Costa Rica
April 28, 2025
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Day 9, we left the hotel at 6 am to visit Manuel Antonio National Park, the most visited National Park in Costa Rica. The 4900 acre park was established in 1972, when the
local community sought conservation to prohibit development and destruction of the natural environment. They also protested the beach restrictions on locals by foreign owners.
The park is known for beaches, hiking trails, tropical forests, a mangrove and a diversity of wildlife ... lizards, iguanas, crabs, monkeys, sloths, red ants, vine snakes,
agouti and lots more.
Who was Manuel Antonio? Nobody really knows. There was a 16th century Spanish conquistador named Manuel Antonio who conquered the area. But local legend has it that
there was a family called Vargas who moved to this place looking to grow bananas. They found a man, a hermit, that lived alone without family, there at [today’s]
Manuel Antonio National Park. It was this solitary male who was “always there” whenever they came back to scout out the property. And his name was ... Manuel Antonio.
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Above: A subdivision of condos at Punta Leona.
1 to 3 ... driving along the coastal highway by the Pacific Ocean.
4 to 7 ... African Palm Tree plantations ... Palm Oil, soaps, cosmetics, candles, biofuels, even furniture are produced from these trees.
8 to 11 ... red soil and buildings in the small towns along the Pacific Coast
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