Manzanillo Overview

Blessed with the rich jungles of the Gandoca-Manzanillo National Wildlife Refuge and sandy palm-tree-lined beaches, Manzanillo is a refuge from the comparatively bustling streets of Puerto Viejo. Unlike the other beaches between the two towns, Manzanillo has enough restaurants and accommodation options to keep more laid-back travelers occupied for more than a daytrip. It is famous for Maxi’s Restaurant, known throughout the coast for its Caribbean food, and it also provides the small beachy town with a fun, social atmosphere.

Transportation.  Buses run daily from Puerto Viejo to Manzanillo (7, 7:30am, noon, 4:30, 7:30pm; returns 5am, 12:45, 5:15, 8:30pm; ¢590), passing by Punta Uva, Playa Cocles, and Playa Chiquita. Buses to Manzanillo leave from the front of the MEPE ticket office in Puerto Viejo. You can also take a taxi (¢4500), rent a bike (1hr.), or walk (3hr.) from Puerto Viejo. The walk along the beach, though lengthy, is gorgeous and peaceful. Check the tides before leaving as some of the beaches are almost entirely submerged at high tides.

Orientation And Practical Information. The local MANT headquarters is the green-and-yellow house on your left as you enter Manzanillo along the main street. The guides can provide details on the park and the preservation efforts inside the refuge (including dolphin and turtle projects often looking for volunteers). A little farther down the road on the right, facing the beach, is the bright-green MINAE office. (☎2759 9100 or 2754 2133. Open M-F 8am-4pm.) A map and history of the refuge are available with donation. Rangers have a few beds and baths for those who want to volunteer in the refuge assisting with park maintenance or performing research. The police station is in the blue building across from the MANT office. (Open 24hr.) Public phones are near Restaurant Maxi. Laundry services are at La Lavendería Caribeña (☎2759 9043), on the right just before you enter town, in a house labeled “Local Guide.”

Accommodations. The most central, popular lodging spot in town is the newly redone Cabinas Maxi , just to the right of Restaurante Maxi as you enter town. The simple row of cabins has modern, private hot-water baths and clean rooms with double beds and fans. (☎2759 9061. Singles ¢6000; doubles ¢9000. AmEx/D/MC/V.) Visitors looking for a more personal atmosphere outside of the hustle and bustle of Maxi’s can head to Faya Babi , 100m to the right from the end of the path next to Soda El Rinconcito. Its four rooms are nestled in the upstairs floor of the owners’ house, with an open-air kitchen and lounge area. Rooms are compact but elegantly furnished with mosquito nets, fans, and private hot-water baths with mosaic-lined showers. (☎2759 9167. Doubles US$30; triples US$35. Cash only.) No camping is allowed on the beaches of Manzanillo. In the refuge itself, camping is allowed in designated areas. Camping varies by season, so be sure to speak to a ranger before heading in with a tent.

One of the most popular alternatives to hostels is   Steve Brook’s Organic Farm in Punta Mona. Volunteers flock to this secluded destination to help with the farm work and learn about permaculture, a form of sustainable agriculture (the farm offers a 5-week permaculture certification course). Volunteers, who range from 18-year-old students to 60-year-old doctors, can stay for one week for US$125, food and lodging included, or one month for US$300. It is possible to hike to Punta Mona from Manzanillo (see below), but the farm also runs a boat to town and back upon request. (US$15 1-way. www.puntamona.org/)

Food. T Maxi’s Restaurant , in the center of town at the end of the main street, is the uncontested social center of Manzanillo and is famous throughout the region for its large, delicious portions of Caribbean cooking. Decorated with banners of European soccer teams, Maxi’s is usually full of locals and tourists alike enjoying the sea breeze and beautiful views from its patio overlooking the water. (☎2759 9073; restmaxis@racsa.co.cr. Rice and beans ¢2400-7500. Grilled entrees ¢2800-5950. Lobster specials ¢8250-27,500. Open daily 11am-10pm. AmEx/D/MC/V.) Some of the cheapest food in town is 50m down the side street from Aquamor at Soda El Rinconcito Alegre , where owner Patricia serves up large portions of casados and rice and beans (both ¢1800-3000) on a cheery red, yellow, and green-painted patio. (☎2759 9104. Breakfast ¢700-1500. Open daily 6am-8pm.) For groceries, Mini Abastecedor Más X Menos is on the main road 100m past the house labeled “Local Guide.” (☎2759 9021 or 2759 9050. Open M-Sa 7am-noon and 2-7pm, Su 8am-noon and 5-6pm.)

Sights. The main reason to come to Manzanillo is to visit the breathtaking Refugio Nacional Gandoca-Manzanillo. A dense jungle trail stretches from the village, through the refuge, and all the way to Panama. Founded in 1985 to protect endangered flora and fauna, the refuge includes 5013 hectares of private and public land—65% of which is tropical rainforest—and 4436 hectares of ocean. The wetlands teem with crocodiles, alligators, sloths, pumas, and monkeys, while sandy beaches and fossil-lined coral caves offer gorgeous previews of the beauty beneath the water. Five different types of coral make this reef a particularly rewarding spot for underwater exploration. A red mangrove tree swamp, unique to the Costa Rican Caribbean coast and situated beside the Gandoca Lagoon, protects the only natural population of mangrove oysters on the coast. The lagoon is also home to the nearly extinct manatee. The waters off rocky T Punta Mona are frequented by tucuxi, bottlenose, and Atlantic spotted dolphins. One of the only drawbacks of the refuge is that trails are not well-marked, and heavy rains make them difficult to maintain. Because of this, guides are mandatory for hiking in the refuge. MANT provides some of the best guide services, with local guides who are very familiar with the area.

Guided Tours.  Guías MANT (☎2759 9064, guiasmant@yahoo.com.mx) is composed of MINAE-certified guides who are native to Manzanillo and have formed a coalition uniting their profession and their devotion to conserving land in the region. A portion of their earnings goes toward supporting local farmers in order to minimize agricultural expansion and deforestation. The MANT office is on the left as you come into town, but if it is closed, the staff at Aquamor can give information about different tour options. The guides give various tours, including hikes, turtle-watching, night walks, horseback rides, snorkeling, and just about any other adventure a traveler might want to tackle in the refuge. (Most tours US$15-45 per person. Hiking tour in Manzanillo refuge US$35. Dolphin tour US$40. Sportfishing US$350-400 for 2 people.)

If you want to explore the park from the water, check with the watersports shop Aquamor, the last right off the main road before Maxi’s. The main dive school of the Gandoca marine refuge, it also rents kayaks and snorkeling gear and offers diving and dolphin observation excursions. (☎2759 9012; www.aquamor.com. Kayaks US$6 per hr., with guide US$25 per hr. Snorkel gear US$5 per hr., with guide US$16-45. Dolphin tours US$40 per person, group discounts available. Open daily 8:30am-8pm.) All guides in the area are associated with MANT and Aquamor, so prices are fairly consistent.

Aquamor also serves as a coral reef educational center and helped start the Talamanca Dolphin Foundation, an organization that hosts volunteers who aid in investigations and help protect the precious dolphins and their ecosystem. The organization sponsors eco-friendly dolphin tours through Aquamor. Get in touch with Aquamor for information on how to volunteer for the TDF or contact them directly. (☎2759 0715 or 2759 0612; www.dolphinlink.org.)