Attractions

Manuel Antonio is a small park with three major trails. Most visitors come primarily to lie on a beach and check out the white-faced monkeys, which sometimes seem as common as tourists. A guide is not essential here, but unless you're experienced in rainforest hiking, you'll see and learn a lot more with one. A 2- or 3-hour guided hike should cost between $25 and $45 (£13-£23) per person. Almost any of the hotels in town can help you set up a tour of the park. If you decide to explore the park on your own, a basic map is usually available at the park entrance for $1 (50p).

Entry Point, Fees & Regulations -- The park (tel. 2777-5185) is closed on Monday but is open Tuesday through Sunday from 8am to 4pm year-round. You'll find the principal park entrance at Playa Espadilla, the beach at the end of the road from Quepos. To reach the park station, you must cross a small, sometimes polluted stream that's little more than ankle-deep at low tide but that can be knee- or even waist-deep at high tide. It's even reputed to be home to a crocodile or two. For years there has been talk of building a bridge over this stream; in the meantime you'll have to either wade it or pay a boatman a small voluntary tip for the very quick crossing. Just over the stream, you'll find the small ranger station where you can pick up the small park map I mentioned above. At the entrance you choose, you will have to pay a fee of $10 (£5) per person to enter. The Parks Service allows only 600 visitors to enter each day, which could mean that you won't get in if you arrive in midafternoon during the high season. Camping is not allowed.

The Beaches -- Playa Espadilla Sur (as opposed to Playa Espadilla, which is just outside the park) is the first beach within the actual park boundaries. It's usually the least crowded and one of the best places to find a quiet shade tree to plant yourself under. However, if there's any surf, this is also the roughest beach in the park. If you want to explore further, you can walk along this soft-sand beach or follow a trail through the forest parallel to the beach. Playa Manuel Antonio, which is the most popular beach inside the park, is a short, deep crescent of white sand backed by lush rainforest. The water here is sometimes clear enough to offer good snorkeling along the rocks at either end, and it's usually fairly calm. At low tide Playa Manuel Antonio shows a very interesting relic: a circular stone turtle trap left by its pre-Columbian residents. From Playa Manuel Antonio, there's another slightly longer trail to Puerto Escondido, where a blowhole sends up plumes of spray at high tide.

The Hiking Trails -- From either Playa Espadilla Sur or Playa Manuel Antonio, you can take a circular hike around a high promontory bluff. The farthest point on this hike, which takes about 25 minutes round-trip, is Punta Catedral, where the view is spectacular. The trail is a little steep in places, but anybody in average shape can do it. I have done it in sturdy sandals, but you might want to wear good hiking shoes. This is a good place to spot monkeys, although you're more likely to see a white-faced monkey than a rare squirrel monkey. Another good place to see monkeys is the trail inland from Playa Manuel Antonio. This is a linear trail and mostly uphill, but it's not too taxing. It's great to spend hours exploring the steamy jungle and then take a refreshing dip in the ocean.

Finally, there's a trail that leads first to Puerto Escondido and Punta Surrucho, where there are some sea caves. Be careful when hiking beyond Puerto Escondido: What seems like easy beach hiking at low tide becomes treacherous to impassable at high tide. Don't get trapped.

Helping Out -- If you want to help efforts in protecting the local environment and the severely endangered squirrel monkey (mono titi), make a donation to Kids Saving The Rainforest (tel. 2777-2592; www.kidssavingtherainforest.org), which was started in 1999 by a couple of local children.

Butterfly Garden -- Fincas Naturales/The Nature Farm Reserve (tel. 2777-1043; www.butterflygardens.co.cr) is just across from (and run by) Hotel Sí Como No. A lovely bi-level butterfly garden [ST] is the centerpiece attraction here, but there is also a private reserve and a small network of well-groomed trails through the forest. A 1-hour guided tour of the butterfly garden costs $15 (£7.50) per person, or $35 (£18) when combined with a 1-hour guided hike through the forest. This is also a good place to do a night tour ($30/£15).

Yo Quiero Hablar Español -- Escuela D'Amore (tel./fax 2777-1143; www.escueladamore.com) runs language-immersion programs out of a former hotel with a fabulous view on the road to Manuel Antonio. A 2-week conversational Spanish course, including a home stay and two meals daily, costs $995 (£498). Or you can try the Costa Rica Spanish Institute (COSI) (tel. 800/771-5184 in the U.S. and Canada, 2234-1001 or 2777-0021 in Costa Rica; www.cosi.co.cr), which charges $850 (£425) for a similar 2-week program with a home stay.