Family friendly guide to Manuel Antonio

Manuel Antonio is one of Costa Rica’s most popular destinations – and with good reason. You can experience a little bit of everything here. It is the perfect combination of Costa Rica’s pristine beaches and its infamous lush jungles. There are waterfalls, mangroves, coral reefs – whatever animal habitat you want to see, you can probably find it here. Whatever *animal* you want to spot, you have a good chance of spotting it here. Zip-lining, para-sailing, waterfall-repelling, snorkelling, you can do it all in Manuel Antonio.

The area is very traveller friendly, with a ton of hotels, restaurants, and tour operators. Much of the time, it feels like there are far more visitors than locals. With its fairly accessible location from the San Jose airport, Manuel Antonio makes a great base for families looking to experience Costa Rica.

With that being said, there is really only one thing you *have* to do in Manuel Antonio. And that is visiting Manuel Antonio National Park. If you are traveling with kids, this should be a full day affair. Add in an extra half-day on either end to enjoy the beach, the pools at your hotel, and a beautiful sunset off the pacific coast, and you have yourself a beautiful Manuel Antonio experience.

If you are planning to visit other area in Costa Rica, 2 days in Manuel Antonio is an ideal amount of time. If this is your only destination, or say, you are splitting 1 week of vacation time between Manuel Antonio and somewhere else (like Arenal or Monteverde), we recommend at least 4 days in order to fit in more quintessential Costa Rica activities.

What is Manuel Antonio?

Manuel Antonio is a region in Costa Rica along the pacific coast. When people refer to Manuel Antonio, this includes: 1) the namesake Manuel Antonio National Park, 2) the “village” of Manuel Antonio (basically a collection of hotels and restaurants strung along the main road), and 3) the nearby town of Quepos, about 7km away.

(Route 618 is the main road that will lead you through Quepos –> up the hills to Manuel Antonio “village” –> down the hills to the beaches –> straight onward to Manuel Antonio National Park.)

How to get to Manuel Antonio

Rental Car

Manuel Antonio is a 3 hour drive from the San Jose airport (156 km or just under 100 miles).

If you are traveling we kids, we definitely recommend renting your own car. This gives you the flexibility to move at your own pace. You can bring your own car seats or booster seats. You can stop or as many bathroom or snack breaks as you need. And despite what people frequently say about fanatical Costa Rica driving, the road from San Jose to Manuel Antonio is an easy drive. It’s a freeway out of San Jose, then a well-paved costal road with beautiful views down to Manuel Antonio. You do not need a 4×4. Be prepared to pay tolls for the freeway (total around $5 USD), which you can pay in cash or by card.

Along the way, be sure to stop by Crocodile Bridge as you pass the Tarcoles River, for guaranteed crocodile sightings. It is about 1.5 hours outside of San Jose. You won’t miss it, as there is a cluster of souvenir shops and a line of parked cars before the bridge.

Having your own car around Manuel Antonio is very handy. The area is not particularly walkable. You can hire a taxi or join a tour to Manual Antonio National Park that picks you up from your hotel, but if you are planning to check out some restaurants, shops, and beaches, having a car is mighty convenient.

We rented our car from Vamos Costa Rica, and were happy with their service.

Private Shuttle

If you are not planning to drive, you can book a private or shared shuttle through a private transportation service. A private shuttle will pick up you from the airport, and costs around $200 USD. Companies that offer private shuttles include: Two Weeks in Costa Rica, or Tropical Tours Shuttles.

Shared Shuttle

Shared shuttles are more cumbersome for families with kids. They cost around $60 USD per person, and pick you up at designated times and stops. You will need to taxi from the airport to the designated spot. Depending on how many stops your shuttle makes, this trip could take around 4 hours. Popular services include Interbus, and above mentioned Tropical Tours Shuttles.

Public bus

If you are travelling with kids and thinking about public transit in Costa Rica, you are very brave and also crazy.

