Costa Rica - Manuel Antonio Park
We left our place early and headed 60 miles north for our morning in the Manuel Antonio National Park. It was the perfect temperature to walk outside. I love the warmth. As we drove north we noticed so many people waiting for the bus for work or school. We saw countless school uniforms, a man milking his cow by the side of the road, lots of scooters and bikes and just a few cars, which we would strategically pass, as it was only a two lane highway the entire way. Noticing the details made me wonder about daily life and the culture of the Costa Rican people. We passed the city, Dominical, where we ate lunch and took a covid test a few days earlier and then we passed perfectly lined rows of coconuts and then orange blossomed trees. Every once in a while we’d catch a glimpse of the ocean. It was a pleasant ride.
We resisted the first group of ‘PARK HERE’ signs and tried to drive as close as we could to the Park. We read that locals hang around to sell you random parking spots. It’s a balance of getting a good deal and not making anyone mad at you so that they break into your car. We were always careful about what we left in our vehicle. We ended up with a parking spot that wasn’t too far away and a decent deal.
We walked the couple blocks to the Park’s Entrance. We should have bought our tickets online to save us from a long line but hadn’t found that information in our research. We hired a guide — worth the money, since he knows how and where to find the animals and can show you through his telescope — and followed him around through the park.
Some of the animals we saw… (need to find them from Chris’ iPhone)
One of our favorite parts was finding a group of monkeys jumping from tree to tree. It was so fun to watch them up close… especially the ones with babies on their backs.
Finishing the tour and ending at the Manuel Antonio Beach.
Espadilla South Beach
After a few hot hours of wandering around Manuel Antonio Park we were excited to get in the water. We checked out Manuel Antonio Beach and then decided to wander over to Espadilla South Beach which was much less crowded. What a gorgeous place.
