Here’s a complete guide to visiting Manuel Antonio National Park in Costa Rica!
Most people flock to Costa Rica for two main attractions – serene beaches and exotic rainforests. And since it offers both, Manuel Antonio National Park is a hot destination. It is the country’s smallest national park but it’s definitely one of the most beautiful. To make the most of your visit there, continue reading and be sure to keep these tips in mind.
HOURS OF OPERATION
Except for Tuesdays, the park is open year round, including holidays.
Wednesday – Monday (closed Tuesdays)
7:00am – 4:00pm (beaches close at 3:00pm)
Although the park rangers start asking people to leave the private beaches at 3:00pm, the public beach right outside the park is open until 6:00pm.
TICKETS
Due to the pandemic, tickets can only be purchased online through this portal. You will need to create an account and provide your passport number. They are also limiting the number of visitors to just 1,500 each day. Make sure you purchase your tickets in advance for the day that you plan to visit.
$18 USD – general
$6 USD – kids from 2-11 years old
FREE – kids under 2 years old
Entrance of Manuel Antonio National Park. You cannot buy tickets at the gate so book them online in advance.
TRANSPORTATION
There are several ways to get to Manuel Antonio National Park from San José, where the main international airport is located.
- Bus – Tracopa buses will take you to Quepos in 3.5 hours for $9 USD. The collectivo bus is 2 hours longer than the directo bus. The Tracopa Station is located at Plaza Viquez.
- Car – Rent a car and drive yourself for 3 hours on Route 27 and 34, which has three toll booths and it’s better to pay in colones ($5 USD total).
- Private Shuttle – Air-conditioned vans for $55 USD per person one way. They can pick you up from your hotel or airport, and some even have wifi. Check out Interbus, Caribe Shuttle, and Easy Ride.
- Taxi/Uber – It’s possible but it will cost you around $150 USD one way. Expect to pay more if the ride ends up being more than 3 hours.
- Plane – There are 20-minute flights to a small airport in Quepos for $75-140 USD one way, depending on the season and how much luggage you bring.
Keep in mind that there’s usually heavy traffic on Route 27, even if Google Maps says it will only take 3 hours. The sun sets early around 5-6pm in Costa Rica so I would recommend getting on the road early in the morning.
Bonus Tip: Parking
If you decide to drive, you will see a public beach called Espadilla Norte to your right when you are close to the park. There will be people dressed in “uniform” blowing a whistle and directing you into the parking lots. Sometimes they will even walk right in front of your car to block you from continuing down the road and tell you that you must park there if you’re going to the national park. Some will even say that tickets are all sold out but they can offer you different packages. THIS IS A SCAM!
They are not associated with the national park in any way, and the official website even warns visitors of this. Those parking lots by the public beach are not even near the actual entrance. Although there are no official parking lots, the closest ones to the entrance are located by San Bada Hotel and they charge a very reasonable fee of around $5 USD to park there all day.
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GUIDED TOURS
Tour guides have trained eyes to spot wildlife up in the trees and they have high-powered telescope for you to get a closer look of the sloths, toucans, squirrel monkeys, and many other animals you can find inside the park. They are bilingual and will share interesting facts about the variety of species you’ll encounter. Here are prices for the guided tours:
$65 – general ($25 deposit)
$50 – kids from 3-12 years old ($20 deposit)
FREE – kids under 3 years old
The tours include round trip transportation from Quepos and Manuel Antonio hotels and residences, the entrance fee, and a bilingual certified guide for 2.5-3 hours. If you wish to stay longer after the tour ends, you will be responsible for finding a bus or taxi back to your hotel. There are also private tours for a more intimate experience, and a tour at night as well. Check out the different tours and their prices here.
If you don’t need transportation and just want a naturalist guide, they are usually standing at the entrance for hire. Be sure to ask for their guide certification before exchanging money. You can also pre-book a guide from a tour company. Prices vary depending on tour companies.
We made the mistake of not booking a guide because we thought it would be easy to spot the animals, but all we saw were tiny crabs on the beach, one monkey, one toucan, and one iguana. If you are there to see the wildlife of Costa Rica, trust me, book a tour guide. Also, they could educate you about which plants are poisonous and should not be touched…
Right after this picture was taken, a tour guide (with a large group standing behind him) told me that the tree was poisonous!
HIKING TRAILS AND BEACHES
Looking for sloths on the Sloth Trail.
There are 10 hiking trails in Manuel Antonio, ranging from easy to moderate. Research in advance which trail you want to hike and follow the maps that are posted everywhere in the park. There are also two beaches that the main trail leads you to, but most people stop at Playa Manuel Antonio. The main trail goes in a loop and the two beaches are connected by a lookout tower. I highly recommend swimming at Playa Espadilla Sur instead since it’s way more peaceful and remote.
It pains me that we did not see any sloths during our entire trip, even on the Sloth Trail!
Bonus Tip: Shortcut
A quick shortcut to get to Playa Espadilla Sur is to turn right instead of walking straight when you reach a fork on the El Manglar Trail (Mangrove Trail). When we were done chilling on the beach, we looped back to the entrance by the Sloth Trail and came back to the same fork so we didn’t miss out on anything.
Playa Espadilla Sur, a secluded beach at Manuel Antonio National Park.
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WHAT TO PACK
- Binoculars – whether you’re booking a guided tour or not, this will come in handy.
- Hiking sandals – easy transition from the trails to the beaches.
- Swimsuit – the ocean is cool and refreshing after hiking in the humidity.
- Beach towels – there are no beach chairs to rent so bring a towel to sit on.
- Sun Protection – hat, sunglasses, sunscreen…even if the weather forecast says it will rain.
- Camera – the entire park is photogenic and hopefully you’ll capture some cool animals too.
- Beverage – only water, soda, and juice are allowed but they can’t be contained in single use plastic!
You cannot bring in your own food, but there is a cafe in the middle of the park that sells sandwiches, pizza, fruits, ice-cream and other yummy snacks. I would suggest buying the snacks at the cafe first before heading to the beach so when you get hungry from all the swimming, you won’t have to walk all the way back.
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