spotting most animals is early in the morning. The park also offers tidal pools with marine life which can be seen clearly during the dry season, but during the rainy season, there can be sediment in the water.