Huatulco Travel

The local fruit swears you off canned pineapple forever and gentle Ticos (Costa Rican residents) easily forgive one’s bad Spanish with wide smiles. Street vendors are not the ravenous Cancun-type that exudes fear in polite Midwesterners. Perhaps because the majority of the country’s population falls into the middle class, they are generally relaxed when it comes to marketing their necklaces, pottery and woven hammocks.

But Manuel Antonio doesn’t have to be all lying around getting massages ($40 for 60 minutes). Adventure-seekers will be kept busy crossing under the rainforest canopy on zip lines or enjoying the warm water kayaking and snorkeling. The region is renown for its bird watching and organized tours can ensure you see plenty of the 270 area species including parakeets, parrots and the 15 types of humming birds. These activities range from $30 to $100 depending on the length of tour and vendor.

Of course, the centerpiece of the region is the Manuel Antonio National Park itself, which is considered one of the most bio-diverse places on earth. The entrance is just over a small river, an easy walk south of town. Though one may be able to wade across the riverbed at low tide, a chance meeting with a crocodile makes the 50-cent boat ride from a local good trip insurance.

After paying the non-citizen rate of $10 to enter the park, the jungle trails will close a cool canopy above your head. For $39 per person, an official guide will accompany you with high-quality binoculars set on a tripod. The locals, who easily spot hidden wildlife, provide an interesting eco-tour, pointing out the renewable bamboo trees and bringing visitors up hidden trails to the spectacular views of Punta Catedral beach.

Though even without a guide, whiteface monkeys are plentiful and easily seen playing in the trees along with lazy two-toed sloths.

The park beaches are popular for snorkeling as the coral reefs teem with colorful creatures. Swimming, however, is done at your own risk and the area’s infamous riptide should keep everyone close to shore and cautious