Manuel Antonio
Manuel Antonio National Park is a nature reserve in the state of Quepos, in the province of Puntarenas, on the central Pacific coast of Costa Rica. The park is located approximately 157 kilometers south of the city of San José, the capital of Costa Rica, and 7 kilometers south of the city of Quepos, between Damas and Matapalo. Founded on November 15, 1972, with a land area of 1,983 hectares and a maritime area of 55,000 hectares, it is dedicated to environmental education oriented towards conservation, research and ecotourism. Manuel Antonio National Park is one of the most famous tourist destinations in Costa Rica and is one of the most visited parks in the country due to its convenience, comfort and variety of services, including gastronomy and varieties of plants.
Among the most attractive are the beaches surrounded by tropical zones. For this reason, the park attracts bathers, kayakers, ecotourists and animal observers. Playa Manuel Antonio was named the Best Beach in Central America 2013 by Tripadvisor Travelers' Choice 2013.
Since mammals such as raccoons, raccoons, and primates are easily accessible to tourists, an important aspect of conservation is to follow the “do not feed the animals” instructions, as they can become deformed during pregnancy.
Flora: Protects parks of primary forests, secondary forests, mangroves, beach vegetation, marine environments, islands and a 14-hectare lagoon. The most characteristic plant species of the primeval jungle are the guácimo colorado, the pilon, the cedro maria, the white guava, the sura, the black papaya, the endangered wood, the white milky, the cenízaro and the ceiba.
Fauna: Among the most outstanding mammals we can mention two raccoons, Procyon lotor and Procyon cancrivorus; white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus); Coatis (Nasua narica); agouti (Dasyprocta punctata); two species of sloths: the three-toed sloth (Bradypus variegatus) and two-toed sloth (Choloepus hoffmanni); three species of monkeys: white-faced monkey (Cebus capucinus), marmoset or squirrel monkey (Saimiri oerstedii), a subspecies endemic to the park due to endangered habitat destruction and use as pets, and howler or howler monkeys (Alouatta palliata).
