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These full-day tours pick you up from San Jose area hotels and drive you roughly three hours to the Pacific coast for a guided visit to Manuel Antonio National Park. Most options include breakfast, lunch, park entrance fees, and hotel pickup and drop-off, with prices starting at $139.50.
Free Cancellation 12-hour day trip from San Jose to Manuel Antonio with stops at Crocodile Bridge, Tarcoles, Jaco lookout, guided hike and lunch.
Free Cancellation Full-day trip from San José to Manuel Antonio with guided rainforest walk, park entry, breakfast and lunch included.
Free Cancellation 12-hour day trip from San Jose to Manuel Antonio with breakfast, lunch, guide, park fees and hotel pickup included.
Free Cancellation 12-hour day trip from San Jose hotels to Manuel Antonio National Park with guide, meals, and park entrance included.
Free Cancellation 13-hour day trip from San Jose hotels to Manuel Antonio park with breakfast, lunch, guide, and fees included.
Free Cancellation 13-hour day tour from San José with hotel pickup, crocodile stop, guided park walk and beach time.
Free Cancellation Private day tour from San José: 3-hr guided park walk, beach time, crocodile stop, photos and drone video included.
Free Cancellation 12-hour round trip from San Jose hotels: guided trail hike in the park plus free beach time, with breakfast and lunch.
Free Cancellation Full-day, ~13-hour trip from San José to Manuel Antonio with breakfast stop, guided park walk, and lunch at Hotel Espadilla.
Read what travelers share about their experience visiting Manuel Antonio National Park — from practical tips to personal highlights.
A day tour from San José to Manuel Antonio National Park runs 12–13 hours door to door, starting with a 5–6 a.m. hotel pickup and a three-hour drive down Route 27 and the Costanera Sur to the Pacific coast. Most tours break up the ride with breakfast and a stop at the Tarcoles River crocodile bridge, then give you a guided wildlife walk and beach time inside the park before lunch and the drive back. The park itself is small — 1,983 hectares — but it holds sloths, three monkey species and roughly 352 bird species within meters of the trails.
On the drive down, most tours stop 15 minutes at the bridge over the Tarcoles River, where American crocodiles up to several meters long bask on the banks below. Some itineraries add a scarlet macaw spotting stop at Tarcoles Beach nearby. It's a warm-up for the wildlife ahead.
Inside the park, a certified guide leads you along the flat, paved Sloth Trail (Sendero El Perezoso) with a spotting scope. Sloths, white-faced capuchins, howler monkeys and the endangered mono tití squirrel monkey show up within meters of the path — most visitors would miss half of them without a guide.
This 1.4 km circuit climbs a former island joined to the mainland by a sand spit, passing five viewpoints over Pacific seabird rookeries. At low tide you can see La Trampa, pre-Columbian Quepoa stonework once used to trap turtles and fish. Count on 45–60 minutes with some incline.
The park's famous beach is an 800 m crescent of white sand with calm, sheltered water backed by forest — the best swimming spot in the park. Bring your own towel; showers and changing rooms sit nearby. The rocky sides are where the snorkeling is.
Tours typically stop about 45 minutes into the drive for a typical Costa Rican breakfast — gallo pinto, eggs, coffee — often the last bathroom break before the park. A full lunch comes later in the day, usually with the ocean in view.
An elevated 20–30 minute boardwalk loop runs through the park's 18-hectare mangrove of red, piñuela and caballero species — a completely different ecosystem from the main forest. Go early: water birds and occasional deer are most active in the morning.
Every tour on this page covers the same 157 km from San José, but the differences — group size, park ticket handling, and what's included — change the day considerably. Here's what to sort out before you pay.
Nearly all tours bundle the park entrance fee ($18.08 for foreign adults) into the price. This matters: the park sells tickets online only at serviciosenlinea.sinac.go.cr, with no booth at the gate, and operators must register your full name and passport number in the ticket system 24 hours ahead. Send those details immediately after booking or you risk being denied entry.
