The small coastal village of Manuel Antonio is one of the top destinations in Costa Rica thanks to its plethora of luxury hotels, abundance of wildlife and beautiful tropical nature.
For these reasons, Manuel Antonio holds many of the bests in Costa Rica: one of the best places to visit in Costa Rica, best beaches in Costa Rica, one of the best destinations for families and best beach towns in Costa Rica.
If you’re planning on visiting, read our guide to Manuel Antonio help plan your trip.
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Manuel Antonio Beaches
In the Central and South Pacific of Costa Rica, this area is the best for white sand beaches and bright blue waters.
The main beaches in Manuel Antonio are Manuel Antonio, Biesanz, Espadilla Sur and Espadilla Norte.
To get to the beaches inside the national park, you have to pay the national park fee. Biesanz, Espadilla Norte and Playitas are free as they are outside the national park.
Playa Espadilla Norte is where all the action is. You can go parasailing, jet skiing, surfing and swimming there.
If you would like to rent beach chairs and umbrellas in Manuel Antonio, you can find them on Playa Espadilla Norte. Or book the beach day experience that includes round trip transportation from hotels, chairs, umbrella and beach concierge service.
This beach is the most popular beach outside the national park for tourists since it is easily accessible and very beautiful.
Things to Do in Manuel Antonio
Here are some of our most recommended Manuel Antonio activities.
Don’t forget to get our Manuel Antonio/Quepos tours discount if you’re interested in hiking, rafting, ziplining, food and kayaking through mangroves.
For those traveling with families, here is our things to do in Manuel Antonio with kids post. Tours are broken down by age so you can see what your kids can/cannot do.
Manuel Antonio National Park
You can’t miss the the national park! Hike, see wildlife, swim, lay at the beach and enjoy the gorgeous views at the most visited national park in Costa Rica.
We highly recommend walking some of the park trails to explore the rain forest.
The entrance fee is $16 USD + tax per adult and you have to purchase tickets in advance online to enter the park.
Check out our guide to Manuel Antonio National Park for more information.
If you’re interested in a tour to the park that includes roundtrip transportation, bilingual guide, national park ticket and refreshments included, click here to book this tour with our discount!
White Water Rafting
There are a couple of excellent rivers for rafting in the area. Raft through Class 2, 3 and 4 rapids surrounded by pristine rainforest!
The Savegre and Naranjo rivers are the best for white water rafting in Manuel Antonio.
Sailing Cruise
Go for a morning or sunset sail out of Quepos marina for snorkeling, beautiful ocean views and to see wildlife. Lots of fun for the whole family!
Unfortunately snorkeling in Manuel Antonio is not the best and it really depends upon conditions. The best beach to try snorkeling is Playa Biesanz, but it is not consistent or always calm, especially during the rainy season.
Fishing
Quepos is a world class destination for in and off shore fishing. World fishing competitions are held in Quepos every year, so don’t miss your chance for an epic fishing day!
You can read our post things to do in Manuel Antonio for more ideas.
Animals in Manuel Antonio
If you want to get up close with wildlife in Costa Rica, Manuel Antonio is one of the best places in Costa Rica to see monkeys and sloths.
Some of the most common animals in Manuel Antonio are 2 and 3 fingered sloths, white face, howler and squirrel monkeys, iguanas and raccoons.
A lot of hotels have wildlife on their property so you can see animals right from your balcony or the pool.
Manuel Antonio Hotel Recommendations
There are no shortages of hostels, resorts, apartments and hotels in Manuel Antonio. If you’re here for a romantic getaway or luxury vacation, you have many 5 star ocean view resorts to choose from.
Likewise, there are plenty of budget and mid range options and hostels.
Luxury Hotels
- Hotel La Mariposa: an upscale hotel with a great view of the national park and big pool.
- Si Como No: beautiful ocean view resort with its own wildlife refuge, spa, 2 restaurants, pools, and a separate family and adult only section.
- Makanda by the Sea: adult only hotel with direct beach access, spa and pools.
- Parador: luxury modern hotel with ocean views, nature trails, fitness room, spa, restaurants and pools
- Gaia: adult only resort with their own private reserve, spa, pools and very spacious rooms. Lots of wildlife. Gay friendly.
