The areas surrounding Makanda offer a wonderful combination of rain forest, beaches, mangroves and coral reefs. Manuel Antonio National Park's beaches are some of the most beautiful in Costa Rica, lined with lush green rain forest, and offering excellent snorkeling around the reefs and rocks. This jungle paradise is home to a wide variety of exotic animals including 2 species of sloth, 3 species of monkeys, iguanas, birds and an incredible list of interesting insects, reptiles and fish. The trail that winds around Cathedral Point offers some of Costa Rica's most spectacular ocean and rainforest views.

Within walking distance to Manuel Antonio Park from Hotel Makanda, when exploring the park, visitors are delighted by an abundant variety of eco-systems and exotic wildlife. Cathedral Point, with its forest topped cliffs, was once an island but is now connected to the coastline by a thin strip of land. This natural land bridge forms the narrow stretch that separates the parks two most popular beaches, Playa Espadilla Sur and Playa Manuel Antonio. This diverse park also includes primary forest, secondary forest, mangrove swamp, lagoons and extensive beach vegetation, as well as featuring other popular points in the park such as the blow hole at Puerto Escondido and the sea caves along Serrucho Point. There are also 12 islands offshore, which provide excellent refuge for rare and endangered sea birds and represent an important nesting site for the Brown Booby and the Brown Pelican, both endangered species. To date, 364 species have been discovered in the park, including 109 species of mammals and 184 species of birds, as well as an incredible variety of insects and reptiles, and rare possibilities to see the huge endangered Oliver Ridley and Green Marine Turtles.

Makanda by the Sea consists of 12 acres of wildlife sanctuary for you to experience Costa Rica's biodiversity without ever having to leave the property. Not only will you enjoy a variety of wildlife right from your room while waking up each morning to the call of the howler monkeys, or fading away each night to the smell of the fragrant Ylang Ylang tree, this is the perfect intimate jungle setting for your vacation.  More daring guests can choose to hike our jungle trail 100 meters down to our exclusive beach cove.  Popular for exploring during low tide, the rocky tide pools and ancient Indian Turtle traps only add to the mystique of the area.

To give you a reference to some of these incredible wonders of nature, Makanda by the Sea has compiled a printable list of the most commonly seen avifauna and animals for the Manuel Antonio and Damas Island Area: Animal Species