Manuel Antonio is one of the most famous national parks in Costa Rica and is located on the Central Pacific coast, about 140 kilometers South West of San Jose. Quepos is a little port town about 7 kilometers down the road.

Quepos was once a banana port which exported tons of bananas. However, in 1950 a banana disease struck, which was probably caused by the immense pesticides used, making the soil become susceptible to disease. In 1960, palm trees replaced the banana plantations. This new industry to Quepos provided the needed jobs that the banana plantations left, but also called for new workers which integrated the old culture with the new.

Today, you will see miles and miles of Palm trees lining the road which leads into Quepos. Palma Tica, the company, produces the palms for oil. This huge 8,000 hectare plantation is one of the largest mono crops in Costa Rica and supplies at least seven hundred jobs to the people of this area.