There are many wonderful things to do in Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica. This really is one of the top places to visit in Costa Rica. My sister and I visited on our most recent trip to this Central America country and we enjoyed every day we spent in this small beach town.
Manuel Antonio is located on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, just a few miles away from Quepos and about a 3.5 hour drive from San Jose. Completely surrounded by tropical rainforest, this small town offers more than one opportunity to spot animals even outside the homonymous national park.
At our hotel, breakfasts were somewhat lively with the frequent presence of monkeys looking for food. But monkeys show up almost everywhere in Manuel Antonio, climbing down trees and over power lines to get anywhere they like. In addition to monkeys, we also saw sloths and deers just outside the park.
Tourists love Manuel Antonio, and for a good reason! With all the incredible wildlife, the beaches and the fabulous choice of hotels and restaurants, and being so easily connected to the rest of the country, this is a wonderful holiday spot.
Curious to find out more? The continue reading as I will share the things to do in Manuel Antonio that you should not miss.
Disclaimer: we paid out of our own pocket for all the things to do in Manuel Antonio and the tours mentioned in this post. I am recommending the companies because they were excellent.
The Best Things To Do In Manuel Antonio
Visit Manuel Antonio National Park
Needless to say, one of the unmissable things to do in Manuel Antonio is visiting Manuel Antonio National Park, one of the top Costa Rica national parks. This is the perfect combination for nature lovers thanks to its nature, wildlife, hiking trails and beaches.
Despite being the smallest park in Costa Rica, Manuel Antonio National Park has an incredible variety of fauna and flora due to its unique location.
The landscape is extraordinary: a lush rainforest, mangroves, a waterfall, four beaches (Espadilla Sur, Manuel Antonio, Gemelas and Escondido) and 12 islands and different types of monkeys and birds, sloths (two- and three-toed), iguanas, snakes and much more.
Manuel Antonio is by far the most visited national park in Costa Rica thanks to its accessibility (family with children, people with mobility issues as well as visually impaired) and its incredible variety of wildlife. It is easy to see animals here; and then spend time at the beautiful beaches.
You can visit independently, although I recommend hiring a guide: a trained eye can spot animals even in the distance or camouflaged in the vegetation.
We visited Manuel Antonio National Park with Berny of Nature Walks Costa Rica and we truly enjoyed it: he is an outstanding guide with in-depth knowledge of the local wildlife.
You can also book a guided tour of Manuel Antonio National Park – most tours include transportation too. I found this tour of Manuel Antonio that is very reasonably priced and has great reviews.
My post How To Visit Manuel Antonio National Park provides a more detailed guide into visiting this magnificent park.
Check out Manuel Antonio beaches
It goes without saying that spending time at the beach is what to do in Manuel Antonio when you need to chill.
You can rent umbrellas, and sun-beds, enjoy a fresh coconut, watch the sunset and, of course, take surfing lessons (more about that in a bit). The weather is warm all year round, but the dry season in Costa Rica is from December to April so that’s the best time to enjoy time at the beach.
There are many beautiful beaches in Manuel Antonio: four of them are inside the National Park, so you can only visit them if you pay the national park fee. These others are free to access.
Playa Espadilla Norte
Playa Espadilla Norte is the main public beach in town and goes along all of it – it’s literally along the main road in town so you can’t miss it. The sand is fine and white and the sea has beautiful shades of blue.
If all you need is to relax, you can rent beach umbrellas and sun-beds directly at the beach. Always check the price first and ask for a discount if you go in the afternoon as prices are quoted for the day.
There are also people selling massage on the beach but you’d like to get a massage, I suggest you go to a beauty salon where you will have more guarantees about the professionalism of the people working there.
Otherwise, if you really like the idea of having a massage while at the beach, use your own towel to lie down on the massage bed, agree on the price first and put your bag under the massage bed so you can always keep an eye on it. Some tourists have reported cash and cards disappear from the wallet during a massage!
If you feel active, walking along Playa Espadilla Norte is easily one of the best things to do in Manuel Antonio, or you can go for a swim (not to far from the shore because of the currents).
Enjoy sunset with a fresh coconut (it’s called “pipa fria” in Costa Rica) or a coco loco and enjoy it with this wonderful view as the temperatures finally drop a bit.
