How The Manuel Antonio National Park Is Different Than Other Costa Rica National Parks

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Written by Nikki Solano

Nikki is the CEO of Pura Vida! eh? Inc. (Costa Rica Discounts), and the author of the guidebooks Moon Costa Rica (2019, 2021, 2023, and 2025 editions) and Moon Best of Costa Rica (2022 edition) from Moon Travel Guides. Together with her Costa Rican husband, Ricky, she operates the Costa Rica Travel Blog, created the online community DIY Costa Rica, built the Costa Rica Destination Tool, oversees the brand-new (summer 2023) Costa Rica Travel Shop, and designed the Costa Rica Trip Planning 101 E-Course. Also, Nikki wrote the Costa Rica cover feature for Wanderlust Magazine's sustainability-focused Travel Green List issue, showcased Costa Rica destinations and experiences on Rick Steves' Monday Night Travel show and podcast/radio show, and served as the Costa Rica Destination Editor for Essentialist, a luxury travel brand. Want to show your appreciation for her free article below? Thank Nikki here. ❤️️

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Our sister site, Pura Vida! eh? Inc., has discounts for Manuel Antonio tours and activities. Con mucho gusto (you’re welcome) and pura vida!

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What’s the deal with Costa Rica’s Manuel Antonio National Park?

If you’ve started researching Costa Rica for an upcoming vacation, you’ve likely already stumbled upon the Manuel Antonio National Park, the most talked about national park in all of Costa Rica. You may even be sick of hearing about the place, and are asking yourself “What’s so great about the Manuel Antonio National Park?” While the short answer is “a lot,” the better answer (and apologetically, the cliché answer) is “The Manuel Antonio National Park has something for everyone.”

Memory lane

Before we get to explaining what specifically makes the Manuel Antonio National Park such a standout attraction, how about we take a quick trip down memory lane? We adore the Manuel Antonio National Park, in part because we’ve watched it take shape over the past two decades and become the jewel of the Central Pacific that now catches nearly every traveler’s eye. When we first visited in the 2000s, there were fewer trails, we snapped photos on a Nikon Coolpix camera powered by AA batteries, we captured video on a handheld recorder, and we enjoyed having to wade across the stream that divided the park from its former exit. The park received fewer visitors then, and it certainly didn’t have all of the modern features that it has now, but it was easy to enjoy, much like it is today. The purpose of our countless visits to the Manuel Antonio National Park has also evolved over the years, shifting from visits with family for picnics and swims in the park to participation in educational-based guided nature tours to expand our knowledge of the native ecosystems and wildlife. Nowadays, most of our visits are carried out with a research lens so we can discover changes and document new experiences in our Costa Rica guidebook, Moon Costa Rica, published by Moon Travel Guides. It’s an honor for us to play a part in making your first visit to the Manuel Antonio National Park an enjoyable one. Who knows, maybe the visit will kickstart a decades-long love affair with the park for you as it did for us. ❤️

And now, back to business…

Want to know what makes the Manuel Antonio National Park stand out among other national parks in Costa Rica? It’s variety. Variety is the spice of life Costa Rica’s national park system, and the Manuel Antonio National Park is a hot, sundry kick. In short, the park is:

• Romantic enough for couples and honeymooners
• Full of entertaining wildlife that delights kids (and adults)
• Accessible to seniors, young children, and individuals with physical disabilities, including those who use canes and wheelchairs
• (Arguably) inexpensive enough for backpackers
• Replete with the rich biodiversity that interests nature-lovers
• Equipped with trails that range in difficulty from easy to moderately challenging, which appeases both casual visitors and avid hikers
• Photogenic enough for photographers
• Blessed with an assortment of beaches that range in size, remoteness, and popularity, suitable for every kind of beach bum

Metaphorically, the Manuel Antonio National Park is like a bag of trail mix. The park’s complex trail system is the foundation of the mix: a mish-mash of impactful nuts and seeds. The sporadic sightings of wildlife are the tangy, dried fruit pieces you’ll taste on occasion, which sweeten the overall experience. Convenient facilities, including potable water stations, beach-side bathrooms and showers, picnic tables, and an observation tower are the salty pretzels—the unexpected delights you didn’t know you wanted. The drool-worthy beaches are the rich dark chocolate chunks, the sweet milk chocolate chips, or the colorful M&Ms. They’re bonus treats, although let’s be honest, they’re what caught your eye in the first place, and what several people enjoy the most.

