Manuel Antonio & Quepos

The port of Quepos origintaed because the bananas were exported from here. Located 180 kilometers (110 miles) from San José, the capital of Costa Rica, many services are availible including banks, telecommunications, tourist informatrion, bus station, domestic flights, car rentals, and taxi services as well as tourist port services such as sailing and sportfishing as well as other marine activities.

Quepos has its own hospital, airport, police department, inmigration office, post office and red cross.

Even more abundant and varied than the wildlife of Manuel Antonio National Park is the melange of restaurants and bars in this once-sleepy, but now wide-awake, Central Pacific port town.

Oven-fired pizza, grilled or blackened snook, Tex-Mex, saucy French fare - you'll find it all in the Quepos and Manuel Antonio region. And there's at least one bar on every block downtown, which makes Quepos one of the world's most convenient locations for a pub crawl!

The community of Manuel Antonio was stablished in 1970, when groups of expatriates, especially North Americans, began to settle here and develop the area. It was these groups and locals that promoted the creation of the Manuel Antonio National Park in 1972. This was the first park to protect land at the same time, a portion of the pacific ocean.

The area of Manuel Antonio is located of the Pacific Central Coast of Costa Rica and 7 kilometers (4 miles) from the port of Quepos, the center of Business and services for those who visit the area and the National Park of the same name.

In Manuel Antonio Visitors can enjoy the exhuberant tropical rainforest surrounded by the beautiful beaches, together with the basic services and infraestructures like banks, healt services, contained in this perfect place for the enjoyment of your vacation.

The growth of this area has been due to the naturalism, environmental conservation and tourism, the principal economic activity in the area. Manuel Antonio Offers its visitors wonderful natural atractions within the National Park and private reserve like observation of birds, mammals, reptiles, mangroves, primary and secundary tropical rainforest, as well as the most beautiful beaches.

The most common wildlife seen are raccoons, white-nosed coatis, agouties, two-toes sloths, white-faced capuchin monkeys and squirrel monkeys (titi) (a sub-species of the park which is in danger of extinction). Birds in the area include toucanillos, fiery-billed acaris, brown pelicans, laughing falcons, black collared hawks, green kingfishers and northern jacanas. As well, there are plenty of iguanas, snakes and thousands of insects. The park is closed on Mondays.