Manuel Antonio National Park

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• Manuel Antonio

Manuel Antonio is Costa Rica's original destination for eco-tourism and still one of its most popular (which obviously doesn't make it a favorite for all). Despite its relatively small size of fewer than 680 hectares (1,680 acres) Manuel Antonio has all the natural attractions, some of the best photo-ops from the hills above it, and unrivaled bio-diversity.  It was created not to preserve its beautiful beaches, which are idyllic,  but its forests, home to endangered squirrel monkeys, three-toed sloths, purple-and-orange crabs, and hundreds of other species of birds, mammals, and plants, including 109 species of mammal and 184 species of birds (wikipedia.org). Once upon a time the  entire stretch of coast was a rainforest teeming with wildlife, but today a much smaller section of rainforest remains.