- Hotel Costa Verde: ocean view rooms and a suite made from a refurbished 1965 Boeing 727. Has 4 restaurants.
- Tulemar: a luxury vacation rental that has its own private beach access and offers an exclusive sloth walk to guests. You can rent 2-5 bedroom houses or 1 bedroom bungalows. Great for large groups, families or couples. Tons of wildlife.
Mid Range
- Hotel San Bada for the closest location to the national park. They’re literally right in front of the entrance and they have a nice pool and restaurants.
- Jungle Beach Hotel: a comfortable “rustic” hotel very close to the beach.
- Plaza Yara: a boutique hotel and art gallery with apartments and suites.
- Tico Tico villas: Adult only fully furnished apartments, available for short and long term rent.
Budget/Hostels
- Plinio: Hostel with dorms and shared bathrooms. Off the road so can get loud. Has a pool, no ac in dorms. Also has standard hotel rooms with private bathrooms.
- Hotel La Colina: Good budget/mid-range option for rooms on the bottom floor, but rooms on top floor have ocean view and better furnishings. Has a pool, restaurant and parking lot. Tons of steps
Vacation Rentals
Lots of rentals available on Airbnb and VRBO. A good option if you’re visiting with a big group and want to have the comforts of a home.
We stayed in a house in Quepos with my parents (2 bedroom, 2 bathroom) that I found on Airbnb for a good price. Quepos is normally cheaper than Manuel Antonio.
If you stay in Quepos, it can get noisy and you’re further from the national park.
Location
Manuel Antonio is 170 kilometers (105 miles) southeast from San Jose on the Central Pacific coast of Costa Rica in the Puntarenas province.
The closest town is called Quepos and the area from Quepos to the national park is known as Manuel Antonio.
How to get to Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica
Click the link for more details on getting to Manuel Antonio from San Jose, Guanacaste and other destinations. Below is a brief summary.
Driving
Manuel Antonio is approximately a 3 hour drive from San Jose International Airport. This entire route is on a well paved highway.
Want to rent a car in Costa Rica? Get our Costa Rica car rental discount to save some $$ and receive our personal customer service!
Safety tip: The road from Quepos to Manuel Antonio National Park is super narrow and curvy. Make sure to drive carefully! Additionally, street parking is quite tight. You may need to have a passenger help you since cars drive fast.
Whenever you park, make sure not to leave any valuables visible and to roll up windows and lock doors as majority of parking is street parking.
Flying
Quepos has its own local airport. It’s about a 10 minute flight from San Jose and costs around $75-$150 USD one way with Sansa Air. The local airport is 5 minutes outside of Quepos.
A lot of people don’t want to drive through San Jose all the way to Manuel Antonio.
What they do is take a local flight to Quepos, rent a car in Quepos during their time there, return the car and then fly back to San Jose.
Public Bus
There is a daily direct bus from San Jose to Quepos with Terminal Transportes Tracopa at 530 AM and 12 PM. This takes about 4 hours and costs around 4500 colones (~$8 USD).
From the Quepos bus station, there are buses go the national park entrance every half an hour or so starting at 530 AM and ending at 930 PM. Costs ~380 CRC.
It makes stops along the way to the park, so it’s a great option for those staying in Manuel Antonio to get to the park or to Quepos.
From Jaco, there is a direct bus to Quepos and then you’ll switch buses to get to the park. You can find more information in this guide to taking the bus from Jaco to Manuel Antonio.
Shuttle Van
You can take private or shared shuttles. A private shuttle from San Jose to Manuel Antonio is around $220 USD for 1-5 passengers and from Guanacaste Airport is around $550 for 1-6 people.
Contact us if you’d like a private shuttle quote.
A shared shuttle from San Jose is around $75 USD per passenger. Get 10% off your shared shuttle with Interbus in the link.
How to Get Around
If you do not plan to rent a car, you can easily get around via the public bus that runs between Quepos and the national park. You can also walk.
However, the hill is very steep and doesn’t really have sidewalks or street lights. In the rainy season, you may need to rely more on taxis and Ubers to avoid getting drenched.
