When travelers visit Manuel Antonio National Park, most of them stay around two sections of the park: Playa Manuel Antonio and the main path from the entrance. However, there are several trails in the national park that are worth exploring as they lead to beautiful viewpoints, beaches and a waterfall.
The trails are where you can see more wildlife since there are less people and less disturbance. You may run into agoutis, see hummingbirds up close and get a monkey butt to the face (this happened to me). Since less people hike the trails, you can have it all to yourself!
If you’re interested in venturing into the rain forest, here is our guide to hiking Manuel Antonio National Park.
Hiking Manuel Antonio National Park
Sendero La Catarata (waterfall trail)
This short trail is just a couple hundred meters away from the entrance of the park and leads to a small waterfall.
If you don’t do the other trails, this one is pretty short so you can wander over there to check it out if you’re short on time or aren’t interested in hiking the rest.
However, since the waterfall is kind of small, you can also skip this one if you’ve already walked the other trails and are tired. You won’t be missing anything amazing (there are a lot more beautiful waterfalls in the South Pacific like Nauyaca).
This is where I saw the blue jean frog and the poison dart frogs near the water. The trail is paved for some of it and other parts has dirt.
Sendero el Perezoso (sloth trail)
This short trail runs parallel to the main one through the park (the other name for this trail is Sendero Paralelo).
This one takes you a bit deeper inside the forest, so you can see sloths hiding in the trees.
The trail is a platform that leads to the main fork of the national park where you go to Playa Manuel Antonio or the other trails, so if you decide to take this path, you’ll end up in the same place as the main trail.
We saw a 3 toed sloth on this trail so the trail lives up to its name! Keep your eyes out and look up often to see if you can spot one too 🙂
If you look down, you’ll see a lot of the red land crabs scuttling around and we also saw a snake here. Wildlife is seriously everywhere!
Punta Catedral (1.4 km)
Punta Catedral used to be an island but over time, it united with the continental landmass by way of sediment and sand build up.
This strip connects Playa Manuel Antonio and Playa Espadilla Sur and you can walk the Sendero Punta Catedral all the way around for beautiful views.
You start at Playa Manuel Antonio and you can go either direction since it’s a loop. You can also do the short Sendero La Trampa trail (.2 km) and see the beach there.
This hour long hike gives you views of different parts of the park and islands. When you get to Playa Espadilla Sur, you can see Playa Espadilla Norte and all the hotels on the hill on the other side. You can also walk all the way to the other end of Playa Espadilla Sur (trail 2) which is a dead end.
It’s not a hard walk at all and the views are incredible. If there’s any trail you should go hiking at Manuel Antonio National Park, it’s this one.
Sendero Playa Gemelas
This fairly short path leads to Playa Gemelas beach and connects to the other trails on the western side of the national park. Playa Gemelas is on the other side of Playa Manuel Antonio and is a bit smaller.
If Playa Manuel Antonio gets too crowded, come to Gemelas. It’s still the same white sand, sparkling turquoise water beach but more cozy and intimate due to its smaller size.
If you walk all the way past the rocks, you get a a gorgeous views of the coast, the west side of Punta Catedral and a bit of Playa Manuel Antonio.
Keep walking on this trail until you hit the mirador (view point) at the end to see Playa Puerto Escondido. The beach is gorgeous, I could never get tired of the quintessential “tropical jungle meets ocean” views!
Keep your eyes out at the beach, you may even run into some reptile friends who are basking in the sun!
Sendero Congo
This is a short path that connects the Sendero Playa Gemelas to the Sendero Mirador.
So on your way back from the Gemelas trail, you can take this path instead of going all the way back to the start to get to the Mirador trail.
It’s named after the howler monkey, so here you can see lots of howlers and white face monkeys hanging out.
This is where I ran into a monkey butt. A few white face monkeys were playing on a branch right above the trail and one of them was dangling in the middle of the path so I unknowingly ran right into his butt!
So when you’re walking this trail, keep your eyes open for those little guys!
Sendero Mirador (1.3 km)
This path, Sendero Mirador leads to the view of Punta Serrucho (saw tip).
Punta Serrucho is a piece of land with a rigged coastline that guts out. It’s the result of many movements of the earth as it’s right on a tectonic fault. So now it looks like a saw, hence the name.
There’s a couple of viewpoints along the way where you can catch glimpses of bright blue water peeking through the trees.
