Manuel Antonio National Park Information

Manuel Antonio National Park is the country's smallest national park at just over 683 hectares, but it is also one of it's most amazing. Home to one of the last sizable populations of the endangered Squirrel Monkey in the region, White Faced and Howler monkeys are also common in the park. Cathedral Point with it's forest topped cliffs is connected to the mainland by a thin land bridge that separates the parks two most popular beaches, Playa Espadilla Sur and Playa Manuel Antonio.

Playa Manuel Antonio is one of the most beautiful beaches in Costa Rica and has been rated one of the top ten in the world. The beach is a half mile long, perfect white sand crescent bordered by deep green mangroves and palms. The park abounds with wildlife and in a days visit it is possible to see iguanas, monkeys, sloths agoutis, paccaries armadillos, pisotes, coatimundis and raccoons.

Manuel Antonio is the right place to go if you want to see a beautiful national park in the beach and if you also want to be close to popular nightlife activities, such as fine dining or partying. The advantage of Manuel Antonio is that there’s an ample variety of cabins and hotels to choose from, that might be close to “town” or set in the lush and peaceful hillside.

This park is only seven kilometers Southeast from Quepos, and it’s one of the most visited protected areas. The park entrance is in Playa Espadilla, and the fee is $15 or $10 if you pay in advance. Unfortunately for camping lovers, this activity isn’t allowed in the park, since the park is small and the impact on nature would be too great.

Before discussing accommodations, restaurants and nightlife in general, it’s only fair to discuss the flora and fauna of Manuel Antonio, since the human presence is of secondary to the national park. The park is constituted by beautiful beaches and by the surrounding vegetation of the forest that grows right next to the coastline. The four beaches are: Espadilla Sur, Manuel Antonio, Escondido and Playita. Visitors can walk on the beach or in the cooler trails in the forest, where they can spot animals including monkeys (capuchin and howler for the most part) sloths, raccoons and quatamundis or “pizotes.” One can only see caimans, river otters, pacas, and even ocelots. The best time for spotting most animals is early in the morning. The park also offers tidal pools and a marine life which is seen clearly mostly during the dry season, since during the rainy season sediment in the water will ruin a snorkeler’s expedition.

Getting There

The most common is by car or by bus. If you go by public bus, then you’ll have to catch a bus from San Jose to Manuel Antonio. Schedules vary, so it’s best to inquire with the bus company (tel. (506) 2777-03-18). There are other private buses that travel directly from San Jose to Manuel Antonio, and they are: Saragundi Specialty Tours (tel.2255-00-11) or American VIP Coach Service (tel. (506) 2222-81-34).

Also, you can travel to Quepos by car or on regularly scheduled flights. Travelair has three flights a day during high season. The flight from San Jose takes about 20 minutes. It is a beautiful three and a half hour drive by car from San Jose. While a 4x4 vehicle is not required, we recommend one because some sections of the road have serious potholes and the clearance and durability of 4X4s is an asset.
Manuel Antonio is a little slice of paradise that Costa Rica’s TravelNet highly recommends for beach, sportfishing and nature lovers.