From San Jose airport to the San Jose Tracopa Bus terminal to Quepos and THEN to your hotel by taxi or local bus, this will take you 5 hours and about 5 years off your life.

Where to stay in Manuel Antonio

Manuel Antonio and Quepos offer a range of accommodations. Manuel Antonio boasts ocean-side luxury resorts, and boutique hotels high in the hills. There is a cluster of conveniently located budget hotels within walking distance to the National park and beach. In Quepos, you will find more hostels and budget-friendly hotels. Quepos also has a lively night scene and lots of places to shop and eat.

For families, we recommend sticking near Manuel Antonio. It is more convenient (closer to beach and Park), with more spacious properties (pools on site, better for wildlife). Many of these spots have gorgeous views of the coast, and stunning sunsets. (We are always a sucker for these.)

Another tip here is to check out airBNB listings. Given this area’s boutique hotel vibe, there are lots of small sanctuaries hidden among the hills, such as this Balinese Treehouse!

Budget range hotel recommendation

La Posada Jungle Hotel – La Posada is located just outside Manuel Antonio National Park. For this spot, location is *everything*. You are within walking distance to the National Park, as well as beaches and restaurants/bars. This hotel has a small pool, and because it is so close to the park, you have a potential to see a *ton* of animals.

Hotel Manuel Antonio Park (bonus recommendation!) – another family friendly gem just outside Manuel Antonio National Park.

Mid-range hotel recommendation

Costa Verde – this is a sprawling space high in the hills, with boutique villas and great views of the coast. There are several pools scattered around the property. LOTS of monkeys here. These owners operate several restaurants up the street, including El Wagon Pizzeria and the famous El Avion restaurant. There is even a zip-lining coaster! Costa Verde isn’t technically a resort, but it feels like one.

Luxury hotel recommendation

Tulemar Resort – beachfront resort with gorgeous ocean views and its own private beach area. (Out of our price range, but enjoyed dreaming over the photos.) Offers many tour options and water activities. *Tons* of animals on site, including sloths!

What you need to know about Manuel Antonio National Park

What is so special about Manuel Antonio National Park

Manuel Antonio is Costa Rica’s smallest National Park. We feel it is most unique for 2 things:

1. The animals. Because of its small size and its biodiversity, you have a good chance of spotting plenty of wildlife here, particularly on a guided tour. Even without a guide, you will see tons of capuchin monkeys, iguanas, blue crabs, and insects such as leaf cutter ants.

2. The perfect jungle and ocean combination. A jungle hike that ends with a dip in the ocean? It doesn’t get any better than that. This makes Manuel Antonio one of the prettiest parks, in our opinion, with stunning lookout points and unique trails. The surrounding coral reefs and ocean life adds to Manuel Antonio’s biodiversity.

The downsides to Manuel Antonio National Park

1. Crowds. Manuel Antonio is definitely the most crowded park we visited. Its popularity along with its small size means you will be sharing the trails and the beaches with groups and sometimes crowds of other tourists. This sometimes made us feel we were visiting an amusement park or a zoo.

2. The touristy sales pitches. Along with the crowds, Manuel Antonio was the only spot in Costa Rica we ever felt harassed as tourists. There were no aggressive sales tactics *in* the park itself, but from hiring a guide to parking your car, to sellers pressing us to buy coconuts as we left, we definitely felt the pressure.

Buying tickets and booking tours

You *must* reserve your tickets in advance through Costa Rica’s National Parks website, SINAC. Tickets do sell out as Manuel Antonio limits its visitors per day. We suggest reserving tickets as soon as you have nailed down which day you want to visit. (At least 1 week in advance if you can!) Keep in mind the park is CLOSED on Mondays.

Tickets cost $16 USD per adult, and $5 USD per child (as of 2024).

