Manuel Antonio National Park
Costa Rica

• Punta Catedral: The forested point is a loop of an hour, and the path can be muddy. It is a walk, not a swim. If a section is roped off, do not step around it.
• Playa Manuel Antonio: Inside the gate, this cove is the calmer swim, and it is still not a pool. Monkeys work the sand, so do not leave food out. Shade thins by noon.
• Sloth trails: Look up, and walk slower than the group ahead of you. Morning is when you actually see a sloth. They will not perform for a late crowd.
• Monkey beaches: Capuchins and squirrel monkeys work these beaches. Do not feed them, and do not set a bag down. Come early, before they start begging.
• Punta Catedral hike: The loop climbs, then returns on the far side. Roots are slick after rain, and it is steeper than it looks. Do it before the path is a queue.
• Snorkeling coves: Rocky edges inside the park take a mask when the sea is calm. Morning is clearer. If the outside beach is dumping, these coves are stirred up too.

You are likely to see three-toed sloths, squirrel monkeys, white-faced capuchins, iguanas and toucans. Sloths and squirrel monkeys are in the park trees in the first hour after the gate opens. By late morning the trails are crowded and the animals are higher.

The trails, the monkeys, and the beaches are past the gate. Punta Catedral is a forested point, about an hour if the path is not too muddy. Playa Manuel Antonio, inside the gate, is the calmer swim. Playa Espadilla is the public beach outside the gate, and it can pull. The gate caps how many people enter each day.

The climate is tropical wet. It is hot, about 25–32°C. December to April is the shorter dry season. Heavy rain falls from May to November. The park rises from sea level to 160 m. In the greener months the morning is still usable, and the rain tends to wait until afternoon.

Most trips start at Juan Santamaría (SJO) in Alajuela and continue by car. Quepos and Manuel Antonio are about three hours from SJO. The gate is a short ride from Quepos, not a day of driving. From the Central Valley, add time for the mountain roads. Arrive in daylight if you do not know the road.

Yes. Book online through SICORE (serviciosenlinea.sinac.go.cr) before you drive. The busiest parks sell tickets online only. The gate still caps the day, so come early.

A foreign adult pays US$18.08. IVA is included, as of Oct 2026. Fees differ for residents.

It is open Wednesday to Monday, 7:00 to 15:00, and closed on Tuesdays. Come at opening. A late arrival can mean you never get in.

No. You need a guide in Corcovado. That is the rule there, not a rule for every park. At Manuel Antonio the trails, the monkeys, and the beaches are past the gate. Stay on the marked path. If a section is roped off, do not step around it.

The park caps how many people enter each day and closes on Tuesdays. Stay on the trail. If a section is roped off, do not step around it. Do not feed the monkeys, and do not leave food on the sand.