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Overview About Manuel Antonio

Manuel Antonio is a beach town on Costa Rica’s central Pacific coast, about 3.5 hours from San José by car. The national park is the big draw. It’s small, but it packs in sloths, monkeys, iguanas and some of the prettiest beaches in the country.

Right next door is Quepos, the working town with the marina, where most boat tours leave from. You don’t need a car to get around, since most tours pick you up from your hotel.

Do You Need a Tour Guide in Manuel Antonio?

You don’t need a guide, but you’ll see a lot more with one. The park is full of sloths, monkeys and toucans. Most of them are high in the trees, though, and very good at hiding.

A guide brings a spotting scope and knows which branches to check. You get to see a sloth’s face up close. Most guides will also snap a photo through the scope with your phone.

Booked online, a guided park walk costs from about $35 per person, with options that include your ticket. You can also hire a guide near the entrance. A group walk costs about $25 to $40 per person, or $80 to $120 for a private one.

Only go with a guide who can show an official license. And take the 7 AM slot if you can. It’s cooler, and the animals are busier before the crowds arrive.

How Much Do Guided Tours in Manuel Antonio Cost?

Budgeting for tours in Manuel Antonio is easier than it looks. Most guided tours cost about $35 to $130 per person. The price mostly comes down to how long you’re out and what’s included.

A guided walk in the national park is the cheapest, starting at about $35 per person. Half-day trips on the water, like the Damas Island mangrove tour or a catamaran cruise, cost about $75 to $90. Ziplining costs about the same, at around $90.

Full-day trips cost the most. Rafting the Savegre River or visiting Nauyaca Waterfalls runs about $130, but lunch and hotel pickup are usually part of the price.

So what does that mean for your budget? A park walk plus one boat trip comes to about $110 to $120 per person. Add a zipline or a night tour, and you’re looking at about $175 to $210.

Kids pay less on most tours, and many let you cancel for free up to 24 hours before. That’s handy in rainy season, when an afternoon storm can wash out a boat trip.

One tip: check that hotel pickup is included before you book. Taxis add up fast, so a tour with pickup can work out cheaper than one without.

Guided Tour vs DIY

Some things in Manuel Antonio are easy to do on your own, and some are much better with a guide. The national park is the one people go back and forth on. You can visit the park without a guide. A ticket costs $18.08 for foreign adults and $5.65 for kids 2 to 12, and kids under 2 go free. Tickets are sold online only, through the SINAC website, so you can’t buy one at the gate.

The park opens at 7 AM and is closed every Tuesday. SINAC lists a 3 PM close, so plan to be out by then. Food, single-use plastic bottles and drones aren’t allowed, and your bags get checked.

Going alone is fine for the beaches and a lazy swim. But on your own, you’ll walk straight past most of the wildlife. Our pick: book a guide for your first visit, then come back on your own for a beach day.

Boats, rafting, ziplining and the night walks all need a tour anyway. Fair warning: men on the last hill wave cars into private lots and say you need their guide. You don’t, so keep driving or take the local bus from Quepos.

15 Best Tours in Manuel Antonio

These are the 15 tours we’d book in Manuel Antonio. Some are short and easy, like the park walk, and some fill a whole day inland. For each one, you’ll find what it’s like, what it costs and what’s included.

1. Manuel Antonio National Park Guided Tour

If you only book one tour here, make it this one. The park is full of sloths, monkeys and toucans, but most of them hide high in the trees. A good guide knows exactly where to look.

The walk takes about 2 hours on easy trails through the forest. Your guide sets up a spotting scope, so you can see a sloth’s face or a toucan’s bill up close. They’ll happily take photos and videos through the scope with your phone too.

At the end, you can stay on the beach inside the park for a swim. Prices start at about $35 per person, and you can pick an option with your park ticket included.

You meet about 100 meters from the main entrance, and parking nearby costs about $10 in cash. Bring a towel, a swimsuit and a reusable water bottle.

