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 Tiny
it may be, but this 682-hectare national park epitomizes
everything tourists flock to Costa Rica to see: stunning
beaches, a magnificent setting with islands offshore
(bird sanctuaries for marine species), lush rainforest
laced with a network of welcoming trails, wildlife galore,
and all within walking distance of your hotel. You are
guaranteed close-up encounters with monkeys, sloths,
coatimundis, and scarlet macaws. What a gem!
Despite
its diminutive size, Manuel Antonio is one of the
country's most popular parks, with as many as 150,000
visitors annually in peak years. A few years ago the
deluge of visitors threatened to spoil the very things
they had come to see. Park Director José Antonio
Salazar believes the park can withstand no more than
300 visitors a day. In 1994, the Park Service began
limiting the numbers of visitors to 600 per day (800
on Saturday and Sunday), and the park is now closed
on Monday. If you wish to do your bit to help preserve
Manuel Antonio, consider visiting in the "green"
or wet season. Litter and pollution are additional
problems. Pack out what you pack in.
Nonetheless,
the park is too small to sustain a healthy and viable
population of certain animals. If the monkeys do not
have access to areas outside the park, the population
will decline because they cannot breed. Corridors
that allow animals access to areas outside the park
have been taken up by hotels, so that the park has,
in recent years, become an island. As a result, the
titi (squirrel monkey) population is declining. Fortunately,
in 2000, a decree was issued to triple the park's
size to just under 1800 hectares.
Beaches
The park has four lovely beaches, each with its own
personality: Espadilla Sur, Manuel Antonio, Escondido,
and Playita. The prettiest is Playa Manuel Antonio,
a small scimitar of coral-white sand with a small
coral reef. It's separated from Playa Espadilla Sur
by a tombolo--a natural land bridge formed over eons
through the accumulation of sand--tipped by Punta
Catedral, an erstwhile island now linked to the mainland.
The hike to the top of Punta Catedral (100 meters)
along a steep and sometimes muddy trail takes about
an hour from Playa Espadilla Sur (also known as the
Second Beach). Espadilla Sur and Manuel Antonio offer
tidal pools brimming with minnows and crayfish, plus
good snorkeling, especially during dry season, when
the water is generally clear.
At
the far right on Playa Manuel Antonio, you can see
ancient turtle traps dug out of the rocks by pre-Columbian
Quepoas. Female sea turtles would swim over the rocks
to the beach on the high tide. The tidal variation
at this point is as much as three meters; the turtles
would be caught in the carved-out traps on the return
journey as the tide level dropped. The people also
used female-turtle decoys made of balsa to attract
male turtles over the rocks. Olive ridley and green
turtles still occasionally come ashore at Playa Manuel
Antonio.
Wildlife
Viewing
Between bouts of beaching, you can explore the park's
network of wide trails, which lead into a swatch of
humid tropical forest. Manuel Antonio's treetop carnival
is marvelous, and best experienced by following the
Perezoso Trail, named after the lovable sloths, which
favor the secondary growth along the trail (perezoso
means "lazy"). You might see marmosets,
ocelots, river otters, pacas, and spectacled caimans
in more remote riverine areas.
Howler
monkeys languorously move from branch to branch, iguanas
shimmy up trunks, toucans and scarlet macaws flap
by. About 350 squirrel monkeys live in the park, another
500 on its outer boundaries. And capuchin (white-faced)
monkeys are also abundant and welcome you at treetop
height on the beaches, where they play to the crowd
and will steal your sandwich packs given half a chance.
Some of them have become aggressive in recent years
and attacks on humans have been reported.
Even though it is illegal to feed the monkeys, insensitive
people still do it. Note that if you're caught, you
may--quite rightly--be ejected from the park. Recent
studies have found a worrisome increase in heart disease
and heart failure among the local monkey population.
Unfortunately, the animals are much more prone to
rises in cholesterol than humans. Do not leave food
lying around.
Hire
a guide. A guide can show you other interesting tree
species--among them, the gaupinol negro, an endemic
species that is in danger of extinction; cedro maria,
which produces a yellow resin used as a traditional
medicine; vaco lechoso, which exudes a thick white
latex that also has medicinal properties, and the
manchineel tree (manzanillo), or "beach apple"--
common along the beaches. The manchineel is highly
toxic and possesses a sap that irritates the skin.
Its tempting applelike fruits are also poisonous.
Avoid touching any part of the tree. Also, don't use
its wood for fires--the smoke will irritate your lungs.
Information
The park entrance is at the eastern end of Playa
Espadilla, where you wade across the shallow Río
Camaronera and pay your entrance fee ($6); little
rowboats are on hand at high tide (30 cents),
when you may otherwise be waist-deep. The ranger
station, tel. 2777-0644, fax 2777-0654, sells
maps for 40 cents. There's a small open-air natural-history
museum and information center on Playa Manuel
Antonio.
Camping
is not allowed in the park. There are no accommodations
or snack bars. There's secure parking by the creek
near the park entrance ($1.70 all day).
Cautions
Theft is a major problem on the beaches, not least
by the monkeys. Don't leave your things unguarded
while you swim. Take whatever precautions you can
to protect your goods.
There
are riptides on Playa Espadilla. Watch your children,
as there are no lifeguards.
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