The park’s variety means that it’s a fantastic place to visit if either or both of the following statements ring true to you:

• You’re traveling with a group comprised of individuals with diverse needs
• You want to check off multiple bucket list items in one place

Because the Manuel Antonio National Park is relatively easy to reach and tour, and because it offers so much to see and do, the park is an accessible one-stop shop. This is largely why the Manuel Antonio National Park appeals to the masses.

Why we like visiting the Manuel Antonio National Park

You can find several of the below-mentioned qualities at other national parks in Costa Rica, but here’s what you can find all in one place at the unique Manuel Antonio National Park:

• The Manuel Antonio National Park invites exploration of rainforest and mangrove ecosystems
• The Manuel Antonio National Park provides great wildlife-spotting opportunities (especially opportunities to see monkeys and sloths), as well as bird-watching opportunities year-round
• The Manuel Antonio National Park provides access to several beautiful beaches with nearly white sand
• The Manuel Antonio National Park provides a variety of trekking options from short and easy trails to longer and more difficult hikes
• The Manuel Antonio National Park is a great place to relax, sunbathe, picnic, and swim
• The park’s trails are well-maintained; one trail is wheelchair-accessible
• Though the most popular areas of the Manuel Antonio National Park are busy, some trails lead to more remote-feeling areas and beaches
• The Manuel Antonio National Park entrance fee is relatively inexpensive and, with a paying adult, children up to the age of 5 enter for free
• The Manuel Antonio National Park entrance fee can be purchased in advance, providing relief in knowing that entrance on a specific date at a specific time is guaranteed
• The Manuel Antonio National Park can be toured with or without a guide
• The Manuel Antonio National Park can be experienced in only a few hours if you don’t have a lot of time to spend in the area
• From downtown Quepos to the Manuel Antonio National Park, travel is quick, easy, and doesn’t require a 4×4 vehicle

Manuel Antonio National Park tickets, entrance, and parking

At the time of publishing, the following were the Manuel Antonio National Park entrance fee/ticket costs:

Visitor type	Park entrance fee cost
Adults (13+ years) who live in Costa Rica	1,600 colones
Adults (13+ years) who do not live in Costa Rica	$16.00 USD
Children (2-12 years) who live in Costa Rica	500 colones
Children (6-12 years) who do not live in Costa Rica	$5.00 USD
Children (0-1) who live in Costa Rica	FREE
Children (0-5) who do not live in Costa Rica	FREE
Senior citizens	FREE

Manuel Antonio National Park entrance fees are subject to change without notice.

Unlike most other national parks in Costa Rica, which require you to pay an entrance fee when you arrive at the park, access to the Manuel Antonio National Park requires securing and paying for a park entrance ticket prior to arriving at the park’s entrance. (Tickets can no longer be purchased at Coopealianza offices in the Manuel Antonio region.) To learn about the process of purchasing tickets to the Manuel Antonio National Park, please see our related blog post.

As a heads up, residents of Costa Rica are charged in Costa Rican colones but non-residents of Costa Rica are charged in USD. Costa Rica’s 13% tax (VAT) applies to the cost to enter the Manuel Antonio National Park. (To learn more about tax in Costa Rica, please see our related blog post What You Need To Know About The 13% VAT Tax In Costa Rica.)

Parking at the Manuel Antonio National Park can be a pain. The national park sits at the end of a narrow side road, which is lined with hotels and other establishments. There’s a large parking lot (pictured above) on the right side of the road, just before the entrance to the park. This is where we prefer to park our vehicle, but the lot fills up fast, so go as early as possible in the morning if you want to secure a spot in the lot. (Even if you aren’t scheduled to visit the national park first-thing in the morning, consider driving to the national park, parking in the lot early in the am, and killing time until your scheduled national park visit by exploring on foot the immediate area outside the confines of the park, which is where you’ll find restaurants, a few souvenir shops, and the public beach Playa Espadilla Norte.) Most establishments that fall along the side road will restrict their parking spots to guest/customer use only, but some will allow park visitors to leave vehicles on their property for a daily fee. The going parking rate averages around $10 per day.

