Manuel Antonio National Park

Walking trails surrounded by wildlife and resting on paradisiacal beaches are options that promise to captivate your senses.

 The magic of the beach and the greenery of the forest come together in one place, and the result is a natural paradise. Not in vain the Manuel Antonio National Park is the Protected Wild Area that receives the largest number of national and international tourists.

 In addition to beaches, the Park offers a very humid tropical forest where species of flora and fauna in danger of extinction coexist, a mangrove, marine environments, islands and a lagoon of 14 hectares.

 In a short trip you can cross several paths that will take you through a primary forest. You will also have stunning views of the sea and you can enjoy the wildlife that is possible to find at any time.

Manuel Antonio National Park (PNMA) is located in Quepos canton, Puntarenas province, between the North Lambert Costa Rica coordinates: 366000 – 372000 N and 446000 – 462000 O, Sheet 3344 II, Quepos, of the National Geographic Institute. According to the Costa Rica Transversal Mercator (CRTM) projection, the PNMA is between the coordinates: 1032000 – 1040000 N and 472000 – 488000 O, that is, 157 kilometers (97 miles) south of San José. The main entrance is located 7 kilometers (4.34 miles) east of Quepos.

​Manuel Antonio National Park was born from the communal pressure that was manifested against the prohibition of its former foreign owners for the enjoyment of the beaches by local people. Foreigners had a strong interest in developing the area as a tourist center. So thanks to pressure from the community, in 1972, the “National Park Beaches Recreation Manuel Antonio” (Parque Recreativo Nacional Playas de Manuel Antonio) was born, through Law No. 5100.

Sale of entrance tickets, available in Coopealianza

Drinking water

Showers and dressing rooms (not allowed to use soap or shampoo)

Health Services

Interpreted trails (labeled)

Sightseeing places

Local guides (they are not part of park staff)

• The Waterfall: made up of a small waterfall, observable only during the rainy season. Refer to the park entrance.

• Mangroves: it consists of a body of fresh and salt water covering about 18 hectares, it is observed along the trails parallel to the beaches Manuel Antonio and South Espadilla. Here there are the following species of mangroves: red, piñuela and gentleman. 

• Gemelas Beach: beach divided in two by a rock formation that over the years has come to meet the sea, making possible in their areas to see small fragments of stone that were detached from the bedrock. The waters of streams with ocean currents, winds and the movements of tectonic plates have given life to Gemelas Beach, causing it keeps changing with time. 

• Manuel Antonio Beach: famous beach by its scenic beauty, known for being one of the best beaches in Costa Rica, very appetizing for snorkeling, mainly to the sides where you can see lots of marine life and some corals.