We recommend choosing a hotel that is within walking distances to restaurants, supermarkets, and other places if you do not plan to rent a car.
Things You Need to Know About Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica
- Manuel Antonio is one of the most popular destinations for gay travelers in Costa Rica.
- It is expensive.
- There are many local hawkers near the national park.
- You will also find lots of “parking guards” who will stop your car and try to steer you into their parking lot. Do not stop, keep driving all the way to the park entrance for the closest parking.
- For the national park, the best places to park are marked on Google Maps as “Parqueo Privado Manuel Antonio” or “Parking Manuel Antonio (Prive) – 5000 CRC).
Our tip: Eat at local places or bakeries, avoid the touristic restaurants.
Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica Weather
Manuel Antonio weather is hot and humid with year round average day time temperatures in the mid to high 80°s F (29°-30° C). Average nighttime temperatures are around mid 70°s (23° C).
This area experiences typical tropical weather, though it may have a tad bit longer rainy season being the tropical rainforest.
The tropical dry season is from roughly beginning of December – end of April and rainy season from beginning of May to end of November.
February and March are generally the driest months in Manuel Antonio. September, October and November are the rainiest months.
In rainy season, daytime and nighttime temperatures stay about the same as the dry season. Mornings are usually sunny and clear and it can start raining on and off in the afternoons and nights.
Read more about Costa Rica weather here.
Best Time to Visit Manuel Antonio
Manuel Antonio is beautiful any time of year. There are a few things to keep in mind though.
The busiest time is mid December – end of April after Easter week.
This is high season and this area gets incredibly busy. You will have the best weather but the most people and more expensive prices. July is also a busy month.
September, October and November are the least crowded times in Manuel Antonio.
May is not that busy either, as it is the start of rainy season and before the summer vacation travel.
However, those are rainy season months, with October being the rainiest month in Manuel Antonio.
Tips for Visiting Manuel Antonio During the Rainy Season
- If you visit during the rainy season, many tours do not run in the afternoon such as night walks and sunset catamaran cruises.
- Book your activities in the morning as it tends to rain more in the afternoons, evenings and nights. Mornings normally are still dry.
- Never leave your hotel without your rain jacket!
- It’s extremely humid. Stay hydrated and wear light clothing that dries fast.
Prepare for the rainy season in Costa Rica and find out what to pack for rainy season in our guides.
Where to Eat in Manuel Antonio
- Cafe Agua Azul: Nice ocean view, yummy smoothies, good sandwiches and burgers. Great place for happy hour and ocean view. $$
- Cafe Milagro: Best place for coffee and cake. Also has good dinner and a really nice patio with live music. They have their own coffee. $$-$$$ For just coffee, they have a small coffee shop in Quepos (Cafe Milagro Coffee Roasters, no food).
- Emilio’s Cafe: Nice place with a beautiful view for a fancy dinner. $$$
- Restaurant El Arado. Good place for typical Costa Rican. $$
- En TODAS: Beachside “food struck” from a school bus, serves burgers on Playa Espadilla $$
- Rafaeles Las Terrazas (Raphael’s Terrazas): Beautiful view, great place for sunset happy hour, has great sushi.
- Manuel Antonio Falafel Bar. Healthy, delicious wraps and falafel. $-$$
- Colina Steak House: Go for the pizza, not steak. Their pizza is one of the best in the area
- Barba Roja. Nice ocean view restaurant with burgers, wraps. $$
- Z Poolside Bistro. Steakhouse, seafood, open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. $$
- Sancho’s. Mexican place with good tacos and fun vibe. $$
- El Chante Soda (Costa Rican restaurant). Cheap traditional Costa Rican restaurant right by the national park office behind the Coopealianza office.
- Musmanni: Cheap bakery with pastries, sandwiches, etc.
- Soda Angel: A cheap Costa Rican restaurant.
We also recommend to go down to Quepos or Marina Pez Vela to check it out. We like Soda Sanchez, Tiquicia Delicias, and Mira Olas in Quepos.
In Marina Pez Vela, Doublehook has a fun bar atmosphere and nice view of the sunset and marina.
Shopping
There are a bunch of souvenir stores near the entrance of the park where you can find typical Costa Rican souvenirs like shirts, dresses, clothes, and little trinkets.