Playa Biesanz
Not far from Manuel Antonio, on the way to Quepos, you can find another beautiful beach – Playa Biesanz.
The beach is enclosed on both sides by rocks and vegetation, making it very picturesque and sheltered from currents and winds. The sand is white and very fine, so fine that it’s not easy to get it off and the sea can get slightly murky.
On the beach you can rent umbrellas, sun-beds, deck chairs as well as paddle boards and kayaks. Although it can get busy, it will never be too packed.
Before going to Playa Biesanz check the tide because when it rises the shore almost disappears. Moreover, since it faces north, the view of the sunset is not the best from here.
To get to the beach from Manuel Antonio follow the road to Quepos and turn left on Parador Resort & SPA. Once you reach the hotel, leave your car by the roadside, where you might be asked to leave a tip to the guys that will keep an eye on it.
Otherwise, you can take the bus from Manuel Antonio to Quepos and get off at Agua Azul. Ask the driver for the nearest stop.
Just opposite the hotel, you will find the trail to the beach. The trail to the beach is short and goes well into the forest: you will have the chance to see howler monkeys, sloths, iguanas and other wild animals.
Learn how to surf
This is one of the most popular things to do in Manuel Antonio! Manuel Antonio is the perfect destination if, in addition to nature and wildlife, you want to learn how to surf.
The presence of several small islands and coves makes the waves coming from northwest a bit smaller and as such perfect for beginners. You’ll have great fun with those gentle waves.
Obviously, you won’t be able to take your board inside Manuel Antonio National Park, but you will be able to do that in Playa Espadilla Norte. The water is very warm, so you shouldn’t need a wetsuit.
There are surfing schools by the beach. Here you can find a teacher and rent a board. The average price for a two-hour lesson is $65 USD.
Go on a night walk
The jungle night walk has been one of most memorable activities our entire trip to Costa Rica, so of course I need to mention it among the things to do in Manuel Antonio.
We were extremely lucky because we saw many frogs, insects, scorpions and a snake killing a frog (the last one wasn’t necessarily something we were glad to see, but that’s mother nature).If you love wildlife, darkness and poisonous creatures this activity is worth it.
The tour is perfectly organized: a driver comes to pick you up at your hotel and brings you at the entrance of the park. The walk lasts about two hours and it usually starts around 6:00 pm.
Groups are really small (we were just four including the guide) because you need to walk close to each other and listen to your guide’s explanation. It’s better to whisper in order not to scare the animals.
There are glass frogs (their eggs are tiny and transparent), red eyed tree frogs, gladiators frogs, toads, different kinds of snakes, spiders, lizards, iguanas, butterflies, sloths, monkeys and lots of birds.
There is also a lagoon with rescued crocodiles and a butterfly garden.
Guides are professional and have a deep knowledge of the local wildlife: they can recognize the different species of frogs from their sounds. They are truly helpful, trying to find the largest number of animals and getting the perfect shot for you.
They use their own cameras and then share or airdrop the best photos with the group.
We did our night walk in Manuel Antonio with Berny of Nature Walks Costa Rica – the same guide we used for Manuel Antonio National Park.
If Berny is not available, there are other tours you can book online. For example, you may want to consider this well reviewed tour that starts from Manuel Antonio and includes pick up too.
If, after the tour, you get hungry, just opposite the park there’s Claro Que Si Seafood Restaurant. Food there is delicious.
Go ziplining
Do you want to have an adrenaline experience? Then zip lining is what to do in Manuel Antonio!
After being harnessed (you will wear gloves and a safety helmet too) you will attend a short safety training. Although it is an adrenaline activity, safety is most important to enjoy it.
You will fly along 10 zip lines, climb down on a rappel, go over 4 suspension bridges and, only for the bravest, launch yourself on the Tarzan swing. All the while, you will be fully immersed in the nature, next to a sloth or a monkey perhaps! Sounds incredible, right?
I recommend this zip line tour that last about 2 hours, and includes transportation from and to your hotel is included.
Go on a mangrove tour
A mangrove tour is a different way to approach nature and wildlife, and as such one of the recommended things to do in Manuel Antonio. You won’t walk on the trails or on the sand but paddle your way through a mangrove’s lagoon.
Not far from Manuel Antonio, Damas Mangrove is an important ecological area where saltwater coming from the ocean and fresh water coming from the river mix together creating the perfect breeding ground for animals and plants.