2. Damas Island Mangrove Boat Tour

The Damas Island tour is the calm one. You glide through mangrove channels a short drive north of Quepos, where the trees grow straight out of the water.

Your guide points out white-faced monkeys, lizards, birds and sometimes a boa curled up in the branches. You might spot crocodiles and herons along the banks too.

The tour takes about 4 hours door to door, with about 2 hours on the boat. It costs about $75 per person, with hotel pickup, bottled water and lunch at a local restaurant included.

Start times move with the tide, since the boats need high water to get deep into the channels. One thing to watch for: some boats feed the monkeys so they show up on cue. It’s bad for the animals, so skip any tour that does it.

3. Mangrove Kayak Tour Near Manuel Antonio

Paddling the mangroves is a quieter way to see them than by boat. Without an engine, you hear the birds and can slip into narrow channels the bigger boats can’t reach.

Along the way, people have spotted monkeys, crocodiles, a baby boa and plenty of birds. The water is flat and the paddling is gentle, so it’s fine for first-timers.

The tour takes about 2 hours and costs about $59 per person. A local guide, fruit, bottled water and photos of your trip are included.

There’s no hotel pickup, so you’ll meet your guide near the mangroves. Wear clothes that can get wet, and keep your phone in a dry bag.

4. Catamaran Cruise With Snorkeling and Lunch

A catamaran is the easiest half day in Manuel Antonio. You cruise along the coast of the national park, with forest on one side and open ocean on the other. Keep an eye out for dolphins the whole way.

The boat stops at Biesanz Bay, a sheltered cove where you can snorkel and swim. There’s a slide off the back of the boat, and plenty of people jump straight off the deck.

Lunch is served on board, with fresh fruit, pasta salad and grilled fish kabobs. Juices, rum, vodka and water are included, and a naturalist guide tells you about the coast.

The cruise lasts 3 to 4 hours and costs about $86 per person, with hotel transport in Manuel Antonio. Beer costs extra, about $4 a can.

5. Canopy Zipline Tour With Hanging Bridges

This zipline runs for almost a mile through the forest outside Quepos. It’s billed as the longest twin zip line in Central America. Twin means two cables side by side, so you can race a friend to the next platform.

You zip between 14 platforms in the trees, cross 6 hanging bridges and finish with a rappel. The brakes are automatic, so you don’t have to slow yourself down. That’s a big help for nervous first-timers.

The tour takes about 4.5 hours with transfers and costs about $90 per person. Hotel pickup, a Costa Rican lunch, snacks, fruit, water and all the gear are included.

The weight limit is 275 pounds. Photos cost extra, but GoPro-ready helmets are available, so you can film the whole ride yourself.

6. Savegre River Whitewater Rafting

The Savegre River is the best rafting near Manuel Antonio for families. The rapids are Class II to III, which means splashy and fun but rarely scary.

You paddle down the river through thick jungle, with your guide steering from the back of the raft. Halfway down, you stop at a hidden waterfall for a swim and a snack. It’s the part most people end up talking about.

The trip takes about 6 hours and costs about $130 per person. Lunch, snacks, gear and a guide are included, and pickup is offered from selected hotels. The minimum age is 6.

Want bigger water? The Naranjo River runs Class III to IV, with a minimum age of about 10. Book that one when everyone in your group is a confident swimmer.

7. Rainmaker Park Hanging Bridges and Waterfalls

Rainmaker Conservation Park is about 30 minutes inland, and it’s a nice change from the beach. The trails cross long hanging bridges high above the forest, then follow a river past a string of waterfalls.

You can swim in the natural pools under the falls, so bring a swimsuit. Your guide explains the plants and animals you pass along the way.

The guided tour takes about 4 hours, with around 3 hours in the park. It costs about $69 per person, with hotel pickup around Quepos and park entry included. Lunch is listed too, but a few reviewers missed out, so check when you book.