If you want to book a guided tour, you can book the “official” park guided tour through Manuel Antonio, or a separate tour through Viator or even airBNB experiences. As with all private tours in Costa Rica, make sure your guide has an ICT card (guide certification). Also check to make sure your tour includes tickets into the park (most do), or else you will need to purchase those separately. If you have already purchased tickets and then decide last minute you want a guide, you can hire one directly at the park entrance.

Guided tours cost around $60 USD per adult, and $40 USD per child. (Official park tour.)

Is it necessary to take a guided tour?

It is *not* necessary to hire a guide.

We recommended joining a guided tour if this is one of the only parks you will be visiting in Costa Rica. A guide provides a ton of information on the flora and fauna in the park, and will help you spot animals with telescopic lenses you would never be able to see on your own.

For families with young children, small group or private tours are better. It is harder to keep kids engaged in larger groups. There are longer waits to look through telescopes, and overall more waiting, which can be difficult for squirmy kids.

We opted not to take a guided tour in Manuel Antonio. This was mostly because we had already done tours in other parks (Manuel Antonio was the last park we visited on our trip), and had already seen all the animals we really wanted to see. We were happy to take our chances at whatever we could spot ourselves (which turned out to be plenty). The second reason was because one of our priorities was enjoying the beaches. Most tours start with a hike, and end at the beach, which means the beaches get way more crowded as the day wears on. We were able to beach hop interspersed with hiking, and could take advantage of the beaches when they were quieter. (You *can* reserve tours for later in the day, but from our experience, this makes for grumpier kids because they are already tired out.)

Parking at Manuel Antonio National Park

Parking here deserves a special mention. When you are driving to the park, coming from Quepos or Manuel Antonio, you will pass Espadilla beach. This is a long stretch of beach with parking. Local parking attendants here will *very* aggressively try to get you to park here on your way to the park. We had people quite literally jumping in front of our car. (This was very eye opening for the kids.) Do NOT park here, as it’s still 2-3 km away from the park entrance itself. There will be a left turn only road that leads straight to the entrance of the park. You will find official National Park parking here, which costs about $8 USD.

It is not hard to find and easy to get to, so don’t be put off from driving. You don’t need to call a taxi from your hotel. The parking lot itself felt safe, and we did not feel worried parking our car there. (But it is always prudent not to leave anything valuable in your vehicle.)

What to bring into Manuel Antonio National Park

• Daypack
• Water bottle
• Swimwear
• Microfibre towel
• Sunscreen
• Bugspray
• Your kids activity pack: animal pamphlets and binoculars

What to wear:

• Whatever you would wear for a casual/active activity – you do not need to wear hiking pants or anything special for Manuel Antonio
• Hiking sandals – if you have hiking sandals, this is the perfect park to wear them, as they can double as beach shoes. If you do not have hiking sandals, sneakers will work. You do not need specialized hiking shoes or boots.

What not to bring:

• NO food allowed into the park.
• Do not bring anything in ziplock bags. You will become the target of capuchin monkey thievery. (We had our travel medications in a ziplock bag in our daypack. The monkeys must be conditioned to assume this is food, and conducted a sneak attack when we were unpacking our towels!)

Manuel Antonio National Park suggested itinerary

As we said, Manuel Antonio Park with children should really be a whole day affair. Manuel Antonio National Park opening hours are 7am – 4pm. We recommend getting to the park as early as you can, so you get some time to enjoy the park before it gets busy.

This suggested itinerary is mostly for those planning to self-visit. Though if you are joining a guided tour, our beach hopping advice might still be useful for afterward.

Hike: take the “Official Road” (Camino Vehicular) OR Sendero Perezoso (boardwalk) from the Park Entrance to Playa Manuel Antonio (~ 1.3 km)

There are two hiking trails that run parallel to each other here. The Official Road (orange trail above) is a wide dirt path that can accommodate vehicles. Most tour groups go along this route. We took this route as well, as we thought it might be easier to spot animals in the more open space. Sendero Perezoso (this does NOT appear on the above map) is a boardwalk-type trail that runs a little deeper in the forest. You can see tons of crabs from this trail. (We took this trail on the way back.)