This path has a lot of steps so take your time if you need to go slow. The viewpoints have benches to sit, have some water and take a breather.
Also read the information boards they have at every stop. You’ll find out exactly what you’re looking at, learn about the various flora and fauna that’s around and the primary/secondary rain forest.
Manuel Antonio National Park is popular for a reason: the lush jungle, abundant wildlife and exquisite beaches all rolled together in one big bundle bursting with nature.
If you want to discover all the gems of this area, you must go hiking Manuel Antonio National Park. They’re not difficult and the views alone are make it all worth it!
Tips for Hiking Manuel Antonio National Park
- You don’t necessarily need hiking shoes. I’ve walked some of it in flip flops.
- You can wear or bring your swimsuit, there are changing rooms
- Bring a day back pack for snacks, a hat, sunscreen, bug repellent, sunglasses and towel
- Bring plenty of water and get an insulated water bottle to keep it nice and cold. I recommend bringing at least 1.5 liters for each person if you plan to spend all day hiking at the park. It is very hot!
- You can do all these hikes in one day but go as early as possible so you have time to relax.
- Park opens 7 AM – 4 PM Tuesday to Sunday.
- Park entrance fee is $16 for foreigners, $3 for locals
- Keep your camera handy
- Don’t stray off the path and don’t feed the animals
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Hello Char,
Thank you for reading our blog! You can’t do both activities in one day. The Nauyaca waterfalls will take you all day since it is about a 2 hour drive from Jaco and the hike is around 8 kilometers total. Manuel Antonio National Park is a full day activity as well and an hour drive from Jaco.
Regarding which one I recommend, it will depend on what you want to see. Nauyaca waterfalls is a hike through the rain forest to beautiful waterfalls and Manuel Antonio National Park is an easy hike with beautiful beaches and wildlife. If you want to experience more beach,go to the Manuel Antonio National Park (it’s close from Jaco) and spend the day hiking their trails and enjoying the beaches there. If you want to hike and visit a big waterfall, go to Nauyaca. The people who own Nauyaca waterfalls also offer a horseback riding tour to the waterfalls which is $75 per person and you should make reservations beforehand.
Hi Yeison and Samantha!
My boyfriend and I are staying in Jaco next week and have a free day to visit somewhere. We have rented an SUV but still debating on whether to drive down to Manuel Antonio NP or Nauyaca waterfalls. Do you think we can do both? If not, which would you recommed more?
Thanks in advance!
Hi Christine, I have written many posts that answer all your questions 🙂
Here are our favorite things to do in Arenal: Things to do in Arenal and La Fortuna (I included photos and videos of rafting and canyoning). Canyoning is rappelling down waterfalls, rafting is rafting on a river.
Things to do in Papagayo Gulf (Guanacaste):Things to do in Manuel Antonio
You won’t need a 4×4 but for your routes, the roads are in good condition for the routes getting to each of those destinations. You can read more renting a car in Costa Rica tips here: Costa Rica car rental tips
. We work with Adobe Rent a Car, a Costa Rican company to give our readers up to a 20% discount plus a ton of other benefits: 2 free extra drivers, free booster/baby seats, a free local cell phone and more. YOu can check it out and make a reservation here: Costa Rica car rental discount
The additional coverage is optional, and for your routes you won’t be going on very bumpy rough roads or off roading or anything so you may not necessarily need it. It is up to you though if you want that extra coverage (I always feel personally it’s a good idea when driving in a foreign country but everyone is different).
Hi Sammi, we are going to CR in July for 10 days. I have a 12 yo and a 15 yo. Planning 3 bites in MA, 3 in Arenal & 4 in Papagayo. Could you suggest a list of best activities for each area. Like which area should I do zip line, water rafting, what is the difference between rafting and canyoning?. also we will be driving. Do we need a 4×4 or SUV also the mandatory insurance do we have to pay that? Should we buy additional coverage for damage? Any trustworthy rental company you could recommend? Thank you
If we want to snorkel should we do it in the park or one of the beaches outside the park. Trying to figure out the best area. Thanks for the site!
Snorkeling in Manuel Antonio isn’t that good but you can try to snorkel at Playa Manuel Antonio if the tide isn’t high. I’ve seen people do it there before.
