Costa Rica – Quepos and Manuel Antonio National Park
We are staying in a great and affordable hostel (private rooms also) Wide Mouth Frog, where guests have a swimming pool, sun loungers, fitness room or a huge dining room with kitchenette. Breakfast is included and cooked great for perhaps the best prices in Costa Rica. The staff is incredibly helpful and in English can handle absolutely anything, there are also plenty of trips or surfing courses. The accommodation is just a few steps from the bus station and offers everything a classic backpacker on his own can wish for.
Centrum města Quepos je rušné, nachází se zde plno bank, supermarketů, restaurací, kaváren a také nespočetně obchodů s oblečením a suvenýry. Pláže tu nejsou tak krásné, jako jsme v Kostarice již zvyklí, nicméně stačí za pár drobných popojet městskou dopravou k národnímu parku Manuel Antonio, v jehož okolí se nacházejí krásné pláže vhodné jak pro plavce, tak surfaře začátečníky. K dispozici je tu i plno dalších vodních atrakcí.
Manuel Antonio National Park only allows a certain number of tourists (but still it is more than enough), so we set out to visit early in the morning. Along the way, countless guides with huge telescopes offer their services, but in the end we will conclude that we can do without them, which will be confirmed. We pay $ 16 and go on a wooden path to the park. There are several paths through the park, which often lead to the coast, where you can swim on beautiful beaches.
Just after a few steps we see the first sloth high in the treetops. And then we will find reunions with monkeys, large blue-red crabs, and all sorts of birds. Right at the first opportunity we set out on the right at the crossroads. This then seems like a great idea, because the large crowds of tourists continue straight ahead and we get to the almost deserted beach. The water is clear and pleasant, the company makes us, with the exception of a few other tourists, an intrusive raccoon and a few shy iguanas. We take a swim and continue along the coast to a wooden lookout, after which the destination of groups of guided hikers is located. It is another beautiful beach, but already overpopulated and yet full of annoying monkeys, who are constantly trying to get some food from tourists and steal everything they manage.
A little further away there are snacks, toilets and showers. We still set out on one of the circuits that turns off the main route, but the climb on a hot summer day then really exhausts us and slowly heads towards the exit. Along the way, we are fortunate to have another sloth resting just a few meters in the branches above us.
After visiting the park, we shop for a few souvenirs and head to the beach for refreshments. Beware, in the local restaurants, the price for food is usually quoted exclusive of tax and service charge, which is almost another quarter. Various events for bargain drinks prices are also far from paying off. The beach is very nice and you can try surfing. The instructors are skilful, and in just a moment you will go down the first wave. After the lesson, you will even take great photos in memory. The day is coming to an end and we are returning by city bus back to Quepos.
In addition to the Quepos National Park and the surrounding area, it offers another amazing spectacle. It is a beautiful sunset over the sea.
Text and photos: Veronika Schubertová
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