Manuel Antonio is a small national park on the Pacific, about three hours' drive from San José, where the forest runs down to the beaches. This guide is for you if you want to see it in a day from the capital. It covers the day the park is shut, the ticket that sells out, the rains on that coast, what the park will not let you carry in, and whether a day trip is the right way to do it at all.
Start with the calendar
The park is closed on Tuesdays, when the staff use the day for maintenance. On the other six days it opens from 07:00 to 16:00. Pick a date that is not a Tuesday before you look at anything else.
Then the ticket. Tickets are sold only online by SINAC, the national parks service, for a set time, and each one carries the visitor's passport number. They often sell out, so book well ahead, for the slot that matches our arrival at around 10:15. Keep the QR code on your phone, and carry the passport you booked with. Rules and hours can change, so check the SINAC site before you go.
Dry months and wet months on the coast
The central Pacific has a shorter dry season than the capital. Costa Rica's tourism board gives it as January to March, with April as a change-over month and the rains starting in early May. Towards the south of the region, where Manuel Antonio lies, it describes the rainy season as very intense and long. The region averages around 3,500 millimetres of rain a year.
It is hot whatever the month, with average highs of about 31 °C and lows near 23 °C. In the dry months plan for sun and heat on the trails; in the wet months, plan for both heat and rain, and for wetter paths.
How the long day is split
You are collected at 07:00 and back at around 19:00. The motorway takes you west and down to the coast, and the drive takes about three hours each way. That is the price of seeing the park from San José, and it is worth being clear-eyed about it.
The first stop is the bridge over the Tárcoles river. The animals below are American crocodiles. The largest can reach about six metres, and many are between three and four and a half. You see them from the middle of the bridge, a long way down, and how many depends on the water: when the river is high they stay in it, when it is low more of them lie out on the banks. Ten or fifteen minutes is enough. There is a pavement with railings on both sides, but the railings have gaps a small child could slip through, so hold hands. Feeding the crocodiles is against Costa Rican law.
Most of the middle of the day is in the park, about three hours. Lunch is in Manuel Antonio village, outside the park, and the afternoon ends with a swim at Playa Espadilla before the drive back. The park ticket, a naturalist guide and lunch are not included.
Inside the park
Punta Catedral, the headland at the heart of the park, was once an island. A sandbar, called a tombolo, joined it to the mainland, and animals crossed with it. Trails climb through primary and secondary forest to lookouts over the small islands offshore, some of them nesting sites for seabirds.
Two beaches lie beside Punta Catedral. Playa Espadilla Sur is about 900 metres long, with strong surf but a sheltered bay. Playa Manuel Antonio is shorter and is the place for snorkelling. The animals you are most likely to meet are two- and three-toed sloths, capuchin and squirrel monkeys, coatis, agoutis and iguanas.
The rules are strict, and bags are checked at the gate:
- No food, no single-use plastic bottles and no drones. Bring a refillable bottle.
- Do not feed the animals, and stay on the marked trails.
- No soap or shampoo anywhere in the park.
- Do not touch the beach manchineel tree, the manzanillo de playa, or eat its fruit. Its sap irritates the skin.
A local guide with a telescope helps you spot animals you would otherwise miss. We can arrange one at extra cost. If you hire a guide on the spot instead, the official advice is to hire only a certified guide from inside the gate, agree the price first, and be wary of people who approach you outside it.
By bus, by hire car, or with a driver
You can do this by public transport. Buses run from the Tracopa terminal in San José to Manuel Antonio several times a day, and the trip takes about three hours. That works well if you stay a night or two on the coast. As a return trip in one day, the timetable decides when you leave and when you arrive, and the park's hours leave little room.
If you drive yourself, note that there is no tourist parking for visitors' cars at the park. Private car parks operate near the entrance; agree whether the rate is by the hour or the day, and leave nothing in view.
A private day collects you from your hotel in San José, Escazú, Santa Ana, Heredia or Alajuela, adds the Tárcoles stop, waits while you are in the park and brings you back the same evening. The price depends on the size of your group; see it on the tour page.
What to bring, and who should think twice
- Your passport, matching the ticket.
- A swimsuit and towel for the beaches inside the park and at Playa Espadilla.
- A refillable water bottle, sun cream, a hat and insect repellent.
- Light shoes you do not mind getting sandy, and a change of clothes for the drive home.
Think twice if you have small children who dislike long drives, or if anyone in your group struggles with heat. Six hours of the day are on the road. If you can, stay a night on the coast and we will drive you back the next day. Message us for a price.
Questions people ask
Can we swim?
Yes, at the beaches inside the park and at Playa Espadilla outside it. Watch the surf on Espadilla Sur.
What if there are more than 16 of us?
Two vehicles travel together on one booking. Message us and we will price it.
Can we cancel?
Yes. Cancel up to 24 hours before pick-up and you are refunded in full. See our cancellation page.
Booking the day
Choose any day but a Tuesday, book the park slot as soon as you have your date, and pack for heat and rain. If three hours each way sounds like too much, our guide to day trips from San José lists the shorter days, such as Irazú and the Orosi Valley. The stops and pick-up areas are on the Manuel Antonio National Park private day trip page, where you choose the size of your group and book.
