Manuel Antonio – Day 5 of a 6-Day Trip in Costa Rica
Manuel Antonio National Park is the most visited national park in Costa Rica with approximately 160,000 visitors per year. The park is gorgeous and has a limited number of tickets, so they must be purchased ahead of time. I really recommend joining a morning Manual Antonio Tour, especially if you want to see lots of animals. Morning is better as the animals hide as it gets hotter throughout the day. Within the park is a private beach and multiple trails. There is also a public beach nearby, Playa Espadilla Norte, but it is busy and not as tranquil as the private beach within the park.
Day 5
Manuel Antonio
My day started early. I had booked a morning Manuel Antonio Tour and the tour bus came to pick me up at 7:15am. The tour does pick-up and drop-off at your hotel, but you can choose to stay at the park afterwards, but you’ll have to figure out how to get back to your hotel yourself. That’s easy enough though – there is a bus that goes back and forth from the National Park to Manuel Antonio (town). I packed my swimsuit, because I wanted to stay at the park after the tour. While waiting for the tour van, I watched the capuchin monkeys chasing each other on the rooftop of my hotel, Peace of Paradise.
On the way to the park, we stopped at the El Avion Restaurante as the tour guide wanted to pick up a pastry and coffee for himself. The view from the restaurant is great and true to its name, it has an old airplane inside. This plane, the Fairchild C-123, has seen its fair share of war, but now is at peace within the walls of the restaurant.
The van dropped us off near a beach by the park, which was very quiet. There is now access into the park through the neighbourhood, but historically the only access to the park was by boat by third-party operators. But depending on how the boat operator felt that day, they might charge $20 USD or $10 USD per person. There were also safety concerns as the boat operators were not always sober! The tour does not include admission to the park, so you must buy that additional to your tour ticket. The tour will send you a link to buy your ticket a few weeks in advance. Note that no food is allowed in the park and only reusable water bottles are allowed inside. There is one cafeteria inside the park however, which is fully fenced off against the animals.
The tour was a lot of fun and the guide had a good eye for animals. I saw howling monkeys, capuchins, birds, reptiles, a toucan, and a sloth! The paths are well-kept and there are multiple beaches in the park (some do not allow swimming).
Once the tour was done, I walked to Gemelas Beach. This beach is quieter and more of a dip your toes in the water only beach. No one was swimming at this beach, but there were iguanas wandering the sand.
Afterwards, I hiked up to the Puerto Escondido Beach viewpoint. The hike took less than an hour, but was hard because of the humidity and the heat. But I made it! The view was nice though, but hard to enjoy as it is open to the sun and hot!
I was hungry so I headed to the cafeteria next for lunch. The cafeteria is fully fenced off due to the capuchins stealing people food. It is the only spot inside the park where you can get food. I ordered a beef sausage roll and a mango smoothie.
Then I headed to the Manuel Antonio Beach and spent the afternoon relaxing.
After a relaxing afternoon, I walked to the bus stop to catch it back to the hotel. The bus stop is just across from the Espadilla Beach. This beach was busy (it is public), with lots of people trying to sell beach activities (surfing lessons, snorkeling, beach chairs, etc.).
I took the bus to Emilio’s Cafe for an early dinner. Emilio’s Cafe has a beautiful overlook and great food. I ordered the grilled red snapper, a classic Costa Rican dish, and a cold beer.
Tired from the sun, I headed back to my hotel for the evening.
Complete Day 5 Itinerary
*Travel times may vary. Check Google Maps for most accurate travel details.
7:00am: Visit the Manuel Antonio National Park. Join a half day tour!
11:00am: Visit Gemelas Beach and hike up to the Puerto Escondido Beach Viewpoint.
1:00pm: Have lunch at the cafeteria.
2:00pm: Relax at the Manuel Antonio Beach.
6:00pm: Have dinner at Emilio’s Cafe (8 minute bus from Manuel Antonio National Park).
6-Day Costa Rica Itinerary
Click “Download” below for an excel version of my 6-Day Costa Rica Itinerary. Feel free to use the excel file as a planning template for your own trip!
Costa Rica Links:
Travels with Carolyne 
I loved Costa rica! Especially Manuel antonio. Sounds like you had an amazing adventure. Thanks for sharing
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