There is ONE reason to go to Manuel Antonio: the monkeys. If that’s not enough of a reason for you, then there are about a dozen other reasons to go, but that’s my favorite!
There is ONE reason to go to Manuel Antonio: the monkeys. If that’s not enough of a reason for you, then there are about a dozen other reasons to go, but that’s my favorite!
Actually, let’s go back and start over. I love Manuel Antonio so much that I got ahead of myself and didn’t give much of an introduction to Costa Rica as a whole.
I assume if you’re reading this post you’re interested in Costa Rica, and for good reason. Travel and Leisure Magazine just ranked Costa Rica as the 2024 Destination of the Year due to its commitment to sustainable tourism and breathtaking natural beauty.
Tropical rainforests, lush forests, dense jungles, active volcanoes, Atlantic and Pacific coastlines, vibrant cities, cloud forests, and mangrove forests make Costa Rica unique, special, AND one of my all time favorite destinations!
FACT: Costa Rica is considered to possess the highest density of biodiversity of any country worldwide, according to Rojas et al. 2021.
Manuel Antonio is about 105 miles southeast of San Jose, Costa Rica’s capital city. You’ll likely fly into Juan Santamaria International Airport (SJO), and rent a car or take a shuttle or bus to get there. It’s about a three-hour drive from the airport. If it’s in your budget, I highly recommend renting a car as it will give you much more freedom to navigate around Manuel Antonio and the adjacent town of Quepos.
Manuel Antonio is the smallest national park in Costa Rica but definitely one of the most popular. Travel & Leisure not only ranked Costa Rica the Top Destination for 2024, but they specifically highlighted Manuel Antonio National Park as one of the best things to do in Costa Rica.
As of February 2024, the park is open everyday, EXCEPT TUESDAYS, from 7:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
TIP: 4:00 PM means you must be out of the park by then, not entering the park at that time.
Tickets
You must buy your entrance tickets online ahead of time
You’ll need to set up a profile first, but it’s pretty easy. Have your passport number handy!
Currently tickets are less than $20 and kids under 2 are free. (Check for changes!)
Tickets are sold in 40-minute entry time slots beginning on the hour
There is a daily limit on visitors. Currently it’s 1,200 people a day. When picking your entry time, you can see how many tickets are still available.
TIP: Buy your tickets as far in advance as you can. It’s a known problem that tour companies buy up tickets causing tickets to be sold out several days in advance. The companies can then sell the tickets to you at an inflated cost!
TIP: If you can get your group up and moving early, go to the park when it first opens. Animals will be the most active, and there will be fewer distractions, aka crowds.
WARNING: The road to the park is always crowded with people selling guide services, parking, and entrance tickets. They are not affiliated with the National Park! Do not let their fake ranger uniforms and tags fool you. You’ll get suckered into overpaying and parking very far away. Just keep walking and go to the official park entrance.
PARKING
There is no official parking area for the national park, but there are private parking areas available around the park entrance for less than $10 per day. Street parking is free if you’re lucky enough to find a spot! Taxis are a great alternative!
PROHIBITED ITEMS:
Food, but drinks are ok (no alcohol)
Pets
Drones
Weapons
Cigarettes
Large beach umbrellas
Speakers (I’m picturing my hubby, Cabana John, carrying his boombox through the jungle playing Jungle Boogie by Kool & The Gang!)
There are lockers at the park entrance for about $6 a day. I suggest leaving things in the locker and not in your car.
RANDOM:
You can buy drinks, smoothies, salads, ice cream, pizza, and sandwiches at a little place inside the park. It’s nothing exciting, but if you’re hungry, then you’ll be glad it’s there.
There are four bathrooms throughout the park, and one even includes a shower and changing rooms.
Animals:
Some animals you MIGHT see:
Frogs
Agoutis
Iguanas
Lizards
Toucans
Macaws
Crocodiles
Coatimundi
Hummingbirds
Boa constrictors
2-toed and 3-toed Sloths
Birds: hundreds of species
White Nosed Coatis (Pizotes)
Monkeys: White Faced Capuchin, Squirrel, Howler
Monkeys
White Faced Capuchin should be synonymous with cheeky. These monkeys are incredibly amusing to watch. They run around in groups, brazenly trying to steal things from tourists. Capuchin are found all over the park. They basically took over the beach near our villa.
Howler monkeys are as noisy as the Capuchin monkeys are active. You will definitely hear them before you see them! They are fun to watch as they use their long tails to gracefully swing through the treetops.
Squirrel monkeys are tiny and hard to spot, which is unfortunate because they are super cute and playful. If you’re lucky enough to see one, or more likely a group of them, they’re probably doing acrobatics in the treetops.
TIP: Guides are great at finding the animals hiding in treetops and on the forest floor. I highly recommend hiring an official guide. Our guide made the trip!
If you’re going to explore the park on your own, here are some suggestions to get the most out of your trip:
Be hopeful, but realistic (Animal spotting is not guaranteed!)
Go when the park opens
Bring binoculars (Do I need to remind you to bring your camera?)
Walk slowly with your head on a swivel (Don’t forget to look up and down!)
Listen (Take in the sounds around you/stop talking.)
Take the path less traveled (a.k.a. Take the trail offshoots.)
FACT: Please remember that these are wild, unpredictable animals. You’re at the park on vacation, but the park is their home. Be respectful!
MANGROVES & ESTUARIES
My SECOND favorite things about Manuel Antonio are the mangroves! I am not going to make this a science lesson, but mangroves are the perfect example of the saying, “To know it, is to love it.” The more I learned about mangroves, the more excited I became.