Beach stop #1: enjoy Playa Manuel Antonio!

If you are not taking a tour, the trek from entrance to park will not take very long. At the end of the trail, you will find a clearing where the trails meet, a cafeteria, and a set of bathrooms/changerooms. If needed, change into your bathing suits and enjoy the beach. Playa Manuel Antonio is a beautiful stretch of sandy beach and calm water, surrounded by lush jungle. You will have it mostly to yourself if you come early in the morning, as most people will still be on their tours. The water is warm albeit fairly murky. The kids brought their goggles in lieu of snorkels, but were unable to see much.

Hike: Sendero Playa Gemelas (~ 1.6 km, to get to the beach is about half that distance)

This trail starts behind the cafeteria (dotted purple trail). It is a little more rustic compared to the main trails, but still very doable for kids.

Beach stop #2: Playa Gemelas

There are a short set of stairs from Sendero Playa Gemelas down to the beach itself. This beach is smaller and much quieter than Playa Manuel Antonio. The waves are stronger here, so the kids did not swim. This is a great spot to relax and play on the beach. This is also a capuchin monkey hotspot. They came right down to where we were, and even stole Big S’s puffer right from our backpack!

Optional hike: finish the Sendero Playa Gemelas hike, or hike Sendero Mirador (1.3 km, double that there and back)

If your kiddos are avid hikers, you can squeeze a little more hiking here. Sendero Mirador breaks off from Sendero Playa Gemelas on your way back (dotted yellow trail). As its name suggests, this is an elevation hike that brings you to lookout points along the coast.

Lunch at the cafeteria

When you finish your hike, you will end up in the main clearing, directly at the cafeteria/gift shop. This is a good time to grab a bite. You *cannot* bring food into the park with you, so eating here is your only option. The cafeteria serves light fare, such as sandwiches and salads. You can also purchase snacks and ice cream. Eating here is interesting, because you are essentially caged in (protecting you and your food from the animals).

Hike: Sendero Principal (2.2km) or Sendero Perezoso back toward the entrance

After lunch, you can make your way back toward the entrance. You have 2 trail options. You can hike the Sendero Principal (purple trail) that will take you past Manuel Antonio beach and along Espadilla beach. Again if your kids are avid hikers, there is an option to add Sendero Punta Catedral (1.4 km). This takes you around the tip of the Manuel Antonio “peninsula” for more lookout spots.

You can also hike the Sendero Perezoso trail as we described above. There are a *ton* of crabs along this route. This connects with Sendero Principal near the entrance, so you can choose to hit the beach or leave the park.

Beach stop #3: Playa Espadilla (“Sur”)

This is the same long stretch of beach you passed when driving to the park, but much quieter since it’s in the park. Even in the busy afternoon hours, you can find a little stretch of beach all to yourself. The waves are strong, so not a great place to swim. (Though our kids had a blast getting pummelled back to shore by the waves. :P) But it’s a fantastic spot to relax and just enjoy the beach. There are lots of iguanas chilling out along the sand here.

Rounding out your day after the park

El Avion restaurant

This is a great spot to have dinner after a full day of hiking and beaching. El Avion is an open air seafood and grill restaurant with incredible views of the Pacific Ocean (and picture perfect sunset views, if you can time it). The restaurant is built around an old C-123 Fairchild cargo plane. You can explore the body of the plane, and take a whirl in the cockpit.

“Avatar” Zip Coaster

This is just next door to El Avion. As its name implies, you are harnessed like you are zip-lining, but instead of a zip-line you have the dips and twists of a roller coaster. The cost for one ride is $12 USD. If there is no line, the experience only takes about 5 minutes or so. Big S and Lil S *loved* this.

What else is there to do around Manuel Antonio?

