Manuel Antonio National Park is one of the best national parks in Costa Rica for hiking, wildlife and beaches. Although small in size, this park offers some of the most stunning tropical rainforest and beach landscapes in the country.
If you plan to visit Costa Rica’s arguably most popular national park, here is our guide to Manuel Antonio National Park.
Please make sure to read this guide carefully as there are some very important details to know.
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How to Get to Manuel Antonio National Park
Manuel Antonio National Park is in Manuel Antonio in the Central Pacific in the Puntarenas province, 170 kilometers (105 miles) from San Jose.
It is about a 3.5 hour drive from San Jose International Airport (airport code SJO).
From Guanacaste Airport, Manuel Antonio National Park is 268 km (166 miles), about a 5 hour drive.
Public Bus
There is a public bus from the Quepos bus station that goes to the national park. This bus stops many times along the way.
The cost is ~385 CRC one way per person and leaves every half an hour or so starting at 530 AM until 930 PM.
How to Get From the Beach Bus Stop to the National Park
*IMPORTANT* Ride this bus all the way to the last stop but this stop is not right in front of the national park entrance.
The last stop will drop you off at the roundabout near the beach (Playa Espadilla Norte).
From there, you need to walk to the park entrance on a small road called “Beach Trail” to get to the park entrance (you can find “Beach Trail” on Google Maps.)
The path is right by the big parking lot across from the bus stop. You’ll walk on this dirt path to a small bridge over a little river with a large sign showing you where to go.
It’s about a 10 minute walk from the roundabout to the entrance.
Are you coming from Jaco by bus? If so, take the bus from the Jaco bus station to Quepos, get off and switch buses to the one from Quepos to the national park. Read our guide to taking the bus from Jaco to Manuel Antonio.
Hours & Entrance Fee
Manuel Antonio National Park operation hours are Wednesday – Monday 7 AM – 4 PM, closed Tuesdays. The beaches close at 3 PM and everyone needs to be out of the park by 4 PM.
Around 3 PM, park rangers will close the beaches and start going around telling people they have 1 hour left. Everyone must start leaving by 330 PM.
The park is open on holidays like Christmas and New Years as long as they don’t fall on a Tuesday.
The Manuel Antonio National Park entrance fee is $16 USD + tax for adult foreigners, $5 USD + tax for kids 2-12 years old, free for kids under 2.
You cannot bring in alcohol, guns, cigarettes, drugs, drones or speakers.
Online Reservations (IMPORTANT)
You must purchase Manuel Antonio National Park tickets here. This is the only way to get park tickets, they do not sell them at the entrance. If you show up at the park without tickets, they won’t let you in.
They currently are selling ~3000 park tickets a day so if you are visiting during Christmas and New Years time, January, February, March and April, purchase park tickets well in advance.
The website has an option in English and they have a tutorial to show you how to purchase tickets.
Sometimes during very low tourism season months when the park hasn’t hit capacity, you may be able to purchase park tickets at the door. This is usually in October, the lowest tourism season month and rainiest month in Manuel Antonio.
National Park Tickets
Manuel Antonio National Park tickets are a one time entrance and cannot be used for multiple days.
They don’t offer a package option to purchase one pass for several days, you will need to buy them every time you want to go to the park.
After you purchase your park tickets, they will email you the confirmation with a bar code. Keep this email as you need to show it to the park ranger to enter.
It is not necessary to print it, you can show it to them on your phone.
When you enter the park, you must have the barcode or the reservation number and your passport. You can bring your original passport or bring a photocopy or photo of the passport ID page.
Manuel Antonio National Park Parking – Important!
Unfortunately, Manuel Antonio National Park does not have its own official parking lot.
However, there are parking lots just 150 meters from the national park entrance, owned by locals.
Although they are not official government manned parking lots, they are close to the national park and usually have one guy sitting there during the day until about 3 PM-4 PM.
There is one main parking lot we recommend for Manuel Antonio National Park. It is asphalted over, has signs and dedicated handicap spaces.
On Google Maps, it is called “Manuel Antonio National Park – Official Parking.”
The parking guys will come out into the road and wave you to go inside. Once you turn in, they’ll tell you or point to you where to park. This parking lot costs ~5000 CRC for the day (around 7 AM to 4 PM). Pay in local currency.
They may offer you a guided tour but you do NOT have to say yes. You don’t have to book a tour with them in order to park there.
Even if they’re pushy, just say no and leave.
Our tip: Do not leave any valuables in your car even though it’s a parking lot. If you have luggage, put it in the trunk or under your trunk cover. Don’t leave anything sitting out, visible in the car. Lock your doors and roll up your windows.
Note: There is a chance that they may charge a bit more during peak seasons like Christmas, New Years and Easter Week.
There is another parking lot across the street by Restaurante Buru Garden By The Park. This place has a small parking lot for clients of the restaurant.