Manuel Antonio National Park hours

Site	Hours of operation
Manuel Antonio National Park	7am-4pm Wednesday through Monday (the Manuel Antonio National Park is closed on Tuesdays)
SINAC website (purchasing tickets to the Manuel Antonio National Park)	Available 24/7

Note that the latest possible time that you can enter the Manuel Antonio National Park is 2:30pm. (The park entrance closes at 2:30pm) and the beaches close at 3:00pm. When purchasing tickets for the Manuel Antonio National Park, you can select one of the following blocks of time, and you may enter the park at any time within the reserved block:

• 7:00am-7:40am
• 8:00am-8:40am
• 9:00am-9:40am
• 10:00am-10:40am
• 11:00am-11:40am
• 12:00pm-12:40pm
• 1:00pm-2:30pm

Reentry into the Manuel Antonio National Park

Payment of the Manuel Antonio National Park entrance fee is valid for one entry (on the day and at the time selected during the payment process) and permits access to the park until closing time. Years ago, it was possible to exit and reenter the park on the same day, but in and out privileges have since been revoked, and currently, reentry is not permitted. If you wish to visit the Manuel Antonio National Park twice on the same day (or across different days), you must purchase two entrance tickets in advance online.

What you’re allowed and not allowed to bring into the Manuel Antonio National Park

In recent years, strict measures have descended upon the Manuel Antonio National Park. It is now forbidden to enter with food of any kind. (If hunger strikes while you’re in the park, you can purchase food at the park’s own on-site cafe.) You may bring nonalcoholic beverages, such as water or juice, inside the park if they’re in reusable containers that you’ll carry out of the park upon exiting. Be prepared to have your bags searched upon entry to the park.

The Manuel Antonio National Park provides lockers (sponsored by Pepsi apparently 😉) should you wish to store any items while you hike or swim inside the park.

Manuel Antonio National Park trails

The Manuel Antonio National Park has one pubic sector that comprises several interconnected trails. The most popular route follows a combination of the Manglar trail (Mangrove trail), a wheelchair-accessible, raised boardwalk trail that cuts through the park’s mangrove ecosystem; the Perezoso trail (Sloth trail), an easy, forested trail where you’re most likely to see sloths snoozing in treetops; and the Playa Espadilla Sur trail (South Espadilla Beach trail), a flat, coastal trail that parallels the Pacific Ocean.

If you’re like most Manuel Antonio National Park visitors who want access to beautiful beaches via short and easy hikes, stick to this common route that cuts through the middle of the park and loops around its west side:

1. From the entrance to the Manuel Antonio National Park, head south through the park on the Manglar trail, which is the park’s main trail.
2. When you reach the junction of the Manglar trail and the Perezoso trail, take the Perezoso trail and follow it until it ends at Playa Manuel Antonio.
3. Enjoy the beach at Playa Manuel Antonio if you wish or else follow the Playa Espadilla Sur trail to access and enjoy Playa Espadilla Sur instead.
4. When it’s time to leave (from Playa Manuel Antonio or Playa Espadilla Sur), follow the Playa Espadilla Sur trail north until it connects with the Manglar trail. The Manglar trail will deliver you back to the entrance of the park, which also serves as an exit.

There are two changing room stations located inside the park: one at the northeast end of Playa Manuel Antonio (near the junction of the Perezoso trail and Playa Manuel Antonio) and one at the north end of Playa Espadilla Sur (near the junction of the Manglar trail and Playa Espadilla Sur).

If you’d prefer to explore less visited areas of the Manuel Antonio National Park or relax at less popular beaches, consider hiking one or more of the park’s other trails which include the Punta Catedral trail (Cathedral Point trail), the Playa Gemelas trail (Twins Beach trail), the Puerto Escondido trail (Hidden Port trail), the Congo trail, and/or the Miradores trail (Viewpoints trail). All of these trails begin at or just beyond Playa Manuel Antonio so you’ll need to get to the beach first (see the paragraph above for instructions on how to reach Playa Manuel Antonio via the Manglar trail and the Perezoso trail).

The Punta Catedral trail and the Miradores trail provide the most challenging hikes in the park but they’ll reward you with beautiful coastal views from lookout points through forest clearings. The Playa Gemelas trail provides access to a small, secluded-feeling cove (down a short set of stairs) on the park’s east side. The short Congo trail and Puerto Escondido trail are, in our opinion, the best for spotting wildlife and birds because they cut through quiet areas and tend to be the least traveled trails in the park.

Beware: the triangle formed by the Miradores trail, the Playa Gemelas trail, and the Los Congos trail is sometimes referred to as La Vuelta del Saino, or the Peccary Loop in English. The short section of the Miradores trail that runs between Playa Manuel Antonio and the Playa Gemelas trail is sometimes called the Coati trail.

