Manuel Antonio is Costa Rica's most visited national park and also one of its smallest — barely two thousand hectares on land. Its appeal is an unusual combination: primary rainforest reaching literally down to the sand, calm swimming beaches, and a density of wildlife that lets you see monkeys, sloths and iguanas in a single morning without effort.
Book before you go
This is the first thing to know: tickets are sold online and in advance, with a limited daily quota, and the park closes on Mondays. Nothing is sold at the gate. The details of the system change from season to season, so check in the month of your trip. Without a reservation you do not get in, and a great many visitors discover this too late.
Trails and beaches
The main trail — wide and flat — runs just over a kilometre from the entrance to Playa Espadilla Sur and Playa Manuel Antonio, separated by a sand isthmus known as a tombolo. The second is the better swimming beach: a sheltered bay with little surf and clear water.
From there the Punta Catedral trail makes a forty-minute loop over what was once an island and is now joined to the mainland, with viewpoints over the Pacific. It is the quietest part of the park, because almost everyone stays on the beach.
The wildlife
White-faced capuchins and howler monkeys are easy; with more luck you may see the squirrel monkey, endemic to this coast and endangered. Two-toed and three-toed sloths are almost always present but hard to spot unaided — hiring a guide with a spotting scope at the entrance transforms what you see, and split between a few people it costs little.
One serious warning: do not feed the monkeys or raccoons, and do not leave bags unattended on the beach. Capuchins open zips confidently and steal food systematically. Feeding them causes digestive problems and aggression.
When to go and where to stay
Arrive at opening time: fewer people, and animals at their most active. By midday the heat builds and wildlife disappears into the canopy. The dry season, December to April, is busiest; in September and October it rains in the afternoon but mornings are usually clear and the park is close to empty.
The town of Quepos and the road climbing to the park hold the accommodation, at every price level. That road also has several viewpoints looking out over the whole coastline.
Getting there
Manuel Antonio is about three hours by road from San José on a good highway, or a short flight to Quepos. Public buses run direct from the capital several times a day and are inexpensive. A car is not necessary here — the park, the beaches and the restaurants are all connected by a frequent local bus running up and down the hill.