Enjoy your hotel grounds and pool

This area is teeming with wildlife. We saw toucans, agoutis, and a ton of monkeys on the grounds of our hotel, including spider monkeys, capuchin monkeys, *and* howler monkeys. The kids loved being in the pool, watching spider monkeys chasing each other across the sunshade above.

Hit up the beach

Playa Espadilla Norte is the main beach in Manuel Antonio. This beach extends into the National Park (Playa Espadilla Sur), but the stretch that is outside the park (Playa Espadilla Norte) is free for public use. Parking is free, but you can pay the attendant a fee to watch your vehicle. There are beach umbrellas and deck chairs available to rent. Playa Espadilla is loud and lively, and a great spot for those interested in water sports. You can find rentals for surfboards, and surf lessons starting at $50 USD, as well as boogie boarding, banana boating, parasailing, and a whole host of other activities.

Playa Biesanz is quieter, surrounded by jungle. The waves here are calmer, better for families with kids. This is also one of Manuel Antonio’s best snorkelling spots. You can rent umbrellas here, as well a snorkel gear and kayaks for paddling out to some nearby snorkelling spots.

Nauyaca waterfall

This was on our itinerary for our last full day in Costa Rica, but the kids were just not feeling it. (Instead, we spent our last day lounging at our pool, which was a highly acceptable alternative.)

Nauyaca is a series of 2 cascading waterfalls in the jungle. You can hike to both, and swim in the basin of the bottom falls. It is about a 1 hour drive south from Manual Antonio, with a fair bit of hiking (if you choose), so it would definitely be a full day event with kids. The trail is 4km to reach the falls, so 8km total. The entrance fee is $10 USD per person. If you don’t want to hike, you can opt for a horseback tour ($80 USD per person), or have them drive you in a 4×4 ($32 USD per person).

You can book tickets through the official Nauyaca Waterfalls website (or buy tickets at the office when you arrive). You can also arrange for horseback tours through independent operators.

Damas Island Mangrove boat tours

Take a half day boat tour to explore this diverse ecosystem, just 20 minutes away from Manuel Antonio. This is a great way to spot animals, from monkeys and anteaters to a whole host of reptiles and birds.

Zip-lining

We have an entire post on zip-lining in Costa Rica. It’s a fun and exhilarating way to experience Costa Rica’s rainforest canopy. While we personally love and recommend zip-lining through the rainforests around Monteverde and Arenal, Manuel Antonio has some great zip-line tours as well!

El Santuario has the longest zip-line in Central America! Manuel Antonio Canopy Safari is an adventurous combination of 11 zip-lines, 2 rappel lines, 1 suspension bridge, and a Tarzan swing.

Guided night tour

We’ve said this before and we’ll say it again – we don’t care *where* you book your night tour in Costa Rica, so long as you do! So many of Costa Rica’s animals are nocturnal. A guided hike through the rainforest at night, spotting animals by flashlight, is one of the most memorable experiences you’ll have here. Jungle Night Tour is a popular option. (Manuel Antonio National Park is not open at night, so all night tours will be elsewhere at a private reserve or park.)

Recommended dining spots in Manuel Antonio

(Because nothing is worse than casually dropping by a soda and getting served your burger with the plastic rind still attached. Did this happen to us in Costa Rica? … Yes, yes it did.)

Falafel bar – Somehow, traveling always makes me crave shawarma. 😛 But that aside, Falafel bar is a popular spot serving Mediterranean fare under a covered outdoor space with jungle views, and consistently excellent customer service.

Agua Azul – a spot high in the hills with fantastic ocean views. Agua Azul serves a more contemporary version of traditional Costa Rican fare, and great seafood dishes.

El Wagon Pizzeria – run by the same people that own El Avion, this was our favourite pizza in Costa Rica. The pizza is made fresh in a wood-fired oven. There is a train car you can explore while waiting for your food. (And frequent playful and sometimes sneaky monkey visitors.)

Looking for more family friendly Costa Rica tips for your upcoming dream trip? Be sure to check out the rest of our posts!