A 2023 Constitutional Court ruling caps the park at 1,120 visitors per day, and operators buy from the same limited pool. Dry-season dates (December–April) sell out 1–2 weeks ahead; Christmas and Easter week go months in advance. The cheapest tour ($139.50) explicitly cancels and refunds if it can't secure your ticket.
Group tours run $139.50–178 per person in air-conditioned minivans with hotel pickup, breakfast and lunch included. A private tour with a certified naturalist riding from your door costs from $206 per person and runs on your schedule — worth it if you want to linger at a sloth or skip the crocodile bridge.
Expect 12–13 hours total, with roughly three hours of driving each way. Several operators warn the return can run longer on weekends and holidays due to coastal traffic. Pickup lands between 5:00 and 6:15 a.m. depending on your hotel's location.
The top-rated tour (4.87 stars, 834 reviews, $169) offers drop-off at centrally located Manuel Antonio–Quepos hotels instead of returning to San José — you must request it at booking. Handy if you're continuing down the coast and don't want to backtrack.
Several tours are listed as wheelchair accessible, including the minivan transport, and the park's main trail is flat and paved. Sand areas and the Punta Catedral loop are not wheelchair-friendly. Strollers and service animals are allowed; infants ride on laps.
All nine tours follow the same policy: full refund if you cancel at least 24 hours before departure. Tours operate in all weather — pack a rain jacket in green season. Vegetarian meals are available on request at booking.
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| Classic Group Day Tour | Budget Group Tour | Private Naturalist Tour | Small-Group Wildlife Tour | Tour with Beach Free Time | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Duration | 12 hours | ~13 hours | Flexible, door-to-door | 12–13 hours | 13 hours |
| Price from | $169 (4.9 stars, 834 reviews) | $139.50 (4.2 stars, 139 reviews) | $206 per person (5.0 stars) | $175 (4.4–4.7 stars) | $161.72 (4.6 stars) |
| Includes | Park entrance, breakfast, lunch, bilingual guide, hotel pickup, crocodile bridge stop | Park entrance, breakfast, lunch, guide, air conditioning | Private vehicle, certified naturalist, park ticket, breakfast, lunch, drone photos available | Park fees, breakfast, lunch, guide, line-skipping entry, minivan transport | Breakfast, lunch, bilingual guide, all fees, Tárcoles River Hacienda stop |
| Best for | First-timers wanting the most-reviewed option with route stops | Travelers watching costs — note it cancels and refunds if tickets run out | Families and photographers who want to set their own pace | Visitors prioritizing guide quality and guaranteed park registration | Travelers who want swimming time at Playa Espadilla Norte built in |
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The park is open Wednesday to Monday, 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., and closed every Tuesday for trail maintenance — this closure catches out more San José day-trippers than anything else, so check your tour date against the calendar.
Entry runs on 15-minute arrival slots tied to your ticket. Concession services run slightly longer than the gate: the cafeteria and artisan shop stay open 7:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m., locker rental 7:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m., and certified guides work the entrance 7:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m.
From November to April, special afternoon tours run at 3:30 p.m. Saturday–Monday, and night tours at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday–Friday.
Wildlife is most active in the first two hours after opening — the 7:00 a.m. slot is the one to fight for, even on a tour day. By 10 a.m. the main beach fills up and the canopy gets quiet.
Manuel Antonio sits 157 km (98 mi) southwest of San José, 7 km from the town of Quepos. Day tours handle the whole drive — about three hours each way via Route 27 and the Costanera Sur (Route 34), with breakfast stops breaking it up.
One road links Quepos and Manuel Antonio, and it jams badly in high season. Don't leave valuables visible in a parked car.
December to April is the dry season: low-to-mid 30s °C, minimal rain, and the pleasantest trail and beach conditions. It's also when tickets sell out — book tours 1–2 weeks ahead, and months ahead for Christmas–New Year and Easter week.
September and October are the wettest months, with muddy trails and afternoon downpours. The upside is thin crowds, and the park's seasonal waterfall only flows in this period. SINAC recommends early starts and proper rain gear if you go then.
November and May are the sweet spots: greener scenery, fewer people, decent weather.
Offshore, humpback whales pass close to shore August–November and bottlenose dolphins appear year-round — a catamaran add-on from Marina Pez Vela pairs well with a green-season visit.
