Manuel Antonio National Park from San José
Description
Discover the beauty and biodiversity of Costa Rica on an unforgettable full-day tour to Manuel Antonio National Park, one of the country’s top natural treasures. This experience combines wildlife encounters, scenic rainforest trails, and time to relax on pristine white-sand beaches with crystal-clear waters. Your journey begins with a scenic drive along the Pacific coast, passing charming coastal towns and stunning ocean viewpoints. Upon arriving at the park, your guide will lead you through lush rainforest paths where you’ll have the chance to see sloths, monkeys, iguanas, tropical birds, and many more species that call this protected area home. Continue toward the iconic Manuel Antonio Beach, known for its soft white sand, tranquil turquoise waters, and incredible natural surroundings. Enjoy time to swim, relax, explore the coastline, or simply soak in the tropical atmosphere.
Tour Options
Itinerary
We will pick up the clients in San José and travel along Route 27 observing beautiful mountains on the way. This road will take us to the Costanera Sur, on the way you will see plantations of African Palm and other crops.
We will make a stop of approximately 45 minutes for you to have breakfast or have a coffee or even buy snacks for the road. It is also a good opportunity to use the bathroom. It will take approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes to get to Manuel Antonio from this point.
We will take a walk in the rain forest along a natural path of the national park until we reach the beach, where you can take a bath, or take a tour of the trails, which will allow us to observe the abundant flora and fauna, in particular several species. of monkeys, raccoons, iguanas, birds, and sloths. If you decide to hike to Punta Catedral, don't forget your camera, the view from there is spectacular. After having enjoyed the national park we will walk back to the restaurant where a delicious lunch awaits us before taking the road back to the city.
Once the tour and lunch are finished, we will go to the city of Manuel Antonio where it will take approximately 3 hours to reach your destination. Travel hours are approximate. Check with your driver or guide what is the estimated time.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- This option includes your entrance to the National Park. Please send or attach to your reservation at least 24 hours in advance the full names and passport numbers to add it to your ticket, otherwise we will not guarantee your entry.
- If you were not able to secure a ticket, the booking will be cancelled and refunded..
Reviews(137)
The God was awesome you would have never thought we were on a day trip it was like we were all friends and family thank you for a great day trip
An incredible Saturday, thanks to the guide Marcela for such excellent work; she guided us and accompanied us with every question and provided valuable information about the Park. I would definitely go again.
Our tour guide was not feeling well and was sleeping on the way to our destination. While in the rainforest he did not have the energy to really spot out the animals and make the effort to help us find them or give us facts about the location. Furthermore, we had to take an Uber to and from our meeting point, which was an additional cost. We also had to purchase ponchos because of the heavy rains. However, the rainforest all in all was absolutely beautiful.
Excellent tour, organized and punctual; the times are calculated so that you can engage in the activities and enjoy them. Highly recommended
I was cancelled and it was my last day in Costa Rica, if I really wanted to go and it makes me sad
This is a superb national park which combines nature trails with some very nice beaches. We spent the morning walking the various trails and were lucky enough to spot a sloth way up in the trees. It does make sense to hire a guide as it is very difficult to spot these elusive creatures. In the afternoon, we spent some time on one of the beaches accessible from within the park (Playa Manuel Antonio has a protected area which is great for swimming too). We recommend that you get to the park at opening time for the nature trails as it does get very busy later in the day. That said, there are quieter areas where people do not venture to, such as the Punta Catedral trail.
The beach, national park and the ride, the road all was so great! I enjoyed it the entire time. I didn’t give 1 star because of the tour guide, she was a joke, she probably said 3 sentences in english and mostly ignored english speakers!
The tour got off to a slow start with a late guide. It’s a long drive from San José, and you only get about 3 hours in the park, which isn’t much. The place is stunning, though, I’d recommend staying overnight to explore more. Breakfast was great, lunch was just okay. I was hoping for a bird’s-eye view of the park, but you'd need more time to find the right spots for that.
Wonderful and unforgettable place. Well structured and with beautiful beaches. In addition, the Punta Cathedral trail is a separate spectacle.
This was a great tour. The guide, Marcela, was excellent, very knowledgeable, and accommodating. We saw many animals, including a rare tree climbing anteater.