Bring a dry shirt for the drive back. You’ll be sweaty or soaked, and usually both.

8. Rainmaker Night Jungle Tour With Dinner

The forest changes completely after dark, and a night walk is the best way to see it. Frogs come out on the leaves, owls start calling, and your guide’s flashlight picks out spiders, snakes and bats.

The tour starts at 5:30 PM at Rainmaker Park and takes about 3 hours, with groups of up to 10. It costs about $65 per person, with hotel pickup included. Dinner is simple: rice and beans with a meat or vegetarian dish.

Some tours run late, finishing around 9 or 10 PM, so it’s not ideal for very young kids.

Wear closed shoes and long pants. The trails are muddy, and the mosquitoes come out at night too.

9. Off-road ATV Tour With Rainforest and Waterfalls

For something louder, an ATV tour takes you up dirt roads into the hills behind Manuel Antonio. You ride through palm plantations, splash across rivers and bump along muddy jungle tracks.

The ride ends with a walk to the waterfalls at Rainmaker Park, then a Costa Rican lunch. It takes about 3 hours, or 4 to 5 hours with transfers, and hotel pickup is included.

It costs $85 per person on a double ATV, $110 in a side-by-side or $125 on your own ATV. Drivers need to be at least 16, and kids can ride along as passengers with a parent.

A few reviewers say the waterfall stop got skipped after heavy rain, so ask about it when you book. Wear clothes you don’t mind getting muddy, because you will.

10. Nauyaca Waterfalls Day Trip

Nauyaca is a huge two-tier waterfall in the hills near Dominical, and it’s worth the drive. The water drops into a deep pool that’s big enough to swim in, surrounded by jungle.

On the way, you stop at Playa Linda, Portalón and the surf town of Dominical. So you get a good look at the coast too. Lunch is a casado, the classic Costa Rican plate of rice, beans, salad and meat or fish.

The day trip takes about 7 hours and costs about $130 per person. Hotel pickup in Manuel Antonio, the waterfall entrance fee, lunch, snacks, fruit and water are all included.

The steps down to the falls are steep and slippery, so wear shoes with good grip. It’s not a good fit for anyone with mobility problems.

11. Ocean Kayak and Snorkeling Tour at Biesanz Beach

Biesanz Beach is a small, sheltered cove that’s easy to miss. The nicest way to get there is by kayak, paddling along the rocky coast from Quepos.

You launch from a little park with a ramp into the water, then follow the shoreline to Biesanz. Frigate birds glide overhead, and people have spotted monkeys and sloths in the trees above the beach. Then you snorkel for about half an hour, looking for fish and coral.

It costs about $69 per person, in groups of up to 10. Water and fresh fruit are included, but there’s no hotel pickup, so plan on a short taxi ride to the start.

You’ll need moderate fitness for the paddle. Visibility drops after heavy rain, so book a dry morning if you can.

12. Surf Lessons on Manuel Antonio Beach

Manuel Antonio Beach has soft, even waves most of the year. That makes it a great place to stand up on a board for the first time.

A bilingual instructor walks you through the basics on the sand, then helps you catch your first waves. Your board and a rash guard are included, plus tropical fruit and water or coconut water.

The lesson costs about $79 per person, with hotel pickup and drop-off included. Lessons run every day between 7 AM and 3:30 PM, and you set the time when you book.

Bring a towel and sunscreen, since you’ll be in the water for a while. You’ll sleep well that night.

13. Hot Springs in the Jungle Tour

Hot springs aren’t what most people expect on the Pacific coast, and that’s what makes this tour fun. You soak in five natural hot spring pools deep in the jungle, then cool off in a river nearby.

You can put on a natural clay face mask, and reviewers love sliding down the smooth river rocks. The drive out passes palm oil farms.

