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The small corridor of land between the old banana-exporting town of Quepos and the little community of Manuel Antonio , outside the Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio , has experienced one of the most dramatic tourist booms in the country. The stunning, picture-postcard setting, with its spectacular white-grey sand beaches fringed by thickly forested green hills, is the main attraction, and there's also a huge variety of things to do - including walking the park's easy trails, whitewater rafting, ocean-cruising and horse-riding, to name but a few. The beauty of the area is due in part to the unique " tombolo " formation of Punta Catedral , which juts out into the Pacific from the park. A rare geophysical phenomenon, a tombolo results when an island becomes joined, slowly and over millennia, to the mainland through accumulated sand deposits. Other smaller islands, some of them no more than rocky outcroppings, straggle off from Punta Catedral and, from high up in the hills, watching a lavish sunset over the Pacific, it does seem as though Manuel Antonio is one of the more charmed places on earth. That said, the huge tourist input has undeniably taken its toll on the whole area. In the last few years it has been perceived as overpriced , and budget travellers searching for cheap beaches have headed instead to Montezuma or to Samara on the Nicoya Peninsula. Consequently, some hotels have had to drop their rates, and many places have gone from being overpriced to being merely expensive. You'll also need to take more precautions against theft than in the rest of Costa Rica. Never leave anything on the beach when you're swimming and, if you take the bus, don't let anyone handle your luggage. Wherever you stay, ensure your hotel room is locked at all times, and note that rental cars left on the street have become a favourite target.
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