Manuel Antonio National Park, Costa Rica

Manuel Antonio National Park is one of Costa Rica’s most beautiful national parks. The park which is the country’s smallest is made up of rainforest and stunning beaches. It is home to a wide variety of wildlife such as sloths, iguanas and especially white faced and squirrel monkeys. You’ll see a lot of them here as the monkeys make their way to the beaches looking for food from the tourists.

The park is very easy to reach as regular bus service from Quepos is provided. Be sure to get there early in the morning (8ish) as they only let in 500-600 per day. When I was there, they closed the gate at 9:30AM. What is great about this is that the beaches are not overcrowded allowing for a more pleasant beach experience. There is an entrance fee to get in around $10 if I remember correctly. The park has several beaches the two most popular being Playa Espadilla Sur and Playa Manuel Antonio which I find is the most picturesque in the park. Playa Manuel Antonio is roughly half a mile long and is made up of white sand and the most beautiful blue waters.

There is a short trail that winds its way around Punta Catedral (100m) which affords some nice views of the Pacific Ocean. The hike takes around 1 hour to complete from Playa Espadilla Sur.

Manuel Antonio National Park was just one of the places I visited on my tour of Costa Rica.

Read my full 16 day Costa Rica Trip Report.