Magnificent Manuel Antonio

The hostel had a sign-up sheet for a 2-hour Mangrove tour for a mere $20. Wade was a great guide, pointing out the animals we would have missed left on our own. The boat puttered around for few minutes before we saw a large crocodile that blended perfectly with the sand. A few herons and egrets later we headed into the narrow waterways of the mangroves.

We pulled up along side another boat to see a small red snake passed from passenger to passenger. Just before the other boat departed, the snake was handed to our boat for more Kodak moments. A man almost at the front declined to hold the snake in a rather gruff voice mumbling something that seemed to imply he didn’t need to hold the small thing.

Just before we leaned over to return the snake to a branch, yet another boat pulled along side. This snake was really have a rough day. I bet he was wondering how many more tourists must be endured.

As the river narrowed, our boat lightly scraped the roots of the mangrove and the very man that had declined holding the snake jerked so wildly that the woman in front of him screamed. She was sure something terrible, perhaps the boa constrictor we’d seen earlier, had landed in his lap. We all had a good laugh realizing this fellow was fond of looking at nature from a distance and took little too startled him.

Soon a few monkeys jumped on the roof of the boat. The man let out a mild gasp and pulled back as the monkeys began coming inside the boat lured by pieces of banana the guide had distributed. The monkeys stayed quite a while, one evening presenting a humorous Kodak moment by sitting on some woman’s head.

The tide was going out and the boat was getting into shallower waters when we turn around to go back the way we came.

I have to admit the laughing on my part didn’t stop that evening. When I thought I saw a bat fly through deck where we were lounging in hammocks, the same fellow from the boat ducked and started yelling for someone to kill it. Unfortunately, his words fell on deaf ears as everyone else was grabbing their cameras to photographs such a large insect.

Plinio Hotel was a short walk on the main road from where I was staying. I heard there was a nice trail from hotel up to the top of the mountain directly behind. I wanted to make sure I had permission so I spoke with the host at the restaurant. He was very gracious in directing me and telling me at the top to walk around the fenced machinery to a 60’ tower that would give me a 360-degree view including the beaches of Quepos and Jaco.

The trail was well maintained and zigzagged through small ferns and ivy. Tiny black frogs with a bright mint green geometric design seemed to be jumping out from everywhere. They were absolutely gorgeous and I was eventually able to stay still enough to photograph one. I didn’t see one of the large-eyed Costa Rican frogs that are on all the brochures, but I did see one blue jeans frog. The poisonous dart frog is also known as the blue jean frog as it has a red body with blue legs.

If you squinted through the misty rain, in the treetops you could see monkeys and sloth. Even an iguana made a brief appearance.

The restaurant served Asian cuisine in a beautiful outdoor setting. Specialties included Thai and Indian dishes as well as vegetarian entrees. The herbs and spices are organic grown right on their farm. The service was excellent and the atmosphere relaxing.

The hotel has the feel of bungalows or tree houses rising from within the wilderness with different levels of rooms. The color of the wood furniture inside matched the building outside and blended with the surroundings. You needn’t be a guest of the hotel to enjoy the pool or hammocks. Buy a drink, including a bottle of water, and enjoy the amenities.
www.pliniopark.com
www.pliniohotel.com
506 777-0055

I took a local bus for a few miles to reach Manual Antonio Park around 9 in the morning. I had barely passed the kiosk when I ran into the first group tour. Something that appeared to be a camera with a telescope was set up for the people to view animals so hidden and far away they couldn’t be seen by the naked eye. This reinforced that my decision not to go on a tour was a good one. I wanted to see the creatures for myself and be able to take pictures. I passed a couple more groups and then seemed to be alone. The tours were a couple of hours in duration so they didn’t cover much of the trails.

Shortly after the entrance is one of the nicer, but more popular beaches. The local iguanas, raccoon, geckos, and lizards make it popular with the tourists and tour guides alike. The raccoon will check out your bags to see if you brought anything to eat, but worse are the monkeys who will check out everything. This beach is also popular for the fact it is has an outdoor shower, bathrooms and picnic tables. A small pond hidden a short distance from the path is home to egrets, kingfisher and herons.

The trail continues along the beach until you reach a fork in the road. To the right is the trail that circles the perimeter of Punta Cathedral. While the map distributed at the entrance implies beach access, the high cliffs would make it impossible. The density of foliage and proximity to the ocean creates a muddy trail. There were a couple of areas where grasping a nearby tree trunk was necessary.

Going left from the fork in the road while end the same place as taking Punta Cathedral one-way and this is to another beach. This one is more secluded and calm enough for snorkeling. Should you be lucky enough to be there at low tide you can see the remains of pre-Columbian turtle traps along the rocks.

Beyond this beach is another fork. To the right will eventually end abruptly, overlooking an inaccessible beach. To the left is Sloth Trail that traverses some of the inland areas of the park. Although, sloths were high in the trees during the midday making it difficult to see, I did spy a couple. More to my delight was the deer. I saw young deer so I squatted low with my camera hoping not to scare it. I keep snapping pictures as it came closer; seemingly responding to my coaxing. Eventually it was so close licking my arm and cheek a passer by took my camera to get me a photo. That made my entire day. I returned the way I came and left the park.

Important! The park closes on Mondays and is limited to 800 visitors on weekends and 600 weekdays.

The entrance fee is $7 and there is no place to purchase food or drink. Feeding wildlife is prohibited.