Here’s the basic, kid’s explanation: Mangroves exist in estuaries. Mangroves are groups of trees that grow in the water zone between low tides and high tides. Estuaries are where saltwater comes together with freshwater.
TRAILS
There are 10 trails to pick from in the park, and each of those trails have other offshoots that you can explore. You might end up at an impressive waterfall, a stunning beach, or a wooden boardwalk in the densest part of the park. The Sloth and Mangrove trail is a perfect location to spot a sloth! (In case the name of the trail didn’t give that away already.) This trail is mentioned in Lonely Planet’s Best 8 Hikes in Central America.
The main park trail, Sendero Principal, is just over a mile from the park entrance and will lead you straight to Manuel Antonio Beach. Sometimes you’ll see people walking this trail just to get to the beach.
BEACHES
There are many beaches in Manuel Antonio. Escondido Beach, Manuel Antonio Beach, and Espadilla Sur are inside the National Park. These beaches all have bathrooms, showers, picnic tables, and water refill stations. Manuel Antonio beach was voted one of the top 20 beaches in the WORLD by Tripadvisor’s Travelers’ Choice Best of the Best Award 2023.
Beaches in Manuel Antonio need a blog of their own!
The only thing I have to say about the beaches is: Don’t leave valuables unattended as the monkeys will steal them! Even your big camera bags. Yep, I saw it happen!
WHEN TO VISIT
Costa Rica has two seasons: Wet and Dry
Which season is the best is up to you. What do you like? I like a little rain, but my hubby, Cabana John, likes it sunny and hot.
Dry Season (December to April):
Sunny with blue skies
Occasional rain (think cooling off, not getting soaked)
Good for activities like hiking, horseback riding, and beach days
High tourist season, so expect larger crowds and higher prices
Wet Season (May-November)
Green Season – great for ziplining through the canopies
Rains everyday
Whale-watching season on Costa Rica’s Pacific Coast
Good for activities like food tours, whitewater rafting and ATV rides (wet = muddy = fun)
Fewer tourist and lower prices
HOTELS/VILLAS
While Manuel Antonio is a beach destination, most of the resorts are not actually on the beach. Environmental restrictions keep resorts off the coastline but not far from it. Many resorts and condominium/villa communities have their own private beaches just a few minutes walk away. Grand, all-inclusive resorts aren’t found in Manuel Antonio (at least not yet).
We decided to go to Manuel Antonio while we were already on vacation in Costa Rica, so we didn’t have many options on where to stay.
It was impressive: 5 bedrooms, 3 baths, infinity pool, daily house cleaners, and a personal chef. Yep, we were forced to vacation in luxury! I might make it a habit of making last minute plans. Even cooler than the personal chef were the monkeys. They surrounded the house and were constant reminders that we were staying in the middle of the rainforest.
I am not recommending the Tulemar Condominios Community. I’m not, not recommending it either. We chose our vacation home because it was the only one still available. Luckily for us, we loved it and it ended up working well. There are lots of hotel and villa choices in Manuel Antonio. Do your research, and pick something that feels right for you!
When visiting places, whether foreign or domestic, it’s alway fun to check out the local farmer’s markets to get an authentic taste of the community. There is a small farmer’s market in the neighboring town of Quepos that’s worth a trip. As of this post, it’s held twice a week on Friday afternoons and Saturday morning. There you can find local fruits, local veggies, fresh flour tortillas (Yum!), fresh fish, artisanal cheeses, homemade pastries, jams, flowers, locally made jewelry, and pipa water in a coconut shell.
If you’ve ever dreamed of having a fancy meal while aboard a CIA/Iran-Contra Cold War plane, I can make your wish come true. I’m not sure anyone has ever dreamed of that. There are a crazy bunch of people out there, so who knows! This C-123 Fairchild cargo plane has been transformed into an amazing bar and restaurant with spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean, all while never leaving the ground.
El Avion’s website explains it best: “In August 2000, we purchased the abandoned Fairchild and shipped the pieces of the Iran-Contra relic to Quepos. The fuselage was shipped via ocean ferry because it was 10 inches too wide for the antiquated Chiquita Banana railroad bridges! After hauling seven sections up the Manuel Antonio hill, the C-123 finally found its current cliff-side resting-place. Now, our C-123 has been retired to less risqué endeavors as a restaurant, bar and an enduring Cold War relic. Join us for food under its wings, drinks in the fuselage pub or climb into the cockpit!”
We spent our last night in Manuel Antonio dining on the C-123. The food and atmosphere were unforgettable, and I highly recommend you give it a try.
There are so many food options in Manuel Antonio that it needs its own blog, but since I mentioned the airplane it seems only right to mention the school bus too.
I haven’t eaten here yet, but it gets rave reviews and is on my list to try. En Todas is an old school bus on the beach (Playa Espadilla Norte). Fresh fish tacos, pina coladas (with a pink umbrella of course), lively music and monkeys trying to steal my food are the definition of my perfect lunch.
This is a farm to table experience where you get to shop at the Quepos farmer’s market and help in the kitchen too. The farm has goats, ponies, rabbits, chickens, sheep, horses and even bulls. You can interact with the animals or just wander the ranch and relax. I can’t wait to go back to Manuel Antonio to have this experience.
* I should add here that I haven’t done this tour and am not being paid to suggest it. It’s just on my “must do” list for Manuel Antonio based on other people’s experiences. Have any of you been on this tour? I’d love to hear your feedback!
