A silence you can feel in your chest
1 / 6 · Koen Swiers
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Costa Rica Family Wild · Manuel Antonio
Sloths before breakfast
1 / 6 · Koen Swiers
Sloths before breakfast
Costa Rica Family Wild · Manuel Antonio
family wildlife adventurous tropical outdoors
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Find hotels in Manuel Antonio Talk to a specialistWhy you’ll love it
Ziplines, tide pools, and a kid who now wants to be a biologist. A GoSmart specialist plans and books it around your dates and pace.
Why it works
The guide swings his scope toward a tangle of branches and there it is, a three-toed sloth with a baby clinging to its chest, so still you would have walked right past it. The kids go quiet for once, howler monkeys start up in the distance, and the whole forest suddenly feels alive.
Worth knowing
A licensed guide with a spotting scope will show your family ten times the wildlife you would find alone, since the animals are camouflaged and high in the canopy. It is the single best money you will spend here.
Do not feed the monkeys or raccoons, however bold they get around the beaches, and keep your bag zipped, since they are quick and they have learned that tourists mean snacks. Feeding them makes them aggressive and sick.
The green season from roughly May to November brings afternoon rain but also lush forest, fewer crowds, and lower prices. Mornings are usually clear enough for wildlife walks.
About the place
Manuel Antonio pairs a small, wildlife-packed national park with easy Pacific beaches on Costa Rica's central coast. Sloths, monkeys, and iguanas share the trees right above the trails, which makes it one of the country's most family-friendly wildlife spots.
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