Manuel Antonio packs more into a small stretch of Costa Rica’s central Pacific than almost anywhere in the country: a compact national park where rainforest trails full of sloths and monkeys spill onto some of the prettiest beaches in Central America. We’ve visited Manuel Antonio several times over the years, so this is our first-hand guide to the best things to do in Manuel Antonio, from the national park and its wildlife to the beaches, day trips, and where to stay and eat.
Key Takeaways
- Manuel Antonio National Park is the star, the easiest place in Costa Rica to spot sloths, monkeys and iguanas on short trails that end at swimmable beaches.
- Hire a certified guide with a spotting scope, who will find far more wildlife than you would alone, and go early (the park is closed Mondays).
- Two to three days is ideal, enough for the park, the beaches and a day trip to a waterfall or Uvita’s Whale Tail.
- There are plenty of free things to do, from public Playa Espadilla to sunsets at the El Avión plane bar.
- The dry season (Dec–Apr) is best for beach weather; wildlife is good year-round, and a car helps for day trips.
Manuel Antonio at a Glance
| Location | Central Pacific coast, near Quepos, Costa Rica |
| Star attraction | Manuel Antonio National Park (wildlife + beaches) |
| Best for | Easy wildlife, rainforest-meets-beach, families & first-timers |
| Days needed | 2 to 3 days |
| Best time | Dry season Dec–Apr for beaches; wildlife year-round |
| Getting around | Walkable core + the local bus; a car helps for day trips |
Manuel Antonio sits above the town of Quepos on the central Pacific, a few hours south of San Jose. It’s Costa Rica’s most popular national park for good reason: nowhere else is it so easy to see so much wildlife so close, then cool off on a jungle-backed beach minutes later. Here are the best things to do in Manuel Antonio, starting with the park itself.
How to Get to Manuel Antonio
Manuel Antonio is about a three-hour drive south of San Jose (SJO), the nearest international airport, down Highway 34 (the Costanera). You can also take a quick domestic flight into Quepos, a shared or private shuttle, or the public bus, which is cheap and reliable. Once you arrive, the main road between Quepos, the hotels on the ridge and the park entrance is walkable in parts and served by a frequent local bus, so you don’t strictly need a car, though one helps for day trips to waterfalls and beaches. See our guide to the airports in Costa Rica for arrival options.
Manuel Antonio National Park
Manuel Antonio National Park is the reason to come, and despite being one of Costa Rica’s smallest national parks, it’s one of its most rewarding. Short, mostly-flat trails wind through the rainforest, alive with three-toed sloths, white-faced capuchin and squirrel monkeys, iguanas, agoutis and a huge variety of birds, before opening onto a run of postcard beaches inside the park. It’s the easiest, most family-friendly wildlife experience in the country, and you rarely have to walk far to be rewarded.
The park protects both rainforest and a stretch of protected coastline, which is why the wildlife is so dense: the animals are funnelled between the trees and the sea. On a typical morning you can expect several sloths (both two- and three-toed), troops of capuchin and squirrel monkeys crashing through the canopy, iguanas basking on branches, agoutis snuffling through the leaf litter, and, if you’re patient, colourful birds like toucans and trogons. Snakes, bats and the occasional coati round out the cast. It’s a genuine slice of the biodiversity that makes Costa Rica famous, packed into an area small enough to explore in a single morning.
Hire a certified guide
Our single biggest tip: hire a certified naturalist guide at the entrance. A good guide carries a spotting scope and knows exactly where the sloths sleep and the snakes coil, so you’ll see far more than you ever would on your own (sloths are almost impossible to spot unaided high in the canopy). Guides are worth every colon, and their fee helps support the park. Guides typically gather near the entrance and charge a set rate per group for a two-to-three-hour walk; agree the price up front, and look for an official ICT-certified badge. If you’d rather explore alone, go slowly, watch where other groups are stopped and looking up, and you’ll still spot plenty, just not the sleeping sloths a scope reveals.
The beaches inside the park
The trails lead to several beautiful, swimmable beaches inside the park, including Playa Manuel Antonio and Playa Espadilla Sur, with calm, clear water and white sand backed by jungle. Bring water and reef-safe sunscreen, and keep a close eye on your snacks: the park’s raccoons and monkeys are notorious, opportunistic thieves who will raid an unattended bag in seconds.
