Manuel Antonio National Park, Province of Puntarenas, Costa Rica

4.0 (3.086 reviews) Saturday: 12:00 AM - 11:59 PM Spent More than 3 hours Ranking #4 in Province of Puntarenas National Parks • Parks

Great wildlife but very crowded

We booked a private tour for our group of 8 for a half day tour. Highly recommend having a guide as we would have missed many animal and insect sightings without help. They can also offer a lot additional info that improves the experience. Have to say though that the crowds for me were a bit too much and negatively impacted the experience. Just something you have to deal with during peak season given the popularity of this site. Still worth doing but be prepared to be dodging people throughout your walk. Also, I didn't find the bugs to be bad at all. They we're basically non-existent from my perspective. There's no food or drink allowed in the park so be sure to eat ahead of time. There is a snack bar in the park but the options aren't great and it gets very busy.

Address

, Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica.

Mobile

+506 2777 5185

Website

http://www.sinac.go.cr/EN-US/ac/acopac/pnma/pages/default.aspx

Email

[email protected]

Working hours

Monday : 12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Tuesday : 12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Wednesday : 12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Thursday : 12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Friday : 12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Saturday : 12:00 AM - 11:59 PM
Sunday : 12:00 AM - 11:59 PM

Current local date and time now

Saturday, May 04, 2024, 23:59

User Ratings

4.0 based on (3.086 reviews)

Excellent

54%

Good

23%

Satisfactory

13%

Poor

Terrible

Reviews

4mbellny 5:00 PM Feb 25, 2023
Great wildlife but very crowded
We booked a private tour for our group of 8 for a half day tour. Highly recommend having a guide as we would have missed many animal and insect sightings without help. They can also offer a lot additional info that improves the experience. Have to say though that the crowds for me were a bit too much and negatively impacted the experience. Just something you have to deal with during peak season given the popularity of this site. Still worth doing but be prepared to be dodging people throughout your walk. Also, I didn't find the bugs to be bad at all. They we're basically non-existent from my perspective. There's no food or drink allowed in the park so be sure to eat ahead of time. There is a snack bar in the park but the options aren't great and it gets very busy.
3Craig D 5:00 PM Jun 1, 2022
Overrated, Over Touristy
Manuel Antonio was very touristy despite limiting the number of people into the park per day. You have to reserve your entry ticket online before going to the park entrance and there is no free wifi. They also do not allow food inside the park and inspect bags before entry. Vendors hound you at the park entrance and was the only place I felt pestered by vendors during our two week trip. Prices at the souvenir shops are higher than if you shop in San Jose or the airport, which have similar if not the exact same items. We did see several monkeys, snakes, and birds, but wildlife sightings were fewer here compared to all other places we visited. The monkeys here are not afraid of people. This was also the only place animals displayed aggressive behavior, which, according to several guides, is a result of tourists feeding and touching animals. We watched one monkey open someone’s backpack as they were walking by and saw a guide have to intervene when one became agressive with an older gentlemen. The beaches inside the park are significantly nicer than the beaches outside the park, which was the biggest benefit to purchasing entry tickets. However, overall I do not recommend visiting this park unless your main desire is a clean beach to relax on. For adventure activities check out La Fortuna and for wildlife head down to the Osa Peninsula.