They told me that clients can park in their lot while having a meal at the restaurant and can leave their car there for free while they are in the national park. It is called Parking Chalo but is not that big and has only a few spots.
MUST READ IF YOU ARE DRIVING TO THE PARK!
When you are driving down to the national park, at the bottom of the last hill after you pass Hotel Verde Mar and Hotel Coco Beach, you will see guys waving at you from a parking lot to your right hand side on a curve and you will see a beach back there.
This is NOT near the national park!
You are still about half a mile away and these guys will offer you to park in their “national park” parking lot and try to offer their “guiding services.”
Or tell you something like you can’t go in the national park unless you park there. Or you can’t go in the national park unless you hire them.
Do NOT park here!
These guys are not telling the truth and trying to rip off tourists. They even come into the middle of the road, physically touching your car and standing in front of you while you are driving, yelling at you to park in their lot. Ignore them, keep driving, do not park there if you are going to the national park.
4×4 necessary? Road Conditions?
The road to Manuel Antonio National Park is completely paved. A 4×4 or high car is not necessary, you can perfectly get there in a sedan.
Just be aware that the road is very narrow and curvy once you pass Quepos so drive slowly.
Facilities
The park offers locker rentals at the entrance. It costs ~$6 USD a day (7 AM to 4 PM).
There are bathrooms at the entrance of the national park and inside the the national park at 3 different points. You can find one facility with bathrooms, showers and changing rooms inside the national park.
Inside the park, there is a cafeteria selling coffee, bottled water, orange juice, kombucha, smoothies, pastries, salads, ice cream, pizza and sandwiches.
Food is technically not allowed in the park.
Previously, visitors were able to bring food like chopped fruit and sandwiches in completely resealable bags (like Stasher). However, this is completely up to the park rangers.
Please note that single use plastics are not allowed inside the national park.
Our tip: If you are very hungry after your park visit, there are supermarkets and restaurants right outside the park. There will be locals selling cold coconut water too.
We recommend Restaurante El Chantel del Parque, which is on the left hand side outside the park behind the Gelateria (ice cream shop). They have very reasonable prices and good local food.
Guide or Self Guided?
You can visit Manuel Antonio National Park with a guide or without a guide.
Whether you hire a guide is completely up to you and depends on the kind of experience you want at the park. Here are our thoughts.
Guide Vs Tour
You can hire just a naturalist guide or you can book a full tour.
The difference is that with a tour, the company will provide round trip transportation, include the entrance tickets, and give you bottled water and fruit. They will take care of you from the minute they pick you up to the minute they drop you off.
Hiring a naturalist guide is just that – only a guide.
You get to the park on your own, hire a guide who will take you around the national park for ~1.5 hours and that’s it. You will need to pre-purchase your own park ticket online.
When you should hire a guide
You really want to see wildlife and learn more about the flora and fauna. Your naturalist guide will be able to find animals that are hiding or camouflaged.
Additionally, many guides have telescopes so you can see the animals up close and get photos through the telescope.
The guide will share with you interesting facts and information about the wildlife and Manuel Antonio. A lot of tourists want to see sloths so if if that’s you, then hire a guide.
I highly recommend guides for families with curious children and anyone who wants to see wildlife.
Manuel Antonio National Park is one of the best places in Costa Rica to see sloths but you will have better chances to see one with a guide with trained eyes.
Read more about things to do in Manuel Antonio with kids if you’re visiting with the family.
When you should book a tour
You don’t want to worry about driving, parking or buying park tickets.
The tour company will take care of it all for you. I highly recommend this option for young families, big groups or those with only 1 day at the park and want to make the most out of their time in Manuel Antonio.
We have done a Manuel Antonio National Park tour and had a great experience. Our guide was incredibly enthusiastic and engaging, making our walk with him highly enjoyable. He also found a couple very fascinating birds of prey for us!
We offer a small discount for our readers for Manuel Antonio National Park guided tours. Click here to book the tour and get our discount!
Tours are usually 2 hours long for the guided walk and they give you the option of going back to your hotel or you can stay at the park to explore more of it on your own.
They’ll tell you where to grab a taxi or take the bus to get back to your hotel.
Who should go on their own and not hire a guide or book a tour
Anyone on a budget or just wants to enjoy the park at their own pace and doesn’t have their heart set on finding animals.
We have visited Manuel Antonio National Park 5 times on our own and had a great time each time.
During our self guided visits, we saw monkeys and sloths on our own and went at our own pace which was really nice.
How to hire a guide
If you want a guide or tour, I recommend pre-booking with a tour company, especially during high season. This guarantees you will have an ICT (Costa Rican tourism board) certified guide and national park tickets.
We work with a tour operator in Manuel Antonio that offers tours, park tickets and a certified bilingual guide. Book your Manuel Antonio tour here with our discount!
