Manuel Antonio National Park is an absolute gem on the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica. The combination of the jungle with its astounding biodiversity and the beautiful, natural beaches with shimmering turquoise waters showcases Costa Rica at its finest.
This has made Manuel Antonio a prime destination for many tourists. And God, do I hate those tourists. Imagine being one of them.
But to be honest, the crowds don’t diminish the experience at Manuel Antonio. At least not as much as they usually do, those pests.
There’s more than enough space so you never really feel like you’re swarmed by tourists. And there are certain places you can go (which I may just share) that are generally pretty quiet.
Let’s get into the some Manuel Antonio National Park tips.
1- Tours aren’t strictly necessary
If you’re already in the area or have done other research, no doubt you’ll have heard bloggers, fellow tourists and hotel receptionists recommending you get a tour to be able to see the wildlife the park has to offer.
When you arrive at the park, you’ll also have a group of tour guides persuading you to do the same. They might tell you that without a tour, you probably won’t see anything.
They’re wrong.
All you have to do is walk from the park entrance down the wide trail for cars and look for crowds. You can go up to them, look where they’re looking and ask what they’re seeing.
You’ll also often walk past tour groups and be able to listen in if you’re curious to learn more about what you’re seeing.
Yes, it’s a little cheap. But I personally am sometimes a fan of being a little cheap. And yes, I’m Jewish.
There’s really only one main advantage to booking a tour, which is that the guides all have high quality telescopes that can let you see up into the upper canopy of the jungle, where a lot of the animals like to hang out.
Which is why if you should bring binoculars if you have them.
Now, if you’re not pinching pennies or are really curious to learn and want someone to question, go ahead and book the tour. Some are not that expensive. The guys at the entrance to the park were offering tours for around $30.
But if you’re budgeting, I just think there are better things to spend money on.
2- Go to Playa Espadilla Sur
The next of my Manuel Antonio National Park tips is about the beaches. There are two main ones in Manuel Antonio National Park (you can read about the third here if intrigued): one is called Playa Manuel Antonio, the other Playa Espadilla Sur. Both, in my opinion, are equally beautiful.
Manuel Antonio Beach is absolutely stunning. The sand is nearly white, which is a rarity on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. I recommend you spend some time here, especially at the farther end of the beach (that’s the picture at the top of the post- absolutely beautiful with the rock formations and surrounding jungle).
The problem is that Manuel Antonio Beach is also the most popular beach in the park for those pestilent tourists.
If that’s the case when you go, go directly across to Playa Espadilla Sur. As you can see in the photo below, its directly across from Playa Manuel Antonio.
Playa Espadilla Sur is pretty much equal to its neighbor in beauty- and empty. When I went to the park there must have been over a hundred people at Playa Manuel Antonio, but at Espadilla Sur- only five.
Five. Seriously.
If you get lucky like me, you’ll have this exquisite expanse of beach essentially all to yourself. And I can’t overstate the beauty: bright turquoise water, soft sand, and the jungle teeming with life in the background.
3- See monkeys on the Punta Catedral
I saw a lot of cool stuff on the vehicle road on the way to the beaches. Stopping to listen to various tours and spotting all sorts of insects, including venomous snakes, spiders and monkeys high up in the branches.
But the coolest hiking route was no doubt the loop at the end of the peninsula that you can see in the aerial shot above.
Right at the entrance there were a ton of monkeys sitting in trees, walking along the trail and even swinging on the handrails. Really cool.
The loop is also exceptionally beautiful, with several viewpoints looking out into the ocean. If you’re visiting between September and November you may even spot a whale in the waters below!
Before you finish the loop, there will be a right turn to a small beach separated from Playa Manuel Antonio by rocks. Make sure you stop here. It’s an exceptionally beautiful spot that’s usually empty as it’s harder to access.
4- Sunset at Playa Espadilla Norte
The last of my Manuel Antonio National Park tips is to go to a beach that’s outside of the park. Go figure.
The reasoning being that the park closes before sunset. Which you don’t want to miss in this town.
For that reason, head to Playa Espadilla Norte right after leaving the park (Norte is Spanish for north, sur is south). This is a long, wide beach that doesn’t have quite the same wild feeling as the ones in the park but is still incredible in its own right.
For the best views, walk all the way to the left side of the beach, which has really awesome rock formations and a small stream connecting a river in the National Park to the ocean.
This spot is really surreal, especially at sunset.
