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Manuel Antonio is one of Costa Rica’s most beloved national parks for both Costa Ricans and tourists alike. Located on the Pacific coast just south of Quepos, Manuel Antonio has beaches, jungles, wildlife and activities like zip-lining and parasailing.
I’ve always wanted to go to Manuel Antonio, but it’s taken me over 30 years to get there. Now that I finally made it, I’m kicking myself for not going sooner. Manuel Antonio was, without a doubt, one of the best side trips I’ve ever taken.
If you’re hoping to get to Manuel Antonio and are wondering how it is right now, keep reading. This was my experience at Manuel Antonio in March of 2021.
Manuel Antonio National Park
Manuel Antonio has several different areas and here is a brief breakdown: First, there’s the section that’s actually the “national park”. This is separate from the rest of Manuel Antonio and is where you’ll find the hiking trails, guided tours and the best beaches. This park is open every day from 7 am-4 pm EXCEPT for Tuesdays when it’s closed. (This was recently changed from being closed on Mondays).
The beaches that are located inside the park are Playa Gemelas, Playa Manuel Antonio and Playa Espadilla Sur. There are other public beaches outside the park, but more on that later. To get into the national park, you need tickets and they’re only available online at this time. When you book online here (link in the first paragraph), make sure you have your passport number. Tickets are $18.08 for adults and $5.65 for kids 2-11. You can also book a guided tour online.
Directly outside the national park entrance, there’s a small town with hotels, restaurants and souvenirs for sale on the street. That road curves around and comes out onto the main road where you’ll find the enormous public beach. This beach is called Playa Espadilla Norte and is a fantastic place to swim and watch the sunset. This is separate from the national park area and is open every day. There is no fee to use the public beach, but right now it’s only open until 6 pm.
Getting There From Cartago
My home base in Costa Rica is in Cartago, and on this trip, I was accompanied by my friend Emily from Upstate New York. Emily was a co-worker of mine and loves to travel, so it was no surprise to me when she wanted to visit Costa Rica. It was so much fun to finally introduce a fellow New Yorker to the beauty of Costa Rica.
Emily and I decided to spend two days exploring Manuel Antonio on our itinerary, which meant getting on the bus early so we could take full advantage of both days.
We rented a great little Airbnb in the city of Cartago, located in El Bosque which is the area behind the Basilica de Los Angeles and near the famous Soda Billy’s which is a well-loved eatery in Cartago that’s a bit off the beaten path.
For our journey, we got up around 5 am, packed our backpacks and walked to the Cartago bus station located on Calle 6. This would take us to the center of San Jose where we would travel a few blocks away to the Tracopa bus station.
Tracopa Bus Station
The Tracopa Bus Station is located in San Jose on Calle 5, between Avenida 18 and 20 (Rte. 215) Lucky for us, that’s only about four blocks from the Lumaca station where we arrived on our bus from Cartago. It’s also close to the Clinica Biblica Hospital where we booked our COVID antigen tests for our return to the United States.
Besides Manuel Antonio, the Tracopa station has buses that go to Quepos, Dominical, Golfito, Parrita, San Isidro and Paso Canoas just to name a few. There are no buses to Guanacaste from this station.
I was surprised when we arrived at Tracopa because I expected it to be bigger. Along with about six bus bays, there’s a waiting area, bathrooms and a snack bar. To use the bathrooms, it’s about 300 colones which my friend Emily completely ignored on her way to the men’s room, not hearing our pleas to come back. Luckily she used the men’s room without incident.
If you’re traveling to Manuel Antonio or any of the other stops on the Tracopa lines, be advised that you cannot buy tickets online, though they’re working to implement a system. You can, however, view the bus schedules on the website.
Since you must buy your tickets in person at the window, my advice is to get there a couple of hours before you want to leave. As long as you’re at the window, buy your return tickets, too. It’ll save a lot of hassle. Seats are assigned and your tickets will have your seat number printed on them. They will announce when the bus is about to board and you can form a line. Our bus tickets to Manuel Antonio were priced at 4,965 colones which is just over $8.00.
If you’re traveling directly to Manuel Antonio, try to take the bus that goes directly to Manuel Antonio and not the Quepos bus. Manuel Antonio’s last stop is on the roundabout that’s right on the beach. If you do decide to get off in Quepos, or you take the Quepos bus, you can still take another bus to Manuel Antonio, but it’s just easier to go directly to Manuel Antonio.