Hi Cora, if you get to the park say at 7 when it opens, you can hike the whole park in one day easily and you won’t be that rushed. If you get to the park later, I suggest doing the section that goes around the Playa Gemelas and Punto Serrucho and then you can relax at the main Espadilla beach, there are more views on that hike. You can definitely add a night guided tour like the one at Si Como NO (There are no night hikes at the national park), they usually start around 5 PM so I’d plan it so you have time to go back to your hotel, freshen up and change for the night tour. You can usually book the tours there but if you’re going in high season I’d book them beforehand as spots can fill up. There are some waterfalls near Jaco like this one: Jaco waterfall tours and we went on a tour to those. But if you want to go on your own, you absolutely have to have a 4×4 and it’s a bit tricky to find since it’s not on a map. I’d recommend hiking the Bijagual waterfall near Jaco instead, that one is easier to get to.
Thank you!!! I’ll see if I can get my family to wake up early to hike all those trails you mentioned (we’re 2 hours away from MA so it might be hard to get them out at 5am! :)) After driving around Costa Rica for 2 days, I think we’ll definitely go with Waterfall Tour you took – otherwise we’ll probably waste time looking for these hidden waterfalls 🙂 BTW, love your website so full of great information. And I concur with everybody’s comments, what a lovely romantic turn of events for you, plus I admire your courage to follow your dreams!!
You’re welcome Cora, I hope you have a great time! Thanks for reading the blog
Hi Sammi, just found your blog and it’s amazing full of information that I wish I had before we arrived in Costa Rica yesterday . We would love to follow your hiking trip. Can you do it all in one day? If not, which trails would you recommend for one day? Do you think it would be too much to add the night guided tour? Can we book that tour the morning we get to MA or should we reserve it in advance? BTW do you have a list of waterfalls in Jaco that we might be able to explore on our own? Thanks! CW
You don’t necessarily have to spend 1-2 nights in MA, some people visit for a day to the national park. Southern humpback whales begin passing by Uvita around that time so there’s a good chance to see them (nothing is guaranteed with nature) but August is a good time. You can read more about whales here: Humpback whales Costa Rica
Hola,
My family and I will be visiting end of July beginning of August. We’ve been all over CR but not to MA. We plan going to MA from SJO then spending our time nite Dominical/Uvita area. Do u think we should spend 1 or 2 nights in MA? Also will we be able to see whales in Uvita the end of July beginning of August? I see conflicting answers online. Thanks in advance.
Hi guys- what is the deal with accessing the parking lot? Once you park your car and enter the park, can you go back to the car to get towels or supplies or do you need to carry everything in with you?
Hi Cindy, I’d bring everything with you, you can show them your ticket stub but you’ll have to walk alllll the way back so bring all your stuff with you, it’s just more convenient.
Thank you for your wonderful collection of posts abut Manuel Antonio! We’d like to take a bus there from the Esterillos region, but are concerned about getting there too late, even with the first bus of the day, where we wouldn’t get to the park until probably around 9am (if there is no line up too, etc.). Do you have any suggestions for other options, like a private driver or taxi, and any ideas on how much that may cost? Thanks so much in advance.
Hi Even, honestly I am not sure how much it would cost to hire a private driver or taxi for the day. I’d assume it’s at least $100 since it’s about 55 kilometers and I know a private shuttle from San Jose to Jaco is $100 and that’s around 85 kilometers. Your hotel will probably be able to give you recommendations for a private driver. Another option is to rent a car which may be cheaper. You can get a small compact for about $40 a day and the road from Esterillos to Manuel Antonio is very straight forward, it’s just 55 kilometers on a well paved highway and you can leave as early as you want.
Thank you for your quick reply Sammi!
Hi Sammi and Yeison,
We are from Germany and currently planning a roundtrip in beautiful Costa Rica and your blog is helping us out a lot! We are planing to stay a night at San Jose then couple days near Arenal, a week at Manuel Antonio and 4-5 nights at Puerto Viejo on the Carribean side, we’ll be travelling with a rental sedan (will be using the link here), you think this is a good plan and feasible? Have one more question, is there a weekly or fortnightly national park pass? or do we have to pay the single entrance fee for everyday we visit the park, especially at Manuel Antonio?
Thank you very much for everything you guys did for this lovely website!
Steffi & Melih
Hi guys! That trip is doable but you will be driving a lot – I do recommend staying a night in San Jose from Manuel Antonio to break up the drive because it’s pretty long. A sedan should be fine for those destinations, there aren’t too many places that absolutely require a 4×4. There aren’t any weekly or multiple day passes, you’ll have to buy them every time you enter the park. Manuel Antonio is a pretty small park though and you can easily hike and enjoy it in a day. Same with Arenal, the hiking trails aren’t too long and most people just spend a few hours at Arenal National Park.
