This time we’re talking 10 cool things to do in Manuel Antonio. Anyone considering Costa Rica as a vacation destination has surely already heard about this place. It is home to the smallest, yet highly popular, Manuel Antonio National Park. Visiting the park is obviously a cool thing to do, but here are 10 others that you might want to consider as well.
Cool Thing #1: Kayak tour of the Damas Island Mangrove Estuary
Outside of the Manuel Antonio National Park itself, the Damas Island mangrove estuary is one of the richest locations in the area for flora and fauna. Several tour companies offer this tour. If you don’t like the idea of a kayak tour, you can also do it by boat.
Cool Thing #2: Have a drink in the bat cave at La Mansion
I have always loved La Mansion Inn both for the ambiance of the place and the great people who work there. The bat cave is one of its really cool and unique amenities. This is a bar that is inside a cave that is inside of the hotel. Sounds pretty cool, ey? The bat cave bar even has a mini-dance floor with disco lights.
Cool Thing #3: Go Rafting on the Savegre or Naranjo Rivers
There are two exciting rafting experiences one can have in the Manuel Antonio area. The Savegre is a laid back raft (Class II to III) and great for nature viewing and very kid friendly (minimum age is around 8, depending on the tour operator). The Naranjo is more of a thrill with rapids that can reach Class IV. The Naranjo lower portion doesn’t run during the summer season as the river level gets too low, but the upper Naranjo (El Chorro) does. This section of the river cuts through a narrow canyon requiring extremely technical maneuvering and rapids of the Class IV level.
Cool Thing #4: Lunch or dinner at El Gran Escape
This is a little restaurant in Quepos that has long been one of my favorites. Great tuna steak with a lush green salad. Yummy!
Cool Thing #5: Romantic dinner at Kapi Kapi
If you want to have a romantic candlelight type dinner, this is the place I would recommend. We have even had a few customers propose marriage here. I suggest reservations as the place is very small with limited tables. If you’re wondering about the name, it is the common greeting of the Maleku indigenous group that live in a completely different area. But still a cool name.
Cool Thing #6: Hire a private guide for a Manuel Antonio National Park tour
There are a few ways “to do” the park. You can just go for the beach, since the park features several beautiful ones. You can take a guided group tour, but that puts you on a schedule with other obnoxious tourists, which many people don’t want. Or, you can go in the morning and hire one of the guides that offer their services at the park entrance. Cost is around $50 for a group of four and they will show you stuff you would never see on your own. That’s my recommendation. You can always come back later for the beach, but you need to see the stuff that lives in there.
Cool Thing #7: Go to the beach at Playitas
Manuel Antonio is no secret spot. The word is definitely out and this place can get super crowded. If you want a beach that gets less traffic, try Playitas. It is within walking distance of the many hotels that are on the “hotel” road (the one where you will find Arenas del Mar, La Mansion, La Mariposa and several others). If you have a 4×4, you can even drive out on the beach. Bring a surfboard too because the waves can get good there. A little rocky out in the ocean so swim with caution.
Cool Thing #8: Visit Los Campesinos Reserve
The Campesinos Reserve is on the lower Savegre River, 25 km (15.5 miles) east of Quepos and Manuel Antonio National Park. There you will discover the longest hanging bridge in the region, which passes through an impressive natural landscape with a marvelous waterfall. There are several trails to extraordinary places such as the Los Chorros waterfall and natural pools, and there are strategic points for enjoying gorgeous views of Manuel Antonio. The highest point in the forest has a tramway.
Cool Thing #9: Take a surf lesson with MASS
We have been using Manual Antonio Surf School (MASS) as our preferred surfing lesson provider in this area for years. They have a cool “surf and turf” tour that combines a tour of the best breaks with instructions and surf time.
Cool Thing #10: Have a pescado entero by the beach
The old Mar y Sombra restaurant and disco used to be the place for this (and dancing the night away). However, it was demolished for mysterious reasons. Nevertheless, just down the beach there is another great little place to sit and watch the waves, drink an Imperial and eat a delicious whole fried red snapper. In fact there are several places to do this in “downtown” Manuel Antonio. You must eat a “pescado entero” at least once on your visit there.
I am having a lot of fun writing these 10 cool things posts. Hope you are having as much fun reading them. Of course, need I say that our custom Costa Rica vacation designs feature many of the 10 cool things to do in Manuel Antonio mentioned in this post.
These 10 cool things to do in Manuel Antonio are sure to make your overall experience a bit more, as we say, tuanes!
Post by CRG
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