Costa Rica's Manuel Antonio National Park and Area

Location: It is located 7 Km. South of the city of Quepos, on the Pacific seaboard of the province of Puntarenas.

Importance: Manuel Antonio's white - sand beaches, such as Espadilla, South of Manuel Antonio, are its main attraction. It includes 12 islands mostly bare of any vegetation and located a short distance of the coast.

Trails take you to different beaches inside the park. One trail takes you to a waterfall and swimming hole. It's worth doing the hike, but the falls can be just a trickle in dry season. You pass through more secluded jungle, streams and steep areas. In my opinion, good walking shoes are a must. We came upon monkeys high up in the trees that were not happy we were hiking on their turf, and started throwing seeds at us!

A RARE glimpse: The squirrel monkey, endemic to Manuel Antonio National Park on the Central Pacific coast, is endangered because of the destruction of its habitat, and people who capture the monkeys as pets, according to the National System of Conservation Areas.

Please do not feed the monkeys. It's against the law, and can contribute to the spread of disease amongst the monkeys.

News Update: Explorecostarica.com staff: I just got back last week, Feb 08, and saw tons of Titi monkeys. I was so excited.. they're back!