Manuel Antonio National Park (Costa Rica)

Manuel Antonio National Park (Costa Rica)

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Manuel Antonio National Park is a small national park in the Central Pacific Conservation Area located on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, just south of the city of Quepos, Puntarenas. It is well known for its beautiful beaches and hiking trails and includes 12 small islets just off the coast.

Manuel Antonio National Park

Manuel Antonio National Park is a small National Park in the Central Pacific Conservation Area located in the Central Pacific Coast region of Costa Rica, just south of Quepos, in the province of Puntarenas.

Established in 1972 with a land area of 1,983 ha (4,900 acres), the smallest of any Costa Rican national park, it is the destination for as many as 150,000 visitors annually.

It is located in a tropical forest. Principal habitats are primary forest, secondary forest, mangrove swamps, lagoons and beach vegetation.

Manuel Antonio National Park is well known for its beautiful beaches and hiking trails. It includes 12 small islets off the coast, where dolphins can sometimes be observed, and the occasional migrating whale.

The National Park has impressive landscapes and several coves with many white-sand beaches and lush foliage amidst great mountains and forests that reach the beaches. The four beaches within the park's limits are Manuel Antonio, Espadilla Sur, Teloro, and Playita.

Cathedral Point was once an island with its forest-topped cliffs but is now connected to the coast by a thin strip of land. This land bridge now forms the spine separating the park's two most popular beaches: Playa Espadilla Sur and Playa Manuel Antonio.

The southern-facing beach, Playa Manuel Antonio, is a picturesque half-mile-long, white sand crescent bisecting deep green foliage to one side and a private, secluded cove to the other.

Biodiversity

Although Manuel Antonio National Park is Costa Rica's smallest national park, the diversity of wildlife in its 6.83 sq km (3 sq mi) is significant, with 109 species of mammals and 184 species of birds.

Included in the 184 bird species are toucans, woodpeckers, potoos, motmots, tanagers, turkey vultures, parakeets, and hawks.

The brown-throated three-toed sloth and Hoffmann's two-toed sloth are resident mammals, as are three of Costa Rica's four monkey species: the mantled howler monkey, Central American squirrel monkey and white-headed capuchin monkey.

Other species in the park include the black spiny-tailed iguana, green iguana, common basilisk, and white-nosed coati. In addition, many snake and bat species are common in the National Park.