Visit: Manuel Antonio National Park, Manuel Antonio, Quepos Costa Rica
We begin by briefly describing the facilities, trails, and beach areas we will walk and visit on our 3-hour guided tour. We will make recommendations depending on the season and type of group that will be attending the tour.
As mentioned above, we will do the tour in the opposite direction (anti-clockwise) of the standard operators and guides, the idea is to walk with less people and noise, focus on what the tour is about, observe the local wildlife, learn about iconic tropical species and, if possible, take a great photo or video.
The most common species are sloths (both species), monkeys, bats, agoutis, tree frogs, toucans, and even snakes.
Duration: 2 hours
Visit: Playa Espadilla Sur, Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio, Quepos Costa Rica
Since we developed our tour in the opposite direction, this will be the first beach you will see, located at the end of the elevated boardwalk or Sendero Universal El Manglar. Playa Espadilla Sur waves can be very quiet and calm in the dry season (January to May), but they can be rugged and present a powerful "Backwash" on the steeper beach sandbars. Keep an eye out for sea turtle tracks on the beach, and if you're lucky, you may witness baby sea turtles emerge from their nests. There are showers to rinse off and bathrooms available for your use.
Duration: 30 minutes
Visit: Playa Manuel Antonio, Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio, 6 kms south of Quepos, Manuel Antonio, Quepos 195-6350 Costa Rica
Considered one of the most beautiful beaches in Costa Rica. Manuel Antonio Beach offers a contrast of green-white-blue, in simple words, where the forest meets the beach and the ocean. Ideal for swimming with family or group members of advanced age or with children. There are showers to rinse off and bathrooms available for your use.
Duration: 30 minutes
See Availability.
Traveler pickup is offered
Our transportation offered applies to accommodations in the tourist areas of Quepos (center) and Manuel Antonio. If your hotel, Airbnb, or Villa is located outside of the two mentioned areas, you will need to meet us directly at CHALO PARKING - If you are staying within walking distance of the national park, we can meet you directly at CHALO PARKING - There is no official parking for the national park; instead, several private parking areas are available near the park's main entrance for ₡5,000/$10 per day. We work with Gonzalo Montenegro, owner of "CHALO PARKING", located between Joseph's Supermarket and Donde Alex Restaurant, 20 meters from Manuel Antonio National Park.
2 to 3 hours(approx.)
Wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Service animals allowed
Near public transportation
No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Most travelers can participate
Single-use plastics are prohibited (plastic bags, straws, disposable water or soda bottles). Please note the need to BRING YOUR REUSABLE WATER BOTTLE..
Cafeteria service available (Gluten-free not available)
It is not allowed to bring any type of food into the park, visitors with a special diet (for children, pregnancy, or diabetics) can bring peeled fruit, a sandwich, or similar, prepared and packaged in a reusable container.
Manuel Antonio National Park doesn't have an official parking facility, instead several private parking areas are available for ₡4,000/$8 - ₡5,000/$10 per day (CASH ONLY)
Changing rooms, bathrooms, and showers are available (no soap or shampoo allowed)
Drones, sound instruments, flashlights, hunting or fishing implements, and laser pointers are not permitted in the national park.
To protect the nesting sites of iguanas and endangered sea turtles, pets, beach chairs, umbrellas, hammocks, balls, tents, and any sporting devices (bicycles, surfboards, soccer, frisbee) are NOT permitted in the Manuel Antonio National Park.
It is recommended to wear closed-toe shoes (tennis or hiking boots) to participate in the tour. Pack sandals or flip-flops to wear to the beach if you like.
Wear light, breathable, neutral-colored clothing (shorts, T-shirts, tank tops, etc.) Don't wear super bright colors, think about going unnoticed
Pack sunscreen/insect repellent for the hike. Bathing suits, towels, and even snorkel gear if you plan to stay on the beaches of the national park.
Alcoholic beverages, cigarettes, cigars, vaporizers, lighters, and sharp objects are not permitted in the national park.