Mangroves capture massive amounts of carbon dioxide emissions and other greenhouse gases from the atmosphere, and then store them in their soils. We do need to preserve the mangrove forest for the future of the planet – something we learned during the tour.
Our guide also explained how important the mangrove forest is for the whole country because it stabilizes shorelines, preventing erosion and protecting the land from waves and storms.
Damas Mangrove is the natural habitat for a great variety of wildlife: in fact, birds, such us king fishers, tiger herons, capuchin monkeys, raccoons, snakes like boa constrictors, anteaters, iguanas and lizards, just to mention a few, live here.
We explored the area on kayak with William Mangrove Tours, a small and very local company.
The tour lasted half day – it can be in the morning till lunch time, or in the afternoon, depending on the tide. We went on a morning tour and our guide was William nonetheless!
You will paddle for approximately two hours but time flies when you are there. You will enjoy the nature, the silence or the birds’ sound, the view of the animals and of the fishermen trying to catch some fish.
Your guide will give interesting information on the flora and fauna and try to find as many animals as possible.
At the end of the tour you will be enjoy a typical Casado – a traditional Costa Rican meal.
If William is not available, there are other options you can book online such as this mangrove kayaking tour that is also led by a local company and includes lunch or dinner, depending on the time of day you visit.
Visit Nauyaca Waterfalls
Nauyaca Waterfalls are 54 kilometers (33.5 miles) or one hour drive from Manuel Antonio and totally deserve a day trip – but this is really one of the top things to do in Manuel Antonio.
Thanks to their height and their scenic beauty, they are considered the most beautiful waterfall in the country and they are easily one of the top attractions in this part of Costa Rica.
What’s special about Nauyaca Waterfalls isn’t just the scenic waterfalls themselves (among the prettiest waterfalls in Costa Rica), but the fabulous natural pool at the bottom where you can swim – though I shall warn you, the current is very strong.
To get to the waterfall from Manuel Antonio you need to drive to the main park entrance, which is actually along the main street. From there, you have the option of hiking to the waterfall along an easy 8 km (about 5 miles) trail (there and back), riding a horse or hopping on a jeep (which is what we did).
If you want to do ride a horse or the jeep, you really need to book in advance via the official website as availability can be limited in peak season.
If you don’t have a car, transportation is included in this tour starting from Manuel Antonio: you can book any of the activities I mentioned before and in addition you have transportation from and to Manuel Antonio.
Make sure to read my post A Complete Guide To Nauyaca Waterfalls for more information on visiting this incredible place.
How To Get To Manuel Antonio
Manuel Antonio National Park is in Puntarenas province, 170 kilometers (105.6 miles) from San Jose – that means 3 hours and a half by car. You can easily get there by car or public bus.
By bus
If you are traveling by bus from San Jose you first need to take a Tracopa bus to Quepos. The earliest bus is at 06:00 am and the last bus is at 04:45 pm, with buses running almost every hour. This is a fairly budget friendly way of traveling to Manuel Antonio, and it takes takes about 3.5 hours
Once in Quepos, buses leave every 30 minutes for Manuel Antonio, from 05:30 am to 09:30 pm. Again, it’s a fairly cheap journey. You can pay directly on the bus, and in Costa Rican colones to pay the buses.
Buses drop you off in town, ask the driver the nearest stop to your final destination .
By car
If you are renting a car in Costa Rica getting to Manuel Antonio is extremely easy.
From San Jose, take Ruta Nacional Primaria 27 and get out at Jaco. You need to continue on Carretera Pacífica Fernández Oreamuno/Costanera Sur/Ruta Nacional Primaria 34 to reach first Quepos and then Manuel Antonio.
There are various tolls on the way, and the overall journey will take about 3.5 hours. My recommendation is not to drive in Costa Rica at night because the roads are not well lit and there are people and animals crossing the street.
Further Readings
If you need more guidance in planning your Costa Rica trip, you should also read these posts:
- The Best Guide To Tortuguero National Park
- The Complete Guide To Marino Ballena National Park
- How To Visit Rio Celeste Waterfalls
- A Guide To Snorkeling In Caño Island
- What To See And Do In San José
- The Ultimate Guide To Puerto Viejo
- Is Costa Rica Safe?
- The Best Tips For A Costa Rica Trip
Pin It For Later!
