Playa Manuel Antonio lies on the south side of Punta Catedral and is open to the swell making this an uncomfortable anchorage in all but the calmest conditions. The beach is part of the Manuel Antonio National Park and gets very crowded during the day but after 4pm you have the bay to yourself. Troops of monkeys come down to the beach to scour for food and the grunting bark of the male howler monkeys resonates across the bay at dusk. 

You will not be allowed to go ashore on Mondays as the park is closed to give the wildlife a break from tourists.

Approaches

Rounding Punta Catedral give the islands off the tip of the point a wide berth. Enter the bay in good light preferably at low tide to identify the reefs which extend out from either side.

Anchorage

Anchor off the beach in 3m on a sandy bottom. Landing the dinghy on the beach can be hazardous when waves are breaking on the beach.

Facilities

Walk to the entrance gate to pay the entrance fee then enjoy exploring the park. The tour guides are very knowledgeable and skilled at spotting small bugs or tiny frogs that you might otherwise miss. The guides and visitors tend to stick to several well worn paths but there are plenty of other more remote tracks through the jungle which the tourists rarely get to where it is possible to enjoy the cool quietness of the rainforest.

Bahia Uvita is a heavenly place with golden sandy beaches, rocky shorelines and beautiful coral reefs. One of the highlights is walking out to Punta Uvita Tombola at low tide. This strangely shaped sand bar and rocky islet is known as the Whale’s Tail – appropriate as the area is part of the Ballena Marine National Park.

Unfortunately this incredible spot 27NM north of Drake Bay is unfortunately a very mediocre overnight rest stop. It is effectively a roadstead anchorage with no shelter from the wind and the swell drives straight into the bay. It is a great anchorage in calm weather.

Approaches

No info

Anchorage

The bay shoals rapidly so anchoring in 6m feels a long way offshore. The holding in sand is good. Tuck in to the NW corner of the bay as best you can but this is a rolly anchorage and a stern anchor or flopper stoppers would help. Take great care landing a dinghy on the beach as waves break all around the bay.

Facilities

Uvita boasts a bank, a hardware store and a supermarket as well as the usual restaurants and guest houses and tour operators. Diving and snorkeling are good around the rocks south of the point, the water is crystal clear and the reefs are healthy.

The Ballena Marine National Park was created as a safe area for humpback whale to breed and feed during their annual migrations. During summer months (July to mid November) the whales migrate north to their summer feeding grounds in the Arctic, then travel back to their winter breeding and calving grounds in the warmer tropical waters of Costa Rica (December to April). Sit on your back deck or book a whale-watching tour in the village.

Punta Catedral is a hammer shaped point lying at the southern end of the beautiful Espadilla beach to the south of Punta Quepos. Anchorage can be taken on either side of the point but the northern anchorage is better protected from the southerly swell.

Manuel Antonio is both the smallest and the most famous park in Costa Rica. It’s renowned for its vast diversity of tropical plants and wildlife including three-toed sloths and endangered white-faced capuchin monkeys. It is incredibly popular with long queues at the entrance gate, sometimes the wait may be more than a 30 minutes.

Approaches

Approach the anchorage from the west passing south of the patch of reef and rocky islets but north of Isla Olocuita.

Anchorage

Tuck into the hook on the northern side of Punta Catedral to get out of the swell and anchor 5-7m in sand and clay with good holding. Take the dinghy ashore at the southern end of the beach for a safer landing out of the waves and use an anchor or tie up to a tree as the beach disappears at high tide.

The anchorage is part of the Manuel Antonio National Park. Rangers patrol the beach and may ask if you have and anchoring permit which can be obtained from the park headquarters in Quepos.

Facilities

An entrance fee is required to enter the park so if you go ashore walk westwards along the path behind the beach to the park entrance to pay the fee then queue to get back in. Manuel Antonio is very popular and during the day the paths and raised walkways that criss cross through the tropical jungle get clogged with tour groups. The white-faced cappuchin monkeys are natural performers and their acrobatic antics entertain the crowd as they swing down to the paths hoping for treats and to pick a few pockets.

The large bay at Bahia Santa Elena is tranquil in almost all weather offering good protection from Papagayos. It is lies within the Santa Rosa National Park and rangers may visit your boat to collect the park fee.

Approaches

The channel into the bay is free of obstacles.

Anchorage

Anchorage can be taken almost anywhere in the bay however the bay shoals quickly on the eastern side. Anchor on the south side of the bay in 3m on a muddy or sandy bottom. In a papagayo the southern side of the bay can become a little choppy so take care going to the beach in the dinghy.

Facilities

None. A dirt road runs close to the south side of the bay leading to several good hiking trails.

Not a Port of Entry