Costa Rica established Manuel Antonio National Park in 1972.
Between the new park and the old banana town of Quepos sat an untapped gold mine for tourism: the ridge between the two. For various reasons, it made sense to build the main road along this ridge, and not along the beach, as in Jacó or Tamarindo or Puerto Viejo.
This ridge became a magnet for a series of high-end hotels, restaurants and shops that would permanently transform this region and its economy.
To learn more about the history of Manuel Antonio, from Ponce de León to Marina Pez Vela, click here.
