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Quepos Costa Rica GuideNamed for the now extinct Quepoa Indian tribe, the town is located on the Central Pacific coast a few hours south of Jaco and is home to over 14,000 people. African oil-palm farms now surround the town instead of banana plantations, and rows off palms seem to stretch out endlessly into the horizon. Downtown Quepos is a six-block square featuring plenty of restaurants, bars, and a few clubs for dancing. There are also neat little art galleries and bakeries to visit. From mid-February to early march there's a Carnivale celebration that provides some good entertainment value.  The town itself doesn't have much in the way of sights except for a rickety old fishing village nearby named Boca Vieja which features stilt houses connected by wobbly planks. However there are interesting spots just outside town that make for good day trips. Three kilometers east you'll hit the Rio Naranjo along which you'll find the ruins of one of Costa Rica's first missions, built in 1570. The dirt road next to the river will also lead you past Rancho Los Tucanes where you can arrange ATV tours and horseback rides to the dramatic Los Tuncanos waterfall that plunges 90 meters from top to bottom. The small hamlet of Londres can be found along the river as well and here you'll find Villa Vanilla, an organic spice farm with cabinas and three km of trails to explore. Quepos FishingFishing is a huge draw here and the best time of year for billfish is from December to August. However, there is great inshore fishing for amberjack, snapper, tuna and the mighty wahoo, many of which are caught throughout the year. If you plan on booking a Quepos fishing charter it's best to make reservations in advance since not all charter companies have offices in town.Some of the companies running boats out of Quepos Costa Rica are Bluefin Sportfishing Charters, Blue Water Sportfishing, Costa Rican Dreams, High Tec Fishing, JP Sportfishing, La Manta Sportfishing, and Luna Tours. Quepos Tours and Other ActivitiesThere are plenty of tour companies operating out of Quepos with a number of activities to choose from. Scuba diving, horseback riding, whitewater rafting, ATV tours, snorkeling, wildlife tours, sea kayaking, canopy tours and more can all be arranged in town.Quepos Costa Rica HotelsAccommodations in town offer a more economical alternative to staying in the often-overpriced hotels surrounding Manuel Antonio National Park. There are budget hotels galore as well as nicer fare.Quepos to Manuel AntonioGetting to Manuel Antonio from town is quite easy since it's just a 7km trip. If you have a rental car and are driving, be aware the road is steep, narrow and windy. Watch out for local buses, which are notorious for fast often careless driving.Public buses leave for Manuel Antonio every half hour ($0.25) from the main terminal starting at 6am and ending at 7:30pm, with much less frequent departures thereafter. The last bus leaves Manuel Antonio for Quepos at 10:25pm. Colectivo taxis to Manuel Antonio cost about $0.50 and will pick up other passengers, whereas a private taxi will cost somewhere around $5-10. Getting to Quepos Costa RicaIf you rent a car in San Jose it is about a three-hour drive to Quepos.Another option is to take a short commuter flight from the San Jose. Sansa offers six daily flights and Nature Air has four. Costs vary, but with taxes are anywhere from $100-175 roundtrip. Buses from San Jose take about 4 hours and cost between $5-10. Departures are at 5am, 8am, 10am, 12pm, 2pm, 4pm, and 7pm. |
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