Manuel Antonio National Park is a small national park in the Central Pacific Conservation Area located on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, just south of the city of Quepos, Puntarenas, and 157 km from the national capital of San José. It was established in 1972, when the local community sought conservation to prohibit development and destruction of the natural e…
Manuel Antonio National Park is a small national park in the Central Pacific Conservation Area located on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, just south of the city of Quepos, Puntarenas, and 157 km from the national capital of San José. It 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 has a land area of 1,983 ha and 25,634 ha of water area for a total of 27,587 ha. Despite being one of the smaller Costa Rican parks in land area, Manuel Antonio is the most popular of the 30 national parks in Costa Rica, visited by 4,388,460 people from 2012 to 2022.
Location: Costa Rica
Established: 1972
Nearest city: Quepos
Area: 1,983 ha (7.66 sq mi)
Governing body: National System of Conservation Areas (SINAC)