Both Corcovado and Manual Antonio??
 

Planning on spending time at Corcovado. Will also be relatively near to Manual Antonio. Are they similar enough that I should skip M.A. and do another tour (Arenal perhps)?

While the flora and fauna may be similar at these two locations (with Corcovado/Osa being much more impresive), these two destinations are quite different. Osa Penninsula is very remote and undeveloped. If you stay at a lodge there, you will be limited to the restaurant in that lodge and activities offered by that lodge and your main focus will be on the nature surrounding you. <BR>Manuel Antonio is much more developed with plenty of hotel and restaurant choices. It is also crowded (if you compare it to Osa). You will also have plenty of activities to choose from.<BR>I think that both are worth seeing, but whether you should go to both will depend on how much you have, what other destinations you will visit on your trip etc.

We live in Manuel Antonio and just took a weekend trip down to Osa. The Osa penninsula is beautiful and also VERY different from Manuel Antonio. My personal idea of a great vacation would be to go and enjoy the natural beauty of Corcavado and then come back through Manuel Antonio and enjoy some of the earthly pleasures that aren't as available in the Osa, such as great restaurants, spa treatments, all the pampering stuff.<BR>I used to love to go hike in Big Sur and then end upp at the spa there! SO you can see that I like a good pampering after a little roughing it!<BR>Best warm wishes,<BR>Robbie<BR>[email protected]

Carol;<BR><BR>All depends on what you're looking for. We personally didn't like Manuel Antonio as it was too crowded and busy for us. If as Iza said above you are looking for a variety of places to eat and maybe some nightlife you may like it. We loved Corcovado for it's unspoiled forests, beaches, and loads of animals/birds. It is quite remote though and definitely doesn't have the creature comforts of MA. We went to Arenal and really enjoyed it. On our return visit we will do Corcovado (Bosque del Cabo again), Arenel, and something on the Caribbean (which we didn't do this time).

Thanks for the responses. <BR>We are not into nightlife, crowds, and the city scene (we'll be staying at Villa Caletas after 4 days at Osa). We'd likely take a one-day guided trip to MA. Hopefully we would get started very early but it would depend on the guide I guess.