The park's trail network is explicitly adapted for wheelchair users, with universal-accessibility facilities, rest areas and overlooks. Several San José tours list wheelchair-accessible transport and surfaces.
Sendero El Perezoso (Sloth Trail) is the key route: flat, paved, about 1.1 km one way, and fine for wheelchairs and strollers. It ends near Playa Manuel Antonio.
What doesn't work: deep sand and the 1.4 km Punta Catedral loop, which has inclines. For older visitors, a relaxed circuit of the Sloth Trail plus beach time is manageable — most paths are flat with benches along the way.
Service dogs are admitted only with a permit from the entrance guard station. Closed walking shoes beat sandals; the midday heat on exposed stretches is real.
A concession cafeteria and artisan shop inside the park runs 7:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m. — the only place you may eat, since food is banned on trails and beaches. Drinks there cost premium prices.
Locker rental is available 7:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. Useful, because capuchin monkeys and raccoons unzip unattended bags in seconds.
Restrooms and changing rooms sit by the beaches, and fresh-water showers are nearby — though soap and shampoo are banned in them.
Potable-water fountains are located on the Sloth Trail and near Playas Manuel Antonio and Espadilla Sur, so a reusable bottle covers you (single-use plastic gets confiscated at bag check).
Certified guides from the Association of Certified Tour Guides of Quepos (tel. 8671-1813) can be hired at the entrance 7:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m. for roughly $40–70 per person, spotting scope included.
There is no ticket booth — every entry requires advance purchase on SINAC's portal (serviciosenlinea.sinac.go.cr), and you must carry the physical passport matching the booking. A phone photo won't clear the gate. Tours handle this for you, but only if you send your name, nationality and passport number in time.
Banned at bag check: food and packaged snacks, single-use plastic bottles, pets, alcohol, smoking materials, umbrellas, balls, tents, hammocks, Bluetooth speakers, and drones without a special SINAC permit. Reusable water bottles are fine. Feeding wildlife carries fines.
On the beaches: learn to recognize the manzanillo tree — its sap and apple-like fruit are toxic, and even rain dripping from it can blister skin. Never sit in its shade.
Scam warning: people dressed as rangers sell fake tickets near the entrance. Real rangers wear SINAC logos and work only inside the park. Buying anywhere but sinac.go.cr or through a booked tour risks losing your day and your money.
Plan on 12–13 hours door to door, with pickup between 5:00 and 6:15 a.m. depending on your hotel. The drive is roughly three hours each way, and several operators warn the return leg can run longer on weekends and holidays due to coastal traffic. The park time itself is usually about three hours of guided walking plus free time.
Yes, nearly every tour on this page bundles the entrance fee ($18.08 for foreign adults, $5.65 for children 2–12) into the price. The catch is administrative: operators must register your full name and passport number in SINAC's ticket system at least 24 hours ahead, so send those details right after booking or you may be denied entry.
Yes — the top-rated 12-hour tour (4.9 stars, 834 reviews, $169) offers drop-off at centrally located Manuel Antonio–Quepos hotels, but you have to request it at the time of booking. It's the cheapest way to turn a day trip into a one-way transfer if you're continuing along the coast.
Expect a breakfast stop about 45 minutes in — typically gallo pinto, eggs and coffee — plus a 15-minute stop at the Tarcoles River crocodile bridge, where large American crocodiles bask below. Some itineraries add a scarlet macaw viewing stop at Tarcoles Beach and a Jaco Beach lookout. These stops are also your bathroom breaks, so use them.
Yes, bring the physical passport that matches your tour booking. Park authorities check it against the registered ticket, and a phone photo is not accepted at the gate. This is the single most common reason travelers with valid bookings get turned away.
No food of any kind is allowed — bags are scanned at the entrance and packaged snacks are turned away. Water and drinks in reusable bottles are permitted, and there are potable-water fountains on the Sloth Trail and near the beaches. Eat at your hotel before pickup; the park cafeteria (7:30 a.m.–3:30 p.m.) is the only place inside where eating is allowed.
