Manuel Antonio Beach & National Park Day Tour from San José
Description
Experience one of Costa Rica’s top destinations on this full-day guided tour to Manuel Antonio National Park from San José. Start with a traditional Costa Rican breakfast, then stop at Hacienda Nosavar on the Tárcoles River to observe giant crocodiles in the wild. Continue to Manuel Antonio, where a certified naturalist guide leads you through lush rainforest trails to spot sloths, monkeys, toucans, iguanas, and more. After the walk, enjoy up to four hours at Playa Espadilla, one of the world’s most beautiful beaches—perfect for swimming, relaxing, and soaking in paradise. Finish your day with a delicious local lunch before returning to San José at sunset. A memorable mix of wildlife, nature, and beach time, ideal for travelers seeking Costa Rica’s ultimate day escape.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Estimated pick up of passengers starts at 5 am from the hotels in San Jose and nearby. - We will stop for breakfast on the way, then we will have the opportunity to take pictures from a viewpoint at the mouth of the Tarcoles River where hopefully you will be able to see the famous crocodile. On the way to Manuel Antonio National Park, you will travel along the coastline enjoying scenic views, including African palm plantations. You will also travel past small villages along the Pacific Coast, until you reach the port of Quepos and the ultimately the National Park.
Visit Manuel Antonio National Park scorted by a naturalist tour guide, duration of approximately 4 hours visiting the park and enjoying the beach. Since access to the park itself is closed to vehicles, you will hike to the preserve, crossing a creek. Once in the park, you can simply relax and enjoy the beach, sunbathe, or hike through the park's trails, which will allow you to observe Manuel Antonio's abundant flora and fauna. Several species of monkeys, iguanas, birds and possibly even the three-toed sloth can be seen. If you chose to hike the trail to Cathedral Point, do not forget your camera; the views of the park and the sea are simply spectacular! Hotel Playa Espadilla - Lunch included in this beautiful property located near the beaches of Manuel Antonio.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
We will pick you up at hotels located in the San José area and near by. The pickup time will depend on your hotel's location, so we kindly ask that you specify the place where you will be staying in your request.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- What to bring? Hat - Sun block - Insect repellent - Binoculars – Camera – Shorts – Sandals - Towel – Swimsuit
- In Manuel Antonio National Park it is forbidden to bring into the park: *Plastic bottles* *Prepared food and snacks* Drinks are allowed only in single-use bottles. To register for the entrance to the Park: Bring original or copy of your identification document.
- If you are travelling with children please let us know their ages, during the booking process
- Please confirm estimated pickup time day prior the tour, there would be 5 minutes flexibility.
Reviews(17)
This was an BEAUTIFUL AND ADVENTUROUS EXPERIENCE. There was a mix of hiking plus visiting two beautiful beaches. It is an all day excursion that I recommend!
Thank you for your fantastic review! We’re so happy to hear you had such a beautiful and adventurous experience. Manuel Antonio is truly a special destination, and we’re glad you enjoyed the combination of hiking and relaxing at its stunning beaches. Thank you for your recommendation—we hope to welcome you back to Costa Rica for another unforgettable adventure!
Manuel Antonio Park and its beach are truly beautiful; it is worth going, but I think there are too many stops along the way, which shortens the time in Manuel Antonio. I was the first to pick up at 5:00, and by 11:00 we were entering the park, and due to the time and heat, not many animals were seen. Breakfast and lunch were good. The good driver, the guide as well. The bus was good.
Muchas gracias por compartir su experiencia con nosotros. Nos alegra saber que disfrutó de la belleza del Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio, de su hermosa playa, así como del desayuno, el almuerzo, el servicio de nuestro conductor y guía. También agradecemos sinceramente sus comentarios sobre el tiempo de traslado y las paradas en ruta. Entendemos que salir temprano y llegar al parque cerca del mediodía puede reducir el tiempo disponible para disfrutar del destino. Tomaremos en cuenta su observación mientras continuamos evaluando nuestras operaciones para ofrecer la mejor experiencia posible a nuestros visitantes. Con respecto a la observación de fauna, es cierto que la actividad de algunos animales puede verse afectada por las condiciones climáticas y las horas de mayor calor, lo que en ocasiones limita los avistamientos. Aun así, nos alegra que haya podido disfrutar de este maravilloso destino. Gracias por viajar con nosotros. Esperamos tener la oportunidad de recibirle nuevamente en Costa Rica para seguir creando excelentes recuerdos.
The beach itself was beautiful, peaceful, and definitely worth visiting. I also appreciated the transportation and meal logistics being handled, and I ended up making a friend during the tour, which made the day more enjoyable. However, the overall experience did not meet my expectations. Compared to other guides I saw in the park, our guide did not bring binoculars or spotting equipment, which made wildlife viewing much harder. The tour heavily promotes seeing many animals, but we honestly saw very few. I also found the guide’s communication style overwhelming at times. Even though there were only two of us and we asked multiple times for a calmer tone, he continued speaking very loudly throughout the tour. Travelers who are sensitive to noise or easily overstimulated may find this uncomfortable. The food was also mediocre and this was the only tour during my entire Costa Rica trip where I felt pressured regarding tips from the guide, which left a bad impression. Additionally, when I mentioned information I had learned on another tour, the guide interrupted to say other agencies “lie,” which felt unnecessarily dismissive and unprofessional. Overall, I’m glad I visited Manuel Antonio because the destination is beautiful, but I would not book this specific tour again when returning to Costa Rica with friends or family.