The Bus Ride
During March, our bus to Manuel Antonio was virtually empty so we easily made the 9:00 AM bus. I suspect that will change as more tourists make their way into Costa Rica.
These buses are very nice, and seats are comfy, but there’s not a heck of a lot of legroom.
This trip was supposed to take around three hours or so, but due to an unexpected strike holding up traffic, it took about five. These buses do make a 15-minute pit stop halfway through the journey, so you can use the bathroom and get a snack. There is no bathroom on the bus! They don’t allow food back on board, but in 15 minutes you can easily take advantage of the fresh fruit they sell as well as grilled meat on a stick.
This bus travels Rte. 27, and there are plenty of interesting things to see. You’ll also pass by Jaco Beach, although you won’t pull into town. You will see the giant, colorful Jaco sign so that’s pretty cool. There are also palm oil plantations along the way where you’ll see thousands of palm trees outside your window, which in my opinion, is a real sight to see.
After stopping briefly in the city of Quepos, you’ll come down a windy, steep hill that leads to Manuel Antonio’s center at the bottom. Coming down this hill you’ll see a lot of hotels, restaurants and clubs, but it’s not safe to walk up and down the hill. In Manuel Antonio, you can find a taxi line-up right on the main street that will take you wherever you want to go, but be aware that they’re probably going to overcharge you for that ride. Another option is to get on one of the Quepos buses that regularly stop at the roundabout.
Staying at Hotel Manuel Antonio
Manuel Antonio is full of hotels of every price range and they’re everywhere. As I mentioned, you’ll see plenty on the ride down into the center of town. These places that are built into the hill have terrific views, but we wanted a place that was close to the public beach as well as the entrance to the park so we could do everything on foot.
We booked our hotel ahead of time from the States and selected Hotel Manuel Antonio which is right where the bus drops you off and directly across the street from the beach. Hotel Manuel Antonio goes for about $80 per night, and while there are cheaper alternatives, the location was spot-on, right across from the beach with an ocean-view balcony.
The hotel has beautiful grounds and the rooms and bathrooms are spacious. They also have air conditioning and a large ceiling fan. The only thing I wished they had had was a refrigerator which I found odd, but since I wasn’t planning on bringing food back it didn’t matter. There was also unlimited ice in the reception area so cold drinks weren’t a problem.
Check-in was a breeze and all safety precautions were in place. Staff was masked, our luggage was sprayed down and we were off to the races.
Dinner at the Hotel
After getting things organized in the hotel, we decided to take a quick walk around and find out what was what. None of the restaurants in town were particularly busy, but since we were both so tired Emily suggested we try the hotel’s restaurant. It ended up being an excellent idea and our first meal in Manuel Antonio was arroz con pollo with an ice-cold Coke and man, it really hit the spot.
There are two small supermarkets in town so later we stocked up with tasty beverages before getting a bucket of ice and hanging out on the hotel’s balcony. We had a view of the beach and what little traffic was going by. For a huge tourist spot, it was extremely quiet due to the pandemic. Actually, quiet isn’t the word. It was completely empty.
Breakfast at Costa Linda
The next morning dawned bright and sunny, and this was the day we had dedicated to exploring Manuel National Park. It’s supposed to get crowded quickly, at least during normal tourist time, so we headed out for breakfast early.
A friend of mine had suggested eating at a spot called Art Hostel Costa Linda, so off we went. Costa Linda is a short walk uphill from the main road. This adorable backpacker’s hostel also serves food to the public.
We were greeted and helped ourselves to the self-serve coffee. The standard big breakfast starts with fruit and a pancake, followed by eggs, bread and gallopinto all for about $4.50, yum! It was a perfect start to the morning and as you can see, we had a little company.
Tickets for the National Park
During March, we were able to buy our tickets inside the national park entrance with a credit card. We then proceeded to a window where they scanned our ticket and we were off. Please be advised that right now, you can ONLY BUY TICKETS ONLINE.
Tickets are $18.08 for adults and $5.65 for kids.
Many people ask about the guided tours into Manuel Antonio. In my honest opinion, even if you don’t get a guide you will see wildlife like monkeys and probably sloths inside the park. HOWEVER, a guide can point out all the things you’d never know are there. Plus, they have telescopes for you to view animals that are high up in the trees. You never know where sloths are hanging out, but the guides do.
