MANUEL ANTONIO PARK, A JEWEL LOST IN PARADISE.

You are guaranteed encounters with monkeys, sloths, coatis and scarlet macaws. A gem! In Paradise Lost.

With 682 hectares this national park has everything tourists come to Costa Rica to see: stunning beaches, a magnificent setting with islands in sight, bird sanctuaries and marine life, lush rainforest mixed with a network of trails, gives welcome an abundant wildlife, and hotels all within walking distance.

Despite its diminutive size, Manuel Antonio is one of the most popular parks in the country, with more than 150,000 visitors a year. A few years ago, the growing tourism threatened to damage the ecosystem of this beautiful place. In 1994, the National Park Service began limiting the number of visitors to 600 per day and the park is closed on Mondays.

If you want to help preserve Manuel Antonio, consider visiting in the season, "green" or rainy station.

The park has four beautiful beaches, each with its own personality: Espadilla Sur, Manuel Antonio, Escondida and Playita. The prettiest is Playa Manuel Antonio, a small area of white coral. It is separated from Playa Sur Espadilla by a tombolo or natural land bridge formed over thousands of years by the accumulation of sand.

Espadilla Sur and Manuel Antonio offer small pools full of fish and crabs, plus a good diving, especially during the dry season when the water is clear.

On the far right in Playa Manuel Antonio, you can see the nesting turtles which swim on the beach rocks at high tide.

Howler monkeys swing from branch to branch, and you look up in the logs you can see iguanas where toucans and macaws emit their characteristic sounds.

Nearly 350 squirrel monkeys live in the park, another 500 at its external borders. The white-faced capuchin monkeys are the most abundant and are greeted at the height of the trees.  If you get distracted, the monkeys can steal your food. Although it is illegal to feed the monkeys, insensitive people still do. Note that if you get caught, you may - rightly - be expelled from the park.

Camping is not allowed in the park. There are also no bars or discos around this area.

For this reason and many others, to have a fractional ownership in Costa Rica, near the beach, as well as save you money on your vacation or permanent retirement, gives you the opportunity to live this and many experiences.

Costa Developers