If you buy tickets on your own, have your own transportation but want a guide, there are guides for hire at the national park entrance everywhere.
Make sure to ask for their guide certification called carnet in Spanish. This should be a badge with their picture, the ICT certification and an ID number.
As for how much they charge, they offered me and my 2 friends $25 USD per person for a 2 hour guided walk in September. Rates may fluctuate depending on the time of year and size of group.
This is just for guiding service, does not include park ticket or anything else.
Manuel Antonio National Park Trails
Here is an overview of the Manuel Antonio National Park trails.
Can you hike the whole park in one day?
It is possible to hike all the trails in Manuel Antonio National Park in one day. You need to be in relatively decent shape and really like hiking. It isn’t an extraordinary difficult hike, but there is incline, decline and steps.
Additionally, it is very hot and humid in Manuel Antonio so you need to have plenty of water. Best to be in proper shape to hike in high humidity and heat. It can take around 5 hours to hike the entire park.
Most people do not hike the entire park.
Many tourists just walk the main trail to Playa Espadilla Sur or Playa Manuel Antonio or walk the trails on the other side of the park, to either Punta Catedral or to Sendero Mirador.
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.
The waterfall trail itself is 600 meters one way so 1.2 km (.7 miles) total there and back. It does have a bit of steps and incline.
This waterfall is not very big, it’s actually quite small so you won’t miss much if you don’t see it. We did see some animals on this trail like frogs, monkeys and sloths.
This trail is mostly concrete, crossing a bridge and some platforms and is very well maintained.
Main Trail
The main trail through the park that is unpaved is technically also the vehicle access but a lot of people walk on it. Most of the guided tour groups stay on this trail.
If you stay on the vehicle access (unpaved trail), you will come to the main fork of the national park where the cafeteria is.
Universal Trail (Sendero Perezoso)
Manuel Antonio National Park does have a universal access trail that runs parallel to that trail, called Sendero Perezoso Trail. It’s a very nice flat trail built on platforms with signage every 50 meters or so.
This one goes a bit deeper into the rainforest and also connects to a platform leading to Playa Espadilla Sur Beach, next to some mangroves.
I love this trail since it’s easy to walk and is more surrounded by forest. They’ve done a great job with this universal trail with excellent signage in Braille and benches.
Only a few parks in Costa Rica are handicap friendly (Cahuita and Carara) to this extent.
These signs also have super useful information about the surrounding flora and fauna so you can read more about what you’re walking through.
This trail connects to Playa Espadilla Sur, going through the mangroves which is incredibly nice.
Cafeteria
At the cafeteria, you can get something to eat or drink, rest or use the bathrooms.
From there, if you go down to the right hand side with the cafeteria behind you, you will go to Playa Manuel Antonio and the Punta Catedral trail.
If you go left, you will head to Sendero Mirador and Sendero Puerto Escondido Trail.
Punta Catedral (1.4 km/.86 miles)
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. 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 Manuel Antonio Trail and Sendero Espadilla Sur Trail
These two trails connect the main trail to the entrance via Playa Manuel Antonio beach. Most tour groups will do this loop as it connects back to the Sendero Perezoso Trail to the park entrance.
Playa Espadilla Sur is a gorgeous beach as well and I usually find it less crowded than Playa Manuel Antonio. There is also another bathroom station here.
This trail is short and flat, passing through mangroves when you start walking on the platform. There is also an observation tower that you can climb up for nice views.
Sendero Playa Gemelas
If you want to go to the Sendero Miradores Trail, we recommend to go first to Playa Gemelas, then Sendero Puerto Escondido Trail, Sendero Los Congos Trail and then Sendero Mirador Trail.
First, the Sendero Playa Gemelas Trail 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.
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. Here you can see lots of howlers and white face monkeys hanging out. So when you’re walking this trail, keep your eyes open for those little guys!
Sendero Mirador (1.3 km/.8 mile)
This path, Sendero Mirador leads to the view of Punta Serrucho. 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.
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.
What to Wear/Bring to Manuel Antonio National Park
- If you’re visiting in rainy season (May to December), have a waterproof backpack and a light rain jacket shell.
- As it’s tropical rainforest, it may still rain throughout December and it can rain hard.
- Find out what to pack for rainy season here.
- You can walk the short trails to the beach in flip flops but hiking sandals are the best if you want to hike the longer trails or go swimming.
- What to bring and wear: No need for full on hiking gear. I always wear a hat, running shorts and a dry fit tank top.
- Make sure to use mosquito repellent and sunscreen.
- If you plan to go to the beach, bring a light microfiber beach towel and wear your swimsuit or bring it to change into.
- An insulated water bottle here is a MUST.
Don’t forget that we offer discounts for tours in Manuel Antonio, including guided walks of the national parks (click the link to get more information and request to book).