Just make sure that if you plan on hiring a guide, you get a reputable one. There are always scammers on the loose wherever you travel, so do your research. You can book tour guides here on the Manuel Antonio site.
If you’re driving yourself into Manuel Antonio park for the day, you also want to watch out for people trying to get you to park before you make it to the park. Don’t be intimidated. Proceed all the way to the park entrance and you can park there. If you’re staying at a nearby hotel, your best bet is to take a cab and not drive yourself at all.
Another helpful tip for those that are new to Manuel Antonio is the dirt path that goes from the roundabout to the national park. Directly next door to Hotel Manuel Antonio on the left, you’ll see a dirt path. There’s usually someone seated flagging people over. First, this path really does lead to the national park, it’s just a shortcut. However, you don’t need to sign in with anyone sitting by this path or purchase anything. This dirt path will take you over to that busy side street with all the souvenirs. When you get there, the park entrance is on your right.
Hiking Trails at Manuel Antonio
The hiking trails you’ve read about at Manuel Antonio are inside the national park.
We were thoroughly impressed by how well-maintained these trails were. Many are paved, and some are made of concrete. Even the trails that are made of dirt are in good shape, except for parts of the Catedral trail.
Some of these trails end up at a vantage point and some go down to beaches. There’s also a mangrove trail.
The Catedral trail seemed to be the longest and unfortunately, the one we headed to last. By the time we got on this trail, we were exhausted and since the trail was so isolated and dark, we decided to head back. There were also a few rough patches along the trail and areas that were broken down. This might all be gone by the time you get there, but if you make it to the end of Catedral, post in the comments below!
Food and Bathrooms
One of the questions I’ve heard most about the national park is if there are bathrooms inside. The answer is yes! In the center of the park where many of the trails meet, there’s an open space where you’ll find a snack bar, picnic tables and bathrooms. This comes as a relief, quite literally, especially if you plan on spending the entire day exploring the trails and beaches. According to the map, there are a couple more bathrooms inside the park.
There are two small kiosks inside the snack area, one sells sandwiches, fresh food and natural beverages and coffee. The other sells gelato. There is also a small souvenir shop inside with t-shirts, but this was closed while we were there.
Behind the snack area, you’ll find wooden lockers to stow your stuff while you use the beach. This is especially nice for people traveling alone that don’t want to leave their stuff on the beach. Just remember to bring a padlock!
Beaches Inside the Park
As wonderful as the large public beach Playa Espadilla Norte is, you want to take advantage of the beaches that are inside the park. These beaches are stunning and missing out on them would be a travesty.
Beaches you’ll find inside the park include Playa Manuel Antonio, Playa Espadilla Sur and Playa Gemelas. These beaches have beautiful golden sand that slopes down toward the deep green water. It’s incredibly photo-friendly and a lot of people take advantage of swimming.
Sloths and Monkeys, Oh My!
For anyone interested in seeing monkeys and sloths (oh my!) Manuel Antonio will not disappoint. I have to admit that I was skeptical, and figured only the lucky ones get to see a sloth, but we saw four of them! We also saw more monkeys than I can remember. And the best part of seeing these guys? They were free! No bars, no cages–you get it. Of course, with people wandering by, I think they’ve grown accustomed to that, unlike their counterparts in the deep, deep rainforest.
To be completely transparent, Emily and I did not hire a guide. We were traveling on a budget and just decided to wing it. In our personal experience, we saw several sloths without the help of a guide and a couple because we walked past a guide that was pointing one out. That’s not to say you should go into the park and mooch off guides, but we happened to be in the right place at the right time.
The good thing about hiring a guide is that they can point out other things you’d never know are there. Plus, they can tell you about all the vegetation and anything else you’d like to know about the park.
Other Beaches Outside the Park
Emily and I were at Manuel Antonio for just two days (or one and a half after the long bus ride) so we didn’t get to see every beach in Manuel Antonio. There are two beaches we missed, the first is called Playa Biesanz and the other Playa La Macha. Although we didn’t make it to these beaches, I’ve heard fantastic things about Playa Biesanz.
We spent a couple of hours at the public beach, too. Playa Espadilla Norte is good for swimming and you can rent loungers if you like. You’re also close to restaurants, drinks, etc.
Dinner at El Avion
After our expedition to the park, Emily and I decided it was time to check out El Avion restaurant.
