So one day at the beach, the clouds started to roll in, and on the way back to my hotel, I stopped in for a look. The farm is a few about 100 feet from the check-in building and you walk to the enclosed space through the jungle. Inside the sceen cage it was amazing. I saw hundreds of colorful butterflies. If you are still they will land on you. My favorite was the Blue Morpho, a large butterfly with bright blue wings. I was amazed at what I was seeing and didn't notice it was now starting to rain, and then it started to pour rain. I also was the only guest out here in the butterfly gazebo! But just as I was starting to fret, one of the guides rushed down from the main building with an umbrella for me. Now, that was service!

While I was waiting for the rain to quit, the guys at the front office, convinced me the Nocturnal Jungle Tour was the way to go. You never know what to expect walking the jungle at night!

So the next night I paid my $20 and joined a small group of three other Americans and we headed up the trails, armed only with flashlights.

This night we did not meet many mammals, we only saw a sloth, watching us from a high perch. However we saw snakes, frogs, and insects galore!

I soon learned if you were quiet and just waited out here in the jungle you would see all types of wildlife.

Our guide, Brian, was excellent and really knew his wildlife. He was a bit of a Costa Rican Jeff Corwin! He had no problem picking up a posinous snake or small dart frog.

We spent about two hour in the jungle and I came away with a better understanding and appriciation for what is out here. This tour runs nightly, but every night it's a different show, as it's up to Mother Nature what she wants to share with the group on that night.

TIP: Wear long pants and good walking shoes. I made the mistake of wearing shorts and flip-flops and was eaten alive by gnats and other insects.

In front of the park is a public beach, vendors selling handicrafts and foods. There are also some shops and restaurants here. The atmosphere is one of a fair. This is a popular spot for folks coming down for the weekend from San Jose and everyone seems to be in a party mood.

The park opens every morning at 8:00am. If you want to catch some monkey action - the earlier the better. The monkeys are most active in the morning and at dusk. During the heat of the day they tend to nap and relax. Early in the morning the beaches are not crowded, some of the perfect beaches had nobody on them. Later in the day they fill up!

The park costs $6 to enter. They also will only allow 600 visitors to enter each day. So when they reach that magic 601 mark, you are out of luck and will have to try again tommorow!

Entering the park was rustic. You had to wade across a small stream to get in. The night before it had rained and the stream was massive, it was over my waist. You can pay a boater a few coins and they will take you on a short ride over this deep water.

The park is beautifully maintained. The paths are well marked and very well groomed. The first part of the park is flat. Further into the park the paths start to get hilly and are less groomed.

The beaches in the park are pristine. They have fine white sand and the ocean here is azur.

I came for the wildlife. I saw a ton of those cute white faced monkeys swinging in the trees. I also saw hundreds of colorful red and purple crabs, amazing butterflies and some kind of wild pig ran in front of me!

You can take guided tours of the park with a nature guide. These tours are all over Quepos and the hotels around the park.

I chose to hike the park on my own. I picked a trail called Punta Catedral and it took about 30 minutes to do it round-trip. The view was spectcular. The path can be steep in places and because it rained the night before it was muddy. This is a great path to spot monkeys on and I did see a lot. It also will take you past some secluded white sand beaches.

A trail I did not hike is Punta Surrucho, which has some sea caves. I was warned this is not a good trail to hike alone, as you can hike in during low tide, get stuck there at high tide.

Manuel Antonio National Park is Costa Rica's second smallest park, but the most popular. The views and the wildlife here make this a park worth visiting.

We were told the best beach was about a hundred yards down the main trail and to the left, so we went there. The beach was beautiful, with white sand, palm trees, and a serene sea. We spent a couple of hours there, just relaxing, bathing in the sea, and taking in the sun. Every once in a while, someone would point up or to the trees, and we would see all sorts of birds, sluggish bears, and yes, monkeys! We were told not to leave our belongings unattended, as monkeys are known to come down from the trees onto the beach, rummage through knapsacks, and take food and shiny objects (watches, jewelry, etc.). We saw them venturing close, but not too close to people on the beach. We also got a lesson on camouflage when a tour guide pointed 6 feet up a tree and told us to look at the bats on the bark. Needless to say, it took a little time before we could locate them, and some people never knew where they were.

After a few hours on the beach, we decided to explore the park, so we grabbed our stuff, and started walking. There are several trails that require varying degrees of physical exertion. We took two of the trails, one moderate and one with steeper climbs (not hard by any means either). Along the trails, you can spot birds, lizards, and hear all sorts of noises which you cannot always identify or pinpoint.

We took advantage of my camera’s zoom, and I definitely recommend bringing binoculars. Also, there are guides for hire at the park entrance that take you on the trails and help you locate animals, as they usually know their usual haunting spots. They also carry a small telescope to facilitate the group’s viewing.

As far as facilities, there are bathrooms in several places in the park but not many more facilities. Take plenty of sunscreen and bottled water, as there are no places to buy food or drink within the park. Finally, remember to take all your belongings and not to leave any trash behind, so as to preserve this wonderful park.

The park is open from 8am-4pm, and buses run every 30 minutes. Admission is $7 (no student rate unless you study in Costa Rica), but your ticket is good all day so you can come and go.

There is a stream to cross to get into the park. Pretty, but somewhat annoying, because the boatmen will charge to get you across...but you pay to get into the park anyway! The first day I simply hopped across on the large rocks, but the second day, heavy rains from the previous night raised the water level over the rocks. Luckily I got the boatman down to 100c.

A short hike after you pay admission, you arrive at Playa Espadilla Sur. This stunning, pristine beach is mostly empty for reasons I cannot fathom. Hike up to Punta Catedral (steep and slippery--definitely wear shoes with good traction), which has beautiful views. 20-30 more minutes of hiking brings you to Playa Manuel Antonio, the most crowded beach. In low season that’s about 20-25 people, of course. Capuchin monkeys hang out in the trees lining the beach; guides can point out sloths for you as well. I couldn’t afford a guide but I tagged behind to see the sloths too. Definitely bring binoculars (mine were 8x). A baby deer wandered the beach the first day I was there as well.

Pay attention to movements in the trees to find capuchin monkeys. I never saw howlers, only heard them, but capuchins are not as deeply hidden. Look for them on fruit-bearing trees as well.

There is a more challenging trail near the end (the trails do not loop)--the waterfall trail. Give yourself time to do this one. This trail is steep and muddy, and at points I had to grab tree roots to haul myself up. Then if you lose track of the trail-- as I did--you will have to wade through the stream the entire way. It was about 2 feet high after the rains.

But it's worth it. The waterfall is small but strong, looking like the most refreshing shower you can imagine. Incredibly cool and relaxing. You can climb higher to the stream which feeds the waterfall, but it involves semi-rock climbing...pretty fun. Met a fellow American on the way back, so she showed me where the trail picked up after the first stream crossing.

Manuel Antonio was absolutely beautiful and I'm already dreaming of my return. It's wildly popular with foreign and local tourists for good reason.