Read about other national parks below!
Rio Celeste (Tenorio Volcano National Park)
Rincon de la Vieja National Park
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Allison Sumner says
What a wealth of information!! But I do have a few questions and didn’t find the answer yet – How long is the walk from the Playa Manuel Antonio back to the parking? Is the beach there accessible if you don’t pay the entry fee? Is there a bathroom at the beach? We heard there might be a boat shuttle from the beach back to the parking area. Is that true?
Sammi says
It depends on where you parked because there are several places you can park outside the park. From Playa Manuel Antonio to the entrance of the national park is around I would say maybe a little less than kilometer, it’s not too far.
There are bathrooms on the way to Playa Manuel Antonio in the park and it also has showers. I’m pretty sure there isn’t a boat from the beach to parking lot…it’s not very far and since it’s in the national park boats aren’t allowed without permissions.
You can go to the beach outside the national park, Playa Espadilla Norte which is the public beach with no entrance fee. But if you want to go to the beaches inside the national park you have to pay the entrance fee to go in the park.
John says
Our suggestion would be not to go to Manuel Antonio. We’ve all seen the warnings about the unofficial guides by the entrance of the park. Well we got stopped in the street by a person in some sort of uniform standing next to a police officer. Asked if we were here for the park. He then said the parking for the park was right there. Then another person in uniform with an ID came to our car with a receipt book asking if we wanted a private or group guided tour. We thought we were at the entrance actually I think it was the public parking for the beach.
We got scammed. The “guide” just walked us up the access road and dumped us at the beach to find our way back.
It wasn’t until we had to walk back that we saw the ticket office and the official guides office right next door.
Aside from being taken by a thief is that you knew everyone local there knew what was going on. The signage was minimal so it was easy to be convinced we had arrived.
The advice I wish I had was don’t stop until you drive all the way to the top at the “last parking” sign. The road looks more like a driveway. It is next to the ticket office.
Sadly I will tell this story more than all the nice people we meet, but that’s how it goes.
Sammi says
Sorry to hear about your experience! Unfortunately Manuel Antonio NP does have a few locals trying to scam tourists and it can be difficult to know who is or isn’t legit so we always recommend booking through your hotel ore a reputable tour company beforehand if you want a guided tour or going to the official guides by the ticket office. It’s a very nice park though so I hope you got to enjoy it despite the bad experience. Most of the locals aren’t like that!
Wendy says
Thank you so much for your in depth post! We used this and decided to do more of the hiking paths because of it. The views from the less crowded paths were amazing and worth the steeper climbs!
Sammi says
Hi Wendy! I’m so glad the guide helped and you guys enjoyed a nice day hiking the park. I always recommend it because there are way less people and the views are soo nice! Definitely worth it.
Amy Sa says
What trails are best for seniors? We have 3 people in their 60s who will be traveling with us.
Sammi says
Hi Amy, I would do the waterfall trail (super short flat trail from the main trail) and the Punta Catedral. The up to Gemelas and Punta Serrucho has many steps.
Sammi says
Hi Kevin, at 330 PM they will start asking everybody to leave so you can’t stay at the park past 4 PM.
kevin b says
What a Great post with lots of
Helpful information! Regarding closing time- I see the park “closes” at 4pm, but can you stay later than that once you are in- or must everyone clear out at 4? We were hoping to do a short stop on our way by as part of a longer travel day- but probably won’t arrive in the area until close to 3pm… any thoughts?
Sammi says
There aren’t any steps from the main entrance to Playa Manuel Antonio, it just gets a tiny bit steep from the bathrooms but from the bathrooms to the beach is the paved sidewalk on the left hand side. You can see what the trail looks like in the video in this post. Most of the trail is like a hard dirt path with just some loose rocks so it’s definitely not loose gravel all the way or completely. And from the main path to the sloth entrance, it is not super long (maybe a few hundred meters) and then you can go onto the sloth trail which is a very nice flat wooden platform.
Kirstin Hill says
Hi Jepson and Sammi,
Wondering if you can provide some insight in to the accessibility for wheelchairs on any of the paths/trails and getting to the beaches?
Thank you. KIRSTIN
Sammi says
Hi Kirstin, at Manuel Antonio National Park there isn’t a universal trail unfortunately. Most of it in on a dirt/gravel path or going up and down steps, only the sloth trail is on a flat platform. Then going down to Playa Manuel Antonio, there is a sidewalk on the left hand side, it is a bit steep but there is a paved section. But from the beginning of the park to the sloth trail, it is all on a gravel path.
Kirstin Hill says
Thank you. (And sorry for the auto correct on Yeison)
Are there any steps to get from the main entrance to Playa Manuel Amtonio?
Is the path from the main gate a very loose gravel or more compact?
yeison says
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.
Char says
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!