Self-guided visits are allowed, but sloths and camouflaged animals are nearly invisible in the canopy without a spotting scope. Certified guides transform the experience — most tours include one, and if you go independently you can hire one at the entrance (7:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m., roughly $40–70 per person). For a San José day-tripper with limited hours, a guide is the best money spent.
All of them include transport, breakfast, lunch, a guide and the park entrance fee. The differences are in the details: group size, review history (the $169 tour has 834 reviews at 4.9 stars), route stops, and extras like wine or beer at lunch. The $139.50 budget option explicitly cancels and refunds if it can't secure park tickets, so it's riskier in peak weeks.
Most tours build in free time at Playa Manuel Antonio, an 800 m crescent with calm, sheltered water — the safest swimming spot in the park. Bring your own towel (tours remind you of this) and swimwear under your clothes. Some tours instead use free time at Playa Espadilla Norte, the public beach outside the gate.
In a few hours you can realistically see three monkey species — white-faced capuchins, mantled howlers and the endangered Central American squirrel monkey, found only here and in Corcovado — plus both sloth species, raccoons, coatis, agoutis and green iguanas. Birders can rack up toucans, fiery-billed aracaris, kingfishers and pelicans among the park's roughly 352 recorded species. Keep your bag zipped; the capuchins are skilled thieves.
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This 12-hour tour runs from San Jose to Manuel Antonio National Park by air-conditioned vehicle, with pickup and drop-off at most San Jose area hotels. On the way down it makes three short stops, 15 minutes each: the crocodile bridge over the Tarcoles River, Tarcoles Beach for scarlet macaws, and the Jaco Beach look-out point. There's also a fruit stand visit. At the park itself you get a one-hour guided hike with a bilingual (English/Spanish) guide, plus free time — the park portion totals about three hours. Howler monkeys, sloths, iguanas and birds are the usual sightings. An early-afternoon Costa Rican lunch at a restaurant with ocean and jungle views follows, then the drive back to San Jose. Breakfast, lunch, the national park entrance fee and transport are all included; gratuities are not. One option worth knowing: you can end the tour at a centrally located Manuel Antonio or Quepos hotel instead of returning to San Jose, but you have to request it at booking. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before departure.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
English, Spanish
This is the long-haul option: pickup in San José, then a drive down Route 27 through the mountains to the Costanera Sur, passing African palm plantations along the way. About 45 minutes into the drive there's a stop for breakfast or coffee — also your last bathroom break before the park. Once there, you walk a natural rainforest trail through the national park until it reaches the beach, where you can swim or keep exploring the trails with the guide (English and Spanish). The walk and beach time run about five hours total. Lunch comes after. Breakfast, lunch, park entrance, all fees and taxes, air-conditioned transport, and a guide are included. The drive back to San José takes roughly three hours, so expect a full day end to end. Cancel at least 24 hours before departure for a full refund.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
English, Spanish
A 12-hour day trip that gets you from the Central Valley to the Pacific coast and back, with pickup from hotel lobbies in downtown San Jose, Alajuela, and Heredia. Expect an early start — the minivan leaves in the morning and heads straight for the coast, stopping en route for a typical Costa Rican breakfast of gallo pinto. Air-conditioned minivan transport, a professional guide in English or Spanish, all park entrance fees, taxes, breakfast, and lunch are included. The park line is skipped, so you won't queue at the gate. Gratuities aren't included. Cancel at least 24 hours before departure for a full refund.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
English, Spanish
A 12-hour day trip that departs San Jose hotels in the early morning, crosses the Central Valley mountains, and follows the Costanera Sur Highway to the Pacific coast — about three hours each way, with stops along the way to see African palm plantations and coastal villages before reaching the port of Quepos. Vehicles can't enter the park, so you cross a creek on foot to get in. A guided hike on the park's trails (about an hour, in English) covers the wildlife — monkeys, iguanas, birds, and possibly a three-toed sloth. After that you get roughly three hours at the beach, with clear water for swimming and sunbathing. There's also an optional one-hour hike to Punta Catedral, a lookout with views over the forest and ocean. Park entrance, round-trip transport from San Jose hotels, breakfast, lunch, and a drink with lunch (wine, beer, soda, or a natural drink) are all included. You'll need to give your hotel name when booking, and you should confirm your pickup time at least 24 hours ahead. Cancellation is free up to 24 hours before departure.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