For more variety, there are some nice stores like Jungle AV Artesanal, Cafe Milagro gift shop, Yara art gallery, Besos Locos, BamBamBoo, Modern Primitive living, Altair and Mariposa gift shop and gallery.
Home Base or Stay for a Few Days?
You can definitely use Manuel Antonio as your home base.
There are plenty of things to do and see in the area. All services are available such as hospitals, clinics, supermarkets, laundromats, pharmacies, banks and gas stations.
We highly recommend renting a car if you’re staying for more than a couple nights to get around and explore. That way you can visit other great places like Dominical, Uvita, Jaco and Ojochal.
Most people stay an average of 3 nights in Manuel Antonio if they are not using it as a home base.
Itineraries
Here are some sample itineraries we’ve made that include this destination.
- One week Costa Rica itinerary: San Jose, Jaco, Manuel Antonio, Uvita
- 10 day itinerary: San Jose, Puerto Viejo and Manuel Antonio
- 10 days chasing waterfalls: Liberia, Rincon de la Vieja, Bijagua, Bajos del Toro, Manuel Antonio, San Jose
- 1 month road trip: San Jose, Puerto Viejo, La Fortuna, Monteverde, Playa Hermosa, Samara, Manuel Antonio, Uvita, Drake Bay
Costa Rica Vacation Checklist
- First time to Costa Rica? Read our First Time in Costa Rica guide.
- Not sure how to move around Costa Rica? Read our How to Get Around Costa Rica guide to find the best transportation method for you.
- Click the link to get our detailed Costa Rica Packing List so you know what essential items to bring.
- Do not forget to purchase Travel Insurance for your trip to Costa Rica.
- Stay connected by purchasing a prepaid SIM Card in Costa Rica.
- Save money with Mytanfeet Deals for tours and hotels. Save more money with our Costa Rica Car Rental Discount.
Esther says
Love your post! So helpful!
I am having a hard time choosing which activities to do as far as getting a tour guide. We want to zip line in monte verde, do the hanging bridges at la fortuna, go to a few hikes and waterfalls, a horse ride, and Manuel Antonio National Park. But seeing all the prices for tour guides is breaking my bank account!! Just to go on a bike ride to the volcano is $80! Kayaking is about $120, horse ride is about $100,…. Ouch! My husband suggests to just get a tour guide there on the spot because maybe we could get someone with reasonable prices? What do you suggest?
Sammi says
If you have your own transportation, you can drive yourself to the places and then purchase tickets (like to the hanging bridges or zipline) there at the park. But if you don’t have your own transportation then you should book a tour.
For Manuel Antonio National Park, you can arrive at the park directly on your own and hire one of the guides at the front offering their services and it’s easy to get to that park without a car (there’s a bus every 30 minutes or you can Uber/walk).
Rhiannon says
Hi there! This guide is so helpful – thank you! My boyfriend and I will be visiting costa rica for the first time either start of Dec or end of Jan. Planning to stay in Manuel Antonio. The only thing is I prefer not to drive when I am on holidays, is it easy enough to get around without hiring a car? Are things walkable? Any help appreciated! Thanks!
Sammi says
Yes, there is a public bus that goes up and down the hill from quepos to the national park about every 30 minutes during daylight hours but Manuel Antonio is very hilly so do be prepared to walk some steep hills and things are a bit spread out. Also Dec is the transition month to dry season so it may still rain in Manuel Antonio, particularly late afternoons, evenings and nights. There are taxis in Manuel Antonio and some Ubers.
Kendall says
Your blog and follow up with me have been so helpful in planning our trip! We are in CR now and are so happy with our itinerary. We are staying in Dominical and flying out of Quepos next week. We will have time for a trip on our last morning to visit Manuel Antonio. Trouble is, we will have checked out of our house and will have all of our luggage. Is there any option in Quepos to store our belongings for a few hours?
Sammi says
I would ask your hotel to see, some hotels don’t have problems storing luggage for clients
Mary says
Hello!
First off, I’m loving your blog and find it incredibly helpful in our vacation planning. Yay! Thank you.
