After a few days of relaxing on the beach and getting settled to the Pura Vida life in Playa Jaco, I was ready to move on to the next leg of my journey – Manuel Antonio. Hiking, beaches, waterfalls, wildlife, Manuel Antonio offers travelers a plethora of experiences that no Costa Rican vacation is complete without. From wildlife-watching in Parque Nacionale Manuel Antonio; to opportunities for free activities such as hiking to hidden beaches, and off-track waterfalls; Manuel Antonio will certainly leave an unforgettable impression on your trip to Costa Rica.
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Contents:
- Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio
- Transportation to; and around Manuel Antonio
- Accommodations in and around Manuel Antonio
- Free things to do in Manuel Antonio
- Playa Espadilla
- Cascada El Salto
- Playa Macha
- Dining in Manuel Antonio
- Final thoughts on Manuel Antonio
Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio:
No trip to Manuel Antonio is complete without a trip to the town’s namesake, the ubiquitous Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio. Established in 1972, Manuel Antonio park is Costa Rica’s smallest national park, yet also the most visited park in the country. The density of diversity of species within the park is immense with 109 species of mammals and 184 species of birds all within the 6.83km2 park limits. In addition to an enormous variety of wildlife contained in a small area, the park also has a number of stunning white sand beaches contained within park limits. Manuel Antonio park should definitely be on your Costa Rican travel bucket list.
You need to make a reservation online the day before you wish to visit Parque Nacionale Manuel Antonio, they do not sell tickets at the gate. The earlier you book your ticket the better, as the early morning slots fill up quickly – only 300 people are let in at each hour – however there is no time limit for how long you can stay in the park, so if you enter the park in the early morning slots you simply have more time in the park. No food except water is allowed into the park. If you have a medical condition that requires you to eat more regularly, the park officials will make exceptions for this – but you would be advised to bring some form of proof.
If you’re very set on seeing animals and learning more about the park, it would be a good idea to hire a guide. Professional guides have powerful scopes that can allow you to see animals in their natural habitats – usually far up in the trees – where it’s difficult for you to see them with only the naked eye. The scopes are powerful enough for you to see the fine movements of even small insects as well as fine features of the animal you are looking at. Going with a guided tour also gives you a much better appreciation for the incredibly diverse flora and fauna that exists in Costa Rica.
Make sure you bring your swimming gear and beach blanket, as there are amazing beaches right in the park premises. Playa Espadilla Sur is just south of the public beach at the park’s entrance, and offers the same beautiful beach experience as the public beach but without all the vendors. Playa Manuel Antonio is a white sand beach reminiscent of those I saw in Thailand with some of the dramatic rocky outcrops at the ends of the beaches, and crystal clear waters. You can bring your own snorkel gear and snorkel right off the beach here by some of the rocks. I saw quite a few fish, including a parrot fish.
Transportation:
Manuel Antonio is easily accessible both from Playa Jaco as well as San Jose by the Costa Rica’s public bus system. From Playa Jaco, the public coach – which has luggage storage and comfortable seating – costs only 1850 Colones, and took about 2 hours to get to Quepos. Quepos is right outside Manuel Antonio, and from there, the city bus – which runs every 15 minutes – take visitors to various stops from Quepos all the way to the entrance of the Manuel Antonio park for just 320 Colones.
Accommodations:
There are a plethora of accommodation options available in the Manuel Antonio area. The closer you are to the National park area, the more expensive. For budget travellers, there are many wonderful inexpensive accommodation options available on the road between Quepos and the town of Manuel Antonio. I stayed at the Hostel Plinio – which was just 1.5km from the town of Quepos and about 4km from the town of Manuel Antonio.
Perched high up on a natural cliff, Hostel Plinio has a treehouse-like feel. The reception area feels like a spa merged with a treehouse. There is a distinct open-air concept to this hostel that I absolutely adored. The open-air dormitories have large screened windows that allow the breeze to flow throughout the rooms, while keeping out insects and animals. Each dormitory has a main balcony to share, as well as a second balcony higher up with better views. The hostel has a nice pool and bar-restaurant area, and offers excellent affordability. I paid only $11USD a night and the rate included breakfast! This hostel is one of the cleanest I’ve ever been to. One of the days I stayed a little later in the reception area and watched the cleaners clean every square inch of the property including the walls and ceiling! As the property perched near the branches of the nearby trees, I even managed to see a sloth right at eye-level from the hostel on my last day.
