Costa Rica - Manual Antonio area

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Spending two weeks in Costa Rica seeing the country and avoiding, albeit for a short time, the Canadian winter. Flying in to San Jose from Fredericton, NB, the next day we took a shuttle to Manual Antonio, about a three hour drive south. The main attraction is Manual Antonio National Park. A relatively small park, with numerous short trails and many gorgeous sandy beaches. Our first hike was a short hike to Catarata Waterfall - a seasonal waterfall. Given it is now the dry season, it was non-existent as a waterfall. Too bad as it was a relatively hilly hike, and although short (1.5 km), the stiffling heat (29 C) and humidity took its toll. Fortunately, the next stop was the Manual Antonio Beach. A lovely sandy beach with very warm water. After exploring the area a bit, including seeing the antics of the white-faced monkeys swinging from the trees, and basically showing off to their audience, we hit he next beach, a short 5 minute walk - Playa Espadilla Sur. Another lovely beach frequented by the locals. Then off for our final hike around Catedral Peninsula. A hike of about an hour with many elevation changes and several observation points to the Pacifac Ocean along the way. Fittingly, the hike ended at another lovely beach. After six hours of hiking, beaching and animal watching (saw my first sloth), we headed back to the hotel. Hot, tired and sore we relaxed in the pool for a while. We stayed at the El Faro Hotel in Manual Antonio. Interestingly, it is made from salvaged and renovated sea containers. Small and spartan, it fits nicely in the eco-tourism mindset of Costa Rica.

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Photos

White-faced monkey
Run freely at the beach