Practical tips for the park
A few things to know before you go: the park is closed on Mondays, gets busiest around midday, and requires tickets that are best bought online in advance. Arrive at opening for the coolest weather, the best wildlife activity and the smallest crowds, and give yourself a good half-day. Buy tickets through the official SINAC system before you visit.
Best Things to Do in Manuel Antonio
Beyond the park, Manuel Antonio has plenty to fill two or three days, from beaches to wildlife tours and adventure.
Relax on Playa Espadilla
Just outside the park, Playa Espadilla is the main public beach, a long stretch of sand with surf schools, beach vendors, sunset bars and swimmable waves. It’s free, lively and the classic spot for a Manuel Antonio sunset.
Take a catamaran or wildlife tour
A sunset catamaran cruise (with snorkelling and often dolphins) is one of the most popular add-ons, and mangrove kayak tours and night walks are great for more wildlife. You can browse Manuel Antonio tours and activities on GetYourGuide to line them up in advance.
Go horseback riding or ziplining
Inland from the coast, outfitters run horseback rides through the hills and jungle, canopy zipline tours and ATV trips, an easy way to pair the beach with a shot of adventure.
Free Things to Do in Manuel Antonio
Manuel Antonio can be pricey, but plenty of its best moments are free. Public Playa Espadilla costs nothing and is perfect for a swim and sunset. The main road and hillside viewpoints offer sweeping ocean views without a ticket. And you don’t have to pay to enter the El Avión bar, a retired cargo plane perched on the ridge, to grab a drink and watch the sun drop into the Pacific from one of the best vantage points in town. Wildlife often turns up in hotel gardens and along the roadsides too, so keep your eyes on the trees wherever you are.
Best Day Trips from Manuel Antonio
Manuel Antonio’s central position makes it a great base for day trips up and down the coast and into the hills.
Nauyaca Waterfalls & Dominical
A short drive south, the tiered Nauyaca Waterfalls are the region’s showstopper, two big cascades reached on foot, by horseback or 4×4 shuttle, with a huge natural pool at the base that’s perfect for a swim. Give it half a day, wear good shoes and bring a swimsuit. Pair the falls with the laid-back surf town of Dominical, which has a great beach-town vibe and easy waves for beginners. See our guides to the Nauyaca Waterfalls and things to do in Dominical.
Uvita & the Whale Tail
About an hour south, Uvita is home to the famous Whale Tail sandbar in Marino Ballena National Park and some of the country’s best whale watching in season. It makes an easy and rewarding day trip. See our full guide to Uvita, Costa Rica.
Rainmaker Park & the crocodile bridge
Inland, Rainmaker Park offers rainforest hanging bridges, waterfalls and swimming holes with fewer crowds than the national park. And on the drive back toward San Jose or Jaco, the Tarcoles crocodile bridge is a classic (and free) stop to spot huge wild crocodiles below. The surf town of Jaco is another easy add-on to the north.
The best experiences here, a guided national-park wildlife walk, a sunset catamaran, a Nauyaca waterfall trip, are worth booking ahead in the busy dry season when the popular slots fill up.
GetYourGuide lists guided park tours, catamaran cruises, mangrove kayaking and waterfall trips from Manuel Antonio, with free cancellation on most options.
Best Time to Visit Manuel Antonio
Manuel Antonio is a year-round destination, but the dry season (December to April) brings the most reliable beach weather and is the busiest and priciest time, especially over the December and Easter holidays. The green season (May to November) is lush, cheaper and quieter, with warm mornings and afternoon rain that rarely spoils a park visit. Wildlife is excellent year-round, and the national park is closed on Mondays whenever you come. For the wider picture, see our guide to the best time to visit Costa Rica.