As I mentioned, coming down the hill into Manuel Antonio, there are a lot of restaurants and clubs, but it’s not safe to walk that road. You can find a taxi line-up right on the main street that will take you wherever you want to go, but be aware that they’re going to overcharge you which they did to us! For the ride up from Manuel Antonio to El Avion, they charged us 3000 colones, which by US standards is only $6 and not a lot, but by Costa Rican standards it’s grossly overcharged. I let the driver know we weren’t pleased and Emily mistakenly slammed his door which, in Tico culture is a huge insult. However, it was a timely insult.
El Avion Restaurant is constructed out of an old airplane and is hard to miss. The restaurant has two floors with a balcony that’s famous for watching the sunset over the sea. We didn’t make it in time for the sunset, but we still had a pretty good time. There’s a hearty mix of tourists as well as Costa Ricans. I was craving a burger and El Avion didn’t disappoint. Emily ordered a chicken concoction with rice and a Sol beer.
El Avion also has a cool little bar downstairs built into the side of the plane.
On the way back we caught another cab, and this time we had a better experience. On the way down the hill, our taxi driver came to a screeching halt, pointing out the window. We got out of the cab just in time to see a two-toed sloth navigating across the power lines. It was an amazing thing to see and I thought it was great that our driver stopped to let us photograph the sloth as he moved across the wire.
Catching the Bus to San Jose from Manuel Antonio
Catching the bus back to San Jose from Manuel Antonio is super easy. You just pick it up exactly where it dropped you off at the roundabout. Be sure to get there at least 15 minutes early and let passengers off the bus before you get on. If you have any big bags or luggage, they’ll put them in the compartment under the bus. Just make sure you’ve got a separate bag with your money, cell phone, etc. to take with you on the bus.
This bus also makes a stop on the way back to San Jose about halfway through. Our last stop was at Tracopa bus station, exactly where we started. Before catching our bus home to Cartago, we needed to have our COVID test for traveling back to the United States. We had made appointments at the Clinica Biblia not far from the bus station.
What We Packed
When you’re packing to go to Manuel Antonio, there are a few specific things you’ll want to pack. A lot depends on the activities you’ve reserved, but for general reference, here are a few musts.
Beach Apparel: Besides your swimsuit, water or aqua shoes are a good idea. The main public beach is pebbly and it’s just easier if you get a pair of water shoes. If you’re bringing beach towels of your own, you might think about bringing a lightweight, quick-drying towel. I bought the Havana pattern and it was much easier to stash in my backpack than a regular towel.
Sunblock: I know you know this, but sunblock is essential anywhere in Costa Rica! We decided to take something new and fun, so we brought a sample size Coola spray sunblock in Guava Mango with an SPF 50. It smelled great! Also, be sure to use a facial sunblock like Hawaiian Tropic Weightless Face to avoid getting brown spots like I’m susceptible to! This lotion smells great, gives you a glow and doesn’t turn chalky.
Hair Stuff: If you have long hair as I do, make sure you take a few hair ties. I took along a travel-sized Not Your Mother’s Beach Babe Sea Salt Spray in tropical banana. This spray made my curls come out and worked so well, I’m still using it after coming home.
Hiking sandals: the trails inside Manuel Antonio park are immaculate, but you’ll want something comfortable with good tread. We ended up using our water shoes which worked pretty well because of the rubber soles. However, our feet were tired after a full day.
Tank tops/sports bras: Ladies, make sure you take along a sports bra for hiking and activities. I wore my Columbia hiking skirt along with this cool Icyzone tank top that worked out well for the rainforest.
Lightweight backpack: separate from your luggage, a small lightweight, waterproof backpack is a great idea for a day spent inside the park.
Collapsible or metal water bottles: plastic disposable bottles aren’t allowed inside the park. There is a place to buy water and refreshments inside, and taking a non-disposable water bottle to fill is a good idea.
What I’d Do Differently the Next Time
Our trip to Manuel Antonio was pretty close to a perfect excursion and I can’t wait to do it again! Of course, hindsight is 20/20, and there are a couple of things I’d do differently the next time.
First, I’d double-check to make sure my hotel had a refrigerator. There may have been some kind of restriction in place, but I would have loved to have cold drinks ready and waiting even though ice was available.
Second, I think I’d get to the park earlier than we did to spend all day swimming at the different beaches.
Third, I’d make it to El Avion well before sunset to enjoy the view.
Last, I’d stay longer! Manuel Antonio is one of the best places I’ve ever been to in Costa Rica!