Hi Sammi
Does Manuel Antonio park close on Monday on year around or depend on the season?
Hi, All year around they use that day to recover the trails
There are a ton of guides outside the park, you don’t need to hire one beforehand or anything. I suggest reading this post for more info: Manuel Antonio National Park
Thanks for the guide to Manuel Antonio. We had read/heard that we should hire a guide for hiking in the park. What do you think?
If you really want to see wildlife, I’d hire one. Some people don’t care too much to see flora and fauna and don’t, so it’s up to you. One advantage of hiring a guide is that many of them carry telescopes and can take a picture of the animal for you on your cell phone through the telescope. If you are just there to hike and not interested in seeing wildlife (which you probably will anyways without a guide cause they’re everywhere!) you don’t need a guide to hike the park, it’s very simple and all the trails are laid out – impossible to get lost. But if you want to see wildlife, I definitely recommend it and they can tell you a lot of interesting facts about the park and nature 🙂
Thanks, this is helpful!
You’re welcome!
Do they have paid guides in the park or do you recommend getting one outside the park? Typically how much are the guides?
Hi guys- how many days would you recommend we budget to see Manuel Antonio and do some hiking and snorkeling?
Thanks!
Cindy & Russ
Hi guys 🙂
You can hike the whole park in one day, so I’d say 2-3 days to enjoy the beaches and the area
Thanks for introducing Manuel Antonio National Park to us. It seems to be an amazing place.
You’re welcome. It is amazing indeed!
It’s dry season right now so you won’t need to bring a rain jacket (read more about the weather here: Costa Rica weather).
It is very hot and you won’t need long pants or long shirts at all. Shorts and tank top/tshirt are perfectly fine, even if you plan to hike the trails. When we hiked the trails, I wore running shorts and running tank top with my KEEN hiking sandals which are probably the best shoes for Costa Rica and they are perfect for this kind of national park since the trails are nicely paved with platforms. They’re way better than sneakers because they’re open so your feet can breathe and it has more protection than flip flops. You can read my review here: KEEN hiking sandals women
You won’t be going off trail and into the forest (it is prohibited to walk off trails), so you don’t need to worry about branches in your face or ants in your shoes. You can wear flip flops too, I wore them the first time we went but we only walked to Playa Manuel Antonio which is about a 10 minute walk from the entrance. If you are planning on doing the hikes, I suggest wearing shoes like the KEEN sandals because you can also easily take them off if you want to go swimming and don’t have to worry about wet socks or anything.
As for restaurants, Quepos is a pretty local town so there’s no fancy clubs or restaurants, casual clothing is perfectly fine.
Enjoy 🙂
Thanks!
Hi! Thanks for the great information. We are planning a trip to Manuel Antonio in two weeks with another couple and their 2 year old son. The Park is already on our itinerary and we`re very much looking forward to it.
Just a quick question about how to dress in the Park. I understand that it is very humid and I`ve read mixed things about what to wear. Some say long pants, others say rain jackets. We were thinking just shorts and a tank top or t-shirt. Thoughts?
Also, we are renting a condo attached to a hotel. Most nights we will venture into town for dinner. Are the restaurants pretty casual or will be need to bring more dressy clothing?
Thanks for any feedback!
Ken
Thanks for the guide, we are heading there this weekend and can’t wait!
You’re welcome! Have fun!
We were there in 2008 with our son and all three of us thoroughly enjoyed the trails you mentioned. We were fortunate enough to see all three species of monkeys on the waterfall trail. Great birding along the way as well. Thanks for sharing. Tim & Anne
Hi guys, glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Thanks for this guide, Yeison and Samantha. Love the details! We took a special trip to Manuel Antonio Park Feb 2015, but when we got there, it was closed for the day due to some bathroom problem? Anyway, that was what we were told. We did have a very nice day on the playa anyway and some excellent fish tacos across the road. After spending quite a bit of time on both coasts (Puerto Viejo, Ojochal, Zancudo), we’ve probably seen most of Costa Rica’s creatures. Your photos reawakened our interest though. Next time!
H Neil! That is really odd and unfortunate! At least you enjoyed the beach, hopefully next time you’ll get to go in the park!