Where to Stay in Manuel Antonio
Manuel Antonio’s hotels line the ridge between Quepos and the park, many with jungle gardens, monkey visitors and ocean views. These are three of our favourite sustainable stays, plus the area’s most unique option; book ahead for the dry season, and see our full roundup of the best eco-hotels in Manuel Antonio.
| Hotel | Area | Price | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arenas del Mar | Manuel Antonio | $$$$ | Sustainable rainforest-to-beach resort with private beaches |
| Si Como No Resort | Manuel Antonio | $$$ | Pioneering eco-resort with a wildlife refuge |
| Hotel Costa Verde | Manuel Antonio | $$$ | Home of the famous Boeing 727 airplane suite |
Arenas del Mar
Arenas del Mar is one of the few resorts to run straight from the rainforest down to two private beaches, with wildlife in the gardens and genuine green credentials. It’s the pick for pairing easy park wildlife with a proper beachfront stay.
Si Como No Resort
Si Como No Resort is a long-standing, pioneering eco-resort on the ridge, with solar power, its own small wildlife refuge and butterfly garden, and sweeping sunset views. Comfortable and family-friendly, it’s a Manuel Antonio classic done sustainably.
Hotel Costa Verde
Hotel Costa Verde is home to Manuel Antonio’s most unique stay, a converted Boeing 727 fuselage suite perched in the treetops with monkeys in the garden. Even its standard rooms are surrounded by wildlife; see our full review of the Costa Verde airplane hotel.
Where to Eat in Manuel Antonio
Manuel Antonio’s food scene runs from the famous plane-bar sunset spot to casual local eateries, most along the main road. Every venue below is linked so you can find it.
| Spot | Type | Known for |
|---|---|---|
| El Avion Restaurant | Restaurant & bar | A converted cargo plane; the best sunset in town |
| Casa Planta Manuel Antonio | Restaurant | Plant-forward plates with jungle views |
| Falafel Bar Manuel Antonio | Casual / vegetarian | Great-value falafel and wraps |
El Avión: sunset in a plane
Built around a Fairchild C-123 cargo plane on the ridge, El Avión is a Manuel Antonio institution and the best place in town to watch the sun set into the Pacific, drink in hand. It’s run by our friend Alan, whom we know personally, and it’s the one sunset spot we send everyone to; see our full guide to the El Avión restaurant.
Casual eats and local sodas
Beyond the sunset spots, Casa Planta does creative plant-forward cooking, the Falafel Bar is a reliable, good-value favourite, and simple Costa Rican sodas around Quepos serve casados and fresh fish for a fraction of the tourist-strip prices.
You can get by without a car in Manuel Antonio itself, but one makes the day trips to Nauyaca, Uvita and the crocodile bridge far easier and lets you explore the coast on your own schedule.
We use and recommend Vamos Rent-A-Car, a local company with transparent all-in pricing (mandatory insurance included) and 4x4s built for Costa Rican roads.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Manuel Antonio known for?
Manuel Antonio National Park, where short rainforest trails full of sloths and monkeys end at some of Costa Rica’s prettiest swimmable beaches, all on the central Pacific coast near Quepos.
Is Manuel Antonio worth visiting?
Yes. It’s the easiest place in the country to see wildlife on accessible trails, paired with beautiful beaches, which makes it ideal for families and first-time visitors, even if it’s busier than more remote parks.
How many days do you need in Manuel Antonio?
Two to three days covers the national park, a couple of beaches and a day trip to Nauyaca Waterfalls or Uvita’s Whale Tail without feeling rushed.
Do you need a guide for Manuel Antonio National Park?
A guide isn’t required, but a certified naturalist guide with a spotting scope will find far more wildlife (sloths, snakes, birds) than you would alone, and is well worth the cost.
What is the best time to visit Manuel Antonio?
The dry season (December to April) is best for beach weather but busiest; the green season is lush and quieter. Wildlife is good year-round, and the park is closed on Mondays.
Are there free things to do in Manuel Antonio?
Yes. Public Playa Espadilla, the hillside viewpoints and simply watching wildlife along the roads and in hotel gardens are all free, alongside the paid national park.
Final Thoughts
Manuel Antonio earns its popularity: nowhere else in Costa Rica makes it so easy to see sloths and monkeys one minute and swim off a jungle beach the next. Hire a guide for the park, save room for a sunset at El Avión, and add a day trip or two, and it’s easy to see why we keep coming back. The rest of the trip is easy to plan with our two-week Costa Rica itinerary, the country’s best beaches and eco-lodges, and our essential Costa Rica travel tips. Have you been to Manuel Antonio?
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