The entry ticket is VALID ONLY ONCE, you will not be able to re-enter if you leave the park. The park is open from 7:00 am to 4:00 pm.
Subject to favorable weather conditions; if canceled due to poor bad weather, you will be given the option of an alternative date or full refund
A current valid passport is required on the day of travel
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund
This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund
This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate
Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Posted By : MarcSylvester
This tour was excellent! Our tour guide Raphael was not only very knowledgeable, but showed excitement and enthusiasm for his work. He paced the tour as quickly or rapidly as we wished. When we called to have the time of our taxi moved up, the company sent a taxi in about two minutes! This was an amazing tour and clearly the company is incredibly helpful to its guests. I highly recommend this tour.
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Posted On : 2024-05-16
Posted By : Courtney_W
I cannot say thank you enough to Miles (Female, sounds like French Millet?). I would never have gotten to see as much, learn as much, or enjoy my time in the park as much without her! She was patient and customized the tour to each of our requests so we all got to see what we came for...including the poison dart frog! Having just 4 people in our group certainly was the difference here, and I thank God I spent the money to have this semi-private experience.
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Posted On : 2024-05-14
Posted By : Companion51454183180
Milenlli Araya Masis was a very knowledgeable and educated guide, 20 years experience. We saw so many beautiful animals! Great communication and coordination to pick us up and drop us off. We couldn’t be more satisfied
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Posted On : 2024-05-03
Posted By : Maleigha_W
We went around 11:30am and we had a guide. We didn’t see that many animals. I think if you go earlier in the morning when there aren’t as many people or crying loud children running around to and from the beach you’ll have a better chance seeing more animals. The beach was beautiful and amazing. There are jellyfish my friend was stung twice. Once on the beach we saw monkeys and white tail deer without the guide. There were plenty of monkeys.
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Posted On : 2024-04-22
Posted By : Roam61036938023
This tour was great experience. Everything was well organised. Our guide, Raphael was the best of all. He is so knolegable but also nice an funny. He showed us lots of animals and plants and told us something interesting about each of them so now we feel as if we know everything about Manuel Antonio wild life. It was two hours of learning and having fun at the same time. Do not hesitate, book this tour!
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Posted On : 2024-04-22
Posted By : dirtondog
Worth every penny! Felix was amazingly knowledgeable and spotted wildlife we would have never seen without his expert eyes.
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Posted On : 2024-04-21
Posted By : Tom_K
We booked a tour of Manuel Antonio Park with Manuel's Tours (through Viator) and this tour delivered on all promises! In fact, it exceeded our expectations! Karen was our friendly, knowledgeable guide. The AM pickup was prompt and our day got off to a great start. We saw a lot of animals & birds, thanks to Karen's skills. We also learned a lot from Karen. About history, culture, nature and the Costa Rican environment. Her spotting scope brought everything up close! We especially apprciated Karen's help with taking smart-phone photos through that scope. The pace of the hike was just right and the mid-morning treat of fruits and juice really hit the spot, when needed! We highly recommend this tour and tour guide Karen from Manuel's! Thank you, Karen! Pura Vida!
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Posted On : 2024-04-19
Posted By : Julien_T
Our guide, Bryan, was amazing. We had the best time possible, saw so many animals and had a chance to get to one of the most amazing beach in the country. Can't get any better !
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Posted On : 2024-04-19
Posted By : 126zarinaj
Best tour guide!!! Incredibly knowledgable and fun. This was one of our favorite things we did on our trip. We saw other tour guides during our excursion and none of them compared to Manuel. HIGHLY RECOMMEND this company for your tours. You will have an unforgettable experience. Amazing pictures captured and saw all the animals on our list!
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Posted On : 2024-04-10
Posted By : Francesca_P
What a great trip! Huge thanks to Ivan for making the walk through the forest interesting for us and our kids. With his help, we spotted many animals and got some great pics. I would highly recommend this tour - pick up worked like clockwork and Ivan was there at the park entrance ready to greet us. The beach at the end was great too! 😎
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Posted On : 2024-04-08