With a full day to spend in the Manuel Antonio National Park, it’s possible to hike every trail and visit every beach. Exploration must be made on foot, however. None of the public trails inside the Manuel Antonio National Park are accessible by car. (The park’s vehicular trail is an evacuation route only.)

Manuel Antonio National Park tower

If you’re not scared of heights or sets of steep staircases, you may wish to climb to the top of the observation tower that overlooks part of the Manuel Antonio National Park. Though there isn’t anything to do at the top of the tower other than take in views of lush forest and watch white-faced capuchin monkeys play in the trees, it’s worth the ascent/descent if you want to capture a bird’s eye view of the park. You’ll find the tower sandwiched between the park’s two main beaches, Playa Manuel Antonio and Playa Espadilla Sur.

Manuel Antonio National Park beaches

Most visitors agree that the Manuel Antonio National Park‘s best feature is its collection of beautiful beaches. At most beaches within the confines of the park, you’ll find light, soft, and supple sand, the kind that’s easy to sink your toes into. Playa Manuel Antonio and Playa Espadilla Sur, which sit on opposite sides of the Manuel Antonio National Park‘s tombolo (the sandbar that connects the park’s mainland to an island near the shore that’s known as Punta Catedral), are the busiest beaches because they fall along the most common route around the park (see above for details). Though popular, both are long beaches that provide plenty of room for stretching out. In contrast, the rocky Playa Gemelas, which is actually two small beaches in one, is the park’s hidden gem. It’s much smaller than Playa Manuel Antonio and Playa Espadilla Sur, but if you happen to find the beach unoccupied, you’ll have one of the prettiest places in the park all to yourself.

Beware of greedy monkeys

Troops (groups) of white-faced capuchin monkeys are obvious residents of the park and mainstays at Playa Manuel Antonio. Known for having aggressive tendencies, the monkeys regularly forage for food and aren’t shy about taking what they find. Be forewarned: capuchin monkeys will root through your personal belongings, tear open food containers, and make off with your snacks if you leave them unattended. If you plan to swim at a beach inside the park, keep a close eye on your bags while they’re out of arm’s reach. Better yet, consider eating your snacks and packing empty containers away before you enter the water. Never feed any Costa Rican wildlife you encounter.

Manuel Antonio National Park wildlife

There’s plenty of wildlife to see inside the Manuel Antonio National Park, but like viewing wildlife anywhere in Costa Rica, spotting several species requires some luck. The fact that the Manuel Antonio National Park is one of the most visited national parks in Costa Rica means that visitor flow is constant. To increase your chances of seeing wildlife in this park, walk slowly and quietly (talk quietly too, if you must converse) and scan the forest floor and treetops regularly. Wildlife that we regularly see during our visits includes agoutis, coatis, sloths (two-toed sloths and three-toed sloths), monkeys (white-faced capuchin monkeys, howler monkeys, and rare mono titi squirrel monkeys), deer, iguanas, lizards, ants, and several types of birds.

Manuel Antonio National Park recommendations

If you’re planning a trip to the Manuel Antonio National Park, keep the advice below in mind:

• Give yourself at least a few hours at the park to follow the most common route and spend some time relaxing at the most popular beaches. Alternatively, set aside a full day if you wish to explore the entire park, including less-visited trails and beaches.
• Don’t schedule a visit to the park on a Tuesday; the park is closed every Tuesday.
• Wear hiking shoes while touring the park, and use flip-flops only while at the beach.
• The Manuel Antonio National Park has changing rooms and bathrooms where you can swap dry clothes for swimming attire and vice versa. The park also has showers but the use of soap and hair-care products, such as shampoo, is not permitted.
• Pack a hat, sunscreen, insect repellent, and a towel (if you wish to swim). You may also want to pack a reusable drink container; the park provides potable drinking water.
• Familiarize yourself with the information above regarding what you cannot bring into the park, to avoid disappointment upon arrival.
• Keep a close eye on your belongings when you’re at the beach and don’t feed the local wildlife.

Manuel Antonio National Park maps

Pura vida!

Do you have questions about the Manuel Antonio National Park; want help deciding whether you should visit this particular national park during your trip, whether you should visit with a tour guide, and which tour guides we recommend; or need help incorporating a park visit into your vacation? No problem! When you’re ready, make an appointment here to communicate with me (Nikki) privately and we can discuss these and other topics to get your questions answered fast and your Costa Rica trip poised for success. Pura vida, amigos! 🙂

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