We don’t do winter sports. In fact, we prefer not to do winter at all, but it’s a part of life in Colorado. Nice things about staying home – spending time with friends, enjoying concerts and other local events, wearing fuzzy socks and cozy slippers while sipping a hot beverage, and of course, watching it snow now and again.

But not this year. The tropical breezes of Pura Vida were calling, and an easy 4.5 hour flight from Denver to San José made it easy to shed our wintertime layers and say yes to three weeks in Costa Rica. Good decision? Oh my yes, and we’re ready to do a little show and tell.

Five Nights in Manuel Antonio

First up – Manuel Antonio on the Pacific Coast, home to a small national park that claims to be one the most biodiverse on the planet, with 109 species of mammals and 184 types of birds.

At just under 5,000 acres (1,983 hectares), Manuel Antonio National Park is the smallest of Costa Rica’s 29 national parks but hugely popular with tourists. We, like most other visitors, hired a guide for our half day excursion. Alex knew his stuff, and importantly, was able to find all sorts of wildlife – mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and crustaceans – that would have otherwise been invisible to us. Not many decent photos, but here are the best of the bunch.

Without Alex, our day at the park would have been just a nice walk in the forest. To show our appreciation, we tipped him well. Very well, in fact – four times the intended amount due to a currency conversion snafu on our part. Pretty sure Alex appreciated the bonus and got a good chuckle out of it as well.

There was a beehive of activity just outside the park – a variety of vendors and an impressive traffic jam.

The park was a ‘must do’ but not the only thing to do in Manuel Antonio. Our choice of lodging turned out to be a huge contributor to how much we enjoyed ourselves – the owners/hosts were super friendly and helpful, always smiling and ready to chat.

Plus the bungalows were brand new in 2023, the restaurant was excellent, and we were surrounded by nature 24/7 – birds, frogs, sloths (if you knew where to find them), butterflies, “bugs” and monkeys. A troop of squirrel monkeys made daily visits, as well as a lone, audacious white-faced capuchin.

We loved just hanging out with the wildlife at our bungalow but also spent time exploring.

One memorable adventure involved a morning stroll on El Salto Trail – the trailhead was adjacent to the bungalows. Our destination was a lovely waterfall located “just 20 minutes away.” Or not. After an hour of multiple river crossings and trying to stay upright while slip sliding on giant tree roots and slick rocks in the lush jungle, we gave up and turned back. Never saw the waterfall, but thankfully we didn’t fall or suffer any deadly snake or spider bites. So in hindsight, we had a great time!

A few photos to share, but first, check out our impressive “hiking” stats: 🤣

On a different day, we took an afternoon/sunset cruise on a cool 100′ wooden sailboat – the Brisa Elegante, which operates twice daily excursions from Marina Pez Vela in the nearby town of Quepos.

Only about 30 passengers on a beautiful vessel that has capacity for 100, so we had plenty of room to spread out. We had most everything you would expect during our four hour cruise – scenic views, a friendly and capable crew, social chats with fellow tourists, time in the water for swimming or snorkeling, plus tasty food and beverages.

We didn’t see any dolphins or other marine life, and it was the wrong time of year for whales and turtles. The sunset, however, was gorgeous. (And early – 5:30 pm!)

We also spent an afternoon wandering the streets and malecón (esplanade) in Quepos. Very sunny, very hot and very humid, so we didn’t cover a lot of ground. Lunch at the marina and a leisurely walk about town. Nothing too exciting – a few random photos.

And what is a rooster rodeo, you ask? We checked out the website and learned that it’s an annual team fishing tournament, sort of. The goal is to catch, tag and release roosterfish to add to the database of Gray FishTag Research, an international non-profit organization that tracks and studies multiple species of fish. Interesting.

That wraps up the first leg of our adventures in Costa Rica, with much more to come!

We’ll end with photos from Riverside Bungalows – highly recommended if you’re planning to visit Manuel Antonio!

On the way to Manuel Antonio from the airport in San José:

Y eso es todo por ahora (and that’s all for now).

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