English
This is the long-day option: a 13-hour excursion from San Jose to Manuel Antonio National Park, with hotel pickup from your lobby in the early morning before the drive to the Pacific coast. Along the way there's a stop for a typical Costa Rican breakfast — gallo pinto included. You get about 13 hours total door to door, with the bulk of it spent at the park. Everything practical is bundled: park entrance fees, all taxes and handling charges, breakfast and lunch, and transport in an air-conditioned minivan. A professional guide accompanies the group in English or Spanish, and skip-the-line access is included, so you don't wait in the park's ticket queue. Not included: gratuities. Pickup and drop-off are both at your hotel, with the guide meeting you in the lobby at the scheduled time. Cancel at least 24 hours before departure for a full refund. It's a lot of driving for one day, so plan for an early start and a late return.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
English, Spanish
Pickup starts around 5 am at San José hotels and nearby areas, with the exact time depending on where you're staying — specify your hotel when booking. The drive south breaks for a traditional Costa Rican breakfast, then a photo stop at a viewpoint and a stop at Hacienda Nosavar on the Tárcoles River to watch giant crocodiles from the bank. A certified bilingual naturalist guide (English or Spanish) leads roughly four hours in Manuel Antonio National Park, pointing out sloths, monkeys, toucans and iguanas along the rainforest trails. Part of that block is free time at Playa Espadilla for swimming. A local lunch is served before the return drive, which gets you back to San José around sunset. Transport in an air-conditioned vehicle, breakfast, lunch, all fees and taxes, and the guide are included. The tour runs with a minimum of two passengers. Cancel at least 24 hours before departure for a full refund.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
English, Spanish
This one runs entirely on your schedule — private vehicle, pickup from any hotel in San José, Heredia, or Alajuela within the GAM, and an English- or Spanish-speaking certified naturalist who rides with you from the door. The day is built around three hours inside Manuel Antonio National Park with that guide, followed by about two hours of free time at Playa Espadilla Norte, the public beach just outside the park entrance. On the drive back, there's a 40-minute stop at the Tárcoles Bridge, where you look down on American crocodiles basking and swimming in the river below. The photography angle is what sets this one apart on the page: a professional photographer travels with you, and high-quality photos plus drone video are part of the package. Breakfast, lunch, a bottle of water, and fresh fruit are all included, as is your park entrance ticket. Book with your exact accommodation name and address, since pickup is coordinated around it. Cancellation is standard: full refund if you cancel at least 24 hours before departure.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
English, Spanish
This is the long-day option: pickup at your San Jose hotel, roughly 12 hours door to door, with breakfast and coffee served on the way down and a full lunch later in the day. A professional guide leads the walk on the park's trails, pointing out birds, monkeys, and the plant species along the route. English, French, and Spanish tours are available. After the guided hike you get beach time — swim or sunbathe before the drive back. Park entry fees are covered in the price, as is hotel or port pickup and drop-off at both ends. Alcoholic drinks are the main exclusion. Pickup runs from all hotels in San Jose. Cancel at least 24 hours before departure for a full refund.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
English, French, Spanish
A 13-hour day trip from San José, with about three hours of driving each way. Pickup is at your arrival hall, where the driver waits with a sign bearing the lead traveler's name. Breakfast comes early: a 30-minute stop at the Tárcoles River Bridge, plus a viewpoint over the river where you can watch large American crocodiles from a safe distance. The park visit itself runs about four hours, led by a bilingual (English/Spanish) naturalist guide along rainforest trails — sloths, monkeys, and birds are the usual sightings, with an option to hike up to Punta Catedral or spend time on the beach. Afterward, lunch is at Hotel Espadilla; the route back passes Espadilla Public Beach, and there's a 30-minute photo stop at the JACO letters viewpoint in Jaco Beach on the ocean side. Included: park admission, breakfast, lunch, and air-conditioned transport. Cancel at least 24 hours before departure for a full refund.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
English, Spanish