Thank you for sharing your honest feedback. We’re glad you enjoyed the beauty of Manuel Antonio, the transportation, and meeting new people during the tour. At the same time, we sincerely regret that parts of the experience did not meet your expectations. We appreciate your comments regarding wildlife spotting equipment, the guide’s communication style, the meal quality, and the overall professionalism during the tour. Your feedback is very important to us and will be shared with our team as we continue improving our service. We truly appreciate your visit and your detailed comments.
This was such a relaxing and beautiful way to spend the day! The drive was about 3 hours I think but flew by with the stops and all of the information provided by our wonderful tour guide Robert! He was so knowledgeable, kind and patient and kept the group on track without feeling rushed. The only thing I would do differently is bring binoculars or perhaps the tour company could provide some.
Thank you so much for your wonderful review! We are delighted to hear that you had such a relaxing and enjoyable day with us. It’s great to know that the journey felt pleasant and engaging thanks to the stops and the valuable information shared by Robert. We will be sure to pass along your kind words to him — he will be very happy to know his knowledge, patience, and guidance made your experience even more special. We also truly appreciate your suggestion regarding binoculars. That is a fantastic recommendation, especially for enhancing wildlife viewing during the tour, and we will certainly share it with our team for future improvements. Thank you again for traveling with us, and we hope to welcome you back for another unforgettable Costa Rica adventure!
This was my first tour in Costa Rica and I had a great time. I really enjoyed the nature walk and seeing many animals. The sloths and the monkeys were the most exciting for me. I also loved to swim and relax from the beach. It was great being picked up at my hotel. Breakfast and lunch were great. Be prepared for a 4 hour ride each way from San Jose.
Thank you so much for choosing us for your first tour in Costa Rica! We’re thrilled to hear you had such a great time and enjoyed the nature walk—spotting sloths and monkeys is always a highlight! It’s wonderful that you were able to relax at the beach and enjoy both breakfast and lunch as part of the experience. We also truly appreciate you mentioning the travel time—Costa Rica’s beauty often comes with scenic journeys, and we’re glad it was worth it for you. We hope to welcome you again for more unforgettable adventures!
Wonderful park, wild life and the best beach in Costa Rica
Thank you so much! We’re thrilled you enjoyed the incredible wildlife and what many consider one of the best beaches in Costa Rica. It’s truly a special place—hope to welcome you back for another unforgettable adventure soon!
I highly recommend the experience, it is a fair price for everything it includes. Manuel Antonio park -although touristy- is definitely worth visiting and this is a good option. It includes breakfast and food, and the food in hidden port was truly spectacular. Erick our guide was sharing interesting facts with us along the way and we could see monkeys, iguanas, the two kinds of sloths, two kinds of frogs and a snake.
¡Muchísimas gracias por recomendarnos y por compartir tu experiencia! 🌿🐒 Nos alegra saber que disfrutaste del Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio y que el tour cumplió con tus expectativas en cuanto a valor, organización y experiencias. Qué gusto saber que el desayuno y el almuerzo en Puerto Escondido fueron de tu agrado —sin duda es un lugar especial— y que Erick pudo enriquecer el recorrido compartiendo información y ayudándoles a observar tanta vida silvestre, ¡ver ambas especies de perezosos siempre es un gran regalo de la naturaleza!
Perfect combination of nature and relaxation! The national park was stunning and the beach stop was the ideal way to end the day. Well organized and a great experience overall. Highly recommend!
Thank you so much for your kind words! We’re thrilled to hear you enjoyed the perfect balance of nature and relaxation. Visiting the national park and ending the day at the beach is truly a special combination, and we’re glad everything felt well organized and enjoyable for you. Thank you for recommending us—we’d love to welcome you again on another adventure!
This will be a great trip if you want to travel with your family or solo. I met some amazing people traveling solo and the tour guide was also amazing. He translated the things I couldn’t understand and made sure I didn’t have any questions about anything. You’ll have the option of a Costa Rican or American breakfast, lunch, and get to go to the national park. I think it was a great experience to relax and meet new people.
Thank you so much for sharing your experience! We’re delighted to hear that you enjoyed the tour, whether traveling solo or with family. It’s wonderful to know that our guide ensured you felt supported throughout the day and helped make everything easy to understand. We’re glad you enjoyed the breakfast options, lunch, and of course, the visit to the national park—it's truly a special place to relax, explore, and connect with new people. We hope to welcome you back for another adventure soon!
The tour is great, it is a must if you are traveling to Costa Rica. We were lucky enough to see crocodiles on the bridge, sloths on the wires when we got to the park, we saw anteaters and monkeys. The Kattia guide is a genius and you rating she knows a lot. The time on the beach was a few hours, not much but enough to enjoy well. Get ready for the rain. Breakfast had a choice of traditional dish, which I recommend trying. The journey is heavy (it leaves mega early) and you have to be prepared for the unexpected. Costa Rica has a problem with its routes. There was an accident and they cut off the only route we could take. They had to cancel the tour. The agency was going to reimburse us 100%, and we were able to reschedule it the next day. On the way back we had another accident so we took about 3 more hours at least. Then we have to be prepared for that.
¡Gracias por tu reseña! Nos alegra que hayas disfrutado de la naturaleza, los animales y la guía Kattia. Sabemos que los imprevistos en carretera pueden ser un reto, por eso valoramos mucho tu comprensión. ¡Esperamos verte de nuevo pronto en otra aventura en Costa Rica!