Secondly, we are a family of 6 that would like to enjoy Manuel Antonio National Park (1 day) and a quiet beach (1 day), but aren’t exactly excited about the crowded touristy area. Is there another place you might recommend to stay in the area so we won’t be bombarded with the crowds? We are going in June.
Thank you!
Sammi says
Quepos, which is the main local town near Manuel Antonio has some nice vacation rentals that are in the quieter part of this area but it’s still close to the national park.
Tara says
Hi Sammi,
Such great info on your site! We are traveling to CR in July and manual antonio will be one of our stops for 5 days. We found an airbnb which is right on the main road, above a restaurant and very near entrance of the park. The beach is just across the street, but we wanted to know if that’s a safe area in general or if the neighborhoods just north of the park and higher in jungle are a safer option.
Sammi says
Manuel Antonio is very touristic so there is always a lot of traffic going in and out, in general the area is safe and you can walk outside, no problem. We don’t recommend walking outside very late at night though, if you go out at night, take a taxi back to your place instead of walking, Manuel Antonio is also super hilly so it’s quite a trek from Manuel Antonio to the entrance of the park. There are no sidewalks on the road either so be careful if you walk since cars drive fast and curves are narrow.
Tricia says
Hi
could you recommend a tour guide company to help us navigate and see all of the best things to see in Manuel Antonio Park?
Thank you
Sammi says
Hi Tricia, we work with Tucanes Tours who is a tour operator in Manuel Antonio and Quepos, they run guided tours of the national park and we also have a small discount with them. You can get more info about it Manuel Antonio Tours discount
Sally says
Hola
We’re from Arizona so we know our sensitivity to the sun. Yesterday we got very burnt near Manuel Antonio park entrance under an umbrella completely in shade in t shirts and shorts. My spouse even had a long sleeve shirt on. We had to cancel our catamaran tour today because he hurts too bad. I had on 100 sun screen because I was already burnt but he didn’t. I never thought we would burn through our clothing but we did. Costa Rican sun is fierce. Glad today is last day of trip although the trip was great.
Sharon Entsminger says
Really enjoy the blog. Great information in an easy-to-follow format.
Coming to Costa Rica in July. Want to spend one morning in Manuel Antonio on the ATV tour, then catch a guided tour at the national park at 1 pm. Based on the times offered, we should be able to complete the ATV tour and lunch by noon. Will this schedule work?
Sammi says
Hi Sharon, I would assume so since ATV tours are usually a couple of hours but I would check with the tour company you booked with and ask for the times.
Tracey Garrett says
Hi! I love your blog. It is so helpful! We used it so much to plan our trip to Tamarindo last January and this January to Belize (Placencia). I used everything from your rental car to bug spray suggestions! We are now planning for January 2021 and are headed to Manuel Antonio. We went 14 years ago (pre child) and stayed at The Mariposa, which was amazing. We are trying to decide between El Parador, Si Como No or possibly the least expensive bungalows in Tulemar. It is three of us (an 11 year old son). Included breakfast would be a huge bonus. A great pool is important, access to the beach, great views, and restaurants and lots of nature with possibility of seeing animals on the property. I have read about all 3 places on your blog, but am wondering if you would choose one over another and why. Any insight would be so much appreciated! Keep up the amazing blog!
Sammi says
Hi Tracey, to be 100% honest I would not be able to say which one is best with a child since we don’t have kids, so my recommendation would be to read reviews on TripAdvisor or booking sites to see what people say and recommend for guests with kids. The Tulemar bungalows are very nice but they don’t include breakfast and the bungalows are 1 bedroom, they do have a ton of wildlife (most of the properties do) and their own beach access.
KAREN says
Just wanted to mention a restaurant we ate at: El Avion. Great food – I didn’t think it was too expensive. My husband had the Avion Burger and said it was one of the best he’d ever eaten. Our table had a great view of a beautiful sunset. The decorations are interesting, especially the bar in the airplane. My husband’s an aviation nut, so that was another plus.
Sammi says
Hi Karen, thanks for your feedback and glad you had a good meal there! We ate there a few years ago but our food was pretty bad which I didn’t include it in the guide. Hopefully they got a new chef, or at least sounds like they improved.