Andres who works at Hostel Plinio was an amazing source of information not just for Manuel Antonio, but for the rest of Costa Rica as well! He single-handedly convinced me to change my itinerary in Costa Rica with the huge amount of information he provided about different areas of the country as well as which transportation and tour operators were the most reputable to use.
Free things to do in Manuel Antonio:
Manuel Antonio is not an inexpensive place to visit. Many activities will cost you some money, but thankfully due to bounty of beaches, trails and other natural areas around the Manuel Antonio; there are also many free activities you can also enjoy during your visit.
Playa Espadilla:
Playa Espadilla is a large public beach near the entrance of Parque Manuel Antonio. The beach is busy, and there are a lot of vendors, but can be a nice place to spend a day/afternoon. There are grocery stores right across the street from the beach that sell beer, liquor and snacks that you can bring to the beach, as well as a plethora of restaurants.
Cascada El Salto: Waterfall hike through the jungle:
Cascada El Salto is a beautiful little waterfall that’s a popular free hiking spot for locals and tourists alike. The jungle path runs along the river and is wonderfully cool with lush surrounding vegetation. Along the main road to Manuel Antonio (Route 618), you can make a left turn onto Valle Pura Vida (assuming you’re going the direction of Quepos to Manuel Antonio). Valle Pura Vida will take you to a rickety old metal bridge (cross at your own risk), and then a trail that follows the river to Cascada El Salto. The out-and-back trail from when you turn onto Valle Pura Vida takes about 40 – 45 minutes to get to the waterfall. Best footwear for the hike would be rugged water sandals like Tevas or Chakos, as you’ll get your feet wet as you walk along and occasionally in the shallow river (when I went during dry season, the river was barely more than a trickle – a few inches max – but it can be quite different after long periods of rain). You’ll arrive at the top of a pretty waterfall at the end of the trail. While many people jump from the top of the waterfall, my hiking partner and I did not, as we were not exactly sure where to jump off from, and the climb back up from the waterfall looks to be quite challenging.
Playa Macha:
Playa Macha is a stunning and secluded black sand beach at the end of a very rugged 1.5km trail off the main road between Quepos and Manuel Antonio (Route 618). From Route 618, assuming you’re going in the direction of Manuel Antonio, take a right turn onto C. Viejo at Villas Mymosa. Walk along C. Viejo until you reach BongO, where you will make a left turn onto a trail that will lead you to the beach. The trail down to the beach is very rugged, hiking shoes are recommended. The secluded nature, and difficulty of access to this beach ensures there are very few people are typically there. If you’re going to stay and watch the sunset at this beach, make sure you bring a headlamp to light your way back to the main road. My friend and I hiked back about 45 minutes before sunset, and it was actually perfect timing to see the sun setting over the beach from a higher vantage point on the trail.
Dining:
Dining in the town of Manuel Antonio can be pretty expensive – as the town is built right next to the most visited National Park in Costa Rica. There are pockets of reasonable dining options both near Manuel Antonio and further away. Restaurant Buru Seaside – right next to Playa Espadilla offers 2 for 1 cocktails from 4pm – 7pm, and their food menu is reasonable given its location right next to the beach and the National Park. They occasionally have live music. You can watch for monkeys running rooftops and cables between the buildings and around the beach as you dine. The sunset views as you have your cocktails are very sublime.
I frequently dined at Bambu Jam – which was 50m away from Hostel Plinio. Their spacious restaurant occasionally has live music, and their menu prices are very reasonable (Casados for 3500 colones – $5-6USD, and beers for 1200 colones).
Costs for 5 days and 4 nights in Manuel Antonio:
Accommodations: $74.32USD
Transportation: $6.05USD
Dining: $47.27USD
Park Entrance Fees: $18USD
Guided Tour: $24USD
Total: $169.64USD
Final thoughts on Manuel Antonio:
While very touristy, Manuel Antonio is well worth visiting. My trip costs were reduced as I dined out infrequently, and used cheap (but efficient) public transportation options. I did not feel like I held back on paying for guided tours and other touristy activities that I wanted to do; and was very surprised when I tallied my costs for my 5 day 4 night stay to be under $200USD! I suppose the plethora of free activities like waterfall hikes and hidden beach hikes really reduced my costs on this leg of my trip to Costa Rica, while still allowing me to have an amazing time.
Next stop: Monterverde, Costa Rica