The tour starts at 7:30 AM and takes 4 to 5 hours. It costs about $110 per person, with hotel pickup, a bilingual guide, fruit, juice, water and cookies included.

Alcohol and tips aren’t included. The listing mentions lunch in one place and not another, so ask about it when you book.

14. Horseback Riding to the Shaman Waterfall

Riding into the rainforest on horseback is a slow, easy way to see the hills around Manuel Antonio. This tour heads to the Shaman Waterfall near the village of Londres, about 40 minutes inland.

The ride takes about 2.5 hours there and back, climbing to about 600 meters through primary rainforest. At the waterfall, you get about half an hour to swim and rest on the grass.

The whole tour takes about 5 hours and costs about $101 per person. Hotel pickup, snacks, drinks and a meal are included, and groups top out at 10.

Never ridden before? That’s fine, since the guide gives a quick lesson first. Riders must be at least 8 and weigh no more than 235 pounds. In dry season, the waterfall can be a lot smaller.

15. Whale and Dolphin Watching With Snorkeling

Humpback whales pass Manuel Antonio twice a year, and seeing one jump clear of the water is pretty special. Southern humpbacks visit July to mid-November, and northern ones come December to March.

This small boat trip heads out from Marina Pez Vela in Quepos to look for dolphins and whales. Then you stop at one or two spots to snorkel, and people have seen sea turtles and schools of fish.

It costs about $76 per person, with up to 12 people on board. Hotel pickup, snorkel gear, snacks, water, sunblock and towels are included, and trips start between 8:30 AM and 12:30 PM.

Dolphins and whales are never guaranteed, even in season. Just know this one is non-refundable, so book it once your plans are firm.

Manuel Antonio Tours FAQ

How Much Do Tours in Manuel Antonio Cost?

Most tours in Manuel Antonio cost about $35 to $130 per person. A guided park walk starts at about $35, and the Damas Island boat tour costs about $75.

A catamaran costs about $86 and the canopy zipline about $90. Full-day trips, like rafting the Savegre or Nauyaca Waterfalls, cost about $130, and most tours include hotel pickup.

What Is the Best Tour in Manuel Antonio?

The best tour in Manuel Antonio is the guided national park walk. It’s your best chance to see sloths and monkeys up close, and it costs from about $35.

For a second tour, pick the catamaran cruise for food and snorkeling. For a calmer morning, go with the Damas Island mangrove tour, and add the canopy zipline for some adrenaline.

What Day Is Manuel Antonio National Park Closed?

Manuel Antonio National Park is closed every Tuesday. It opens at 7 AM the rest of the week, and SINAC lists a 3 PM close.

Tickets cost $18.08 for foreign adults and are sold online only, through the SINAC website. Save Tuesday for a boat trip, a zipline or a day at Rainmaker instead.

Are Manuel Antonio Tours Good for Kids?

Yes, most Manuel Antonio tours work well for kids. Savegre rafting takes kids from age 6, and horseback riding from age 8. On the ATV tour, drivers must be at least 16.

Park tickets cost $5.65 for kids 2 to 12, and under 2s go free. The night tours suit older kids best, since they can run until 9 or 10 PM.

When Can You See Whales in Manuel Antonio?

You can see humpback whales in Manuel Antonio twice a year. Southern humpbacks visit July to mid-November, and they’re most common in August and September. Northern humpbacks come December to March.

Any catamaran or boat trip in those months has a chance of spotting them, though nobody can promise you’ll see one. Our guide to the best time to travel to Costa Rica covers the seasons month by month.

Do Manuel Antonio Tours Include Hotel Pickup?

Most Manuel Antonio tours include hotel pickup in Manuel Antonio and Quepos. The boat trips, the zipline, Rainmaker, the ATV tour and the day trips all pick you up.

The park walk, the mangrove kayak tour and the Biesanz kayak trip don’t, so you’ll need a short taxi ride. Give your hotel name when you book, since that’s how they set your pickup time.