Entrance station · Manuel Antonio National Park
Bring your SICORE reservation and ID; the gate opens onto forest trails.
Overview
Map
Plan your stop
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Manuel Antonio Tour Guide
Parkwolf is a GPS audio tour guide for Manuel Antonio National Park. As you drive, it chimes in with what’s ahead: hidden gems, upcoming stops, history, geology, and wildlife, right through your car’s speakers.
Recorded for this place
Playa Manuel Antonio and Punta Catedral“You're approaching the park entrance, the way in to Playa Manuel Antonio and Punta Catedral. The beaches are farther inside, reached on foot.”
Plays as you drive up to Manuel Antonio National Park Main Entrance in the Parkwolf Manuel Antonio Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
“Fantastic app with many points of information… It’s great to just turn on while you’re driving and it gives you an audio tour of the national Park. We love it!!!!”
Guide
The Manuel Antonio National Park Main Entrance is the gated information point at the end of the village road, about 7 km beyond Quepos. It is the access point for the park, not a separate sight. Buy tickets through SINAC’s SICORE booking system and have the reservation number and a physical or digital ID ready to show at the gate.
The public bus from Quepos stops at the Playa Espadilla Norte roundabout, not at the entrance. From there, follow the dirt Beach Trail over a small bridge toward the large park sign; the walk takes about ten minutes.
Restrooms and rental lockers are reported at the entrance. Inside the park, a cafeteria serves drinks and light meals such as pastries, salads, pizza and sandwiches. Single-use plastics are prohibited, so bring drinks in a reusable container.
Trails lead through tropical wet forest toward the beaches of Manuel Antonio, Espadilla Sur and Puerto Escondido, with mangroves and a lagoon elsewhere in the park. The area is also home to the endemic Manuel Antonio squirrel monkey. This entrance is your starting point for that larger mix of forest and coast.
Wildlife
411 sightingsHowler MonkeyMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
1,193 sightingsWhite-faced Capuchin MonkeyMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
803 sightingsThree-toed SlothMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
271 sightingsTwo-toed SlothMost seen around 8 AMSighting map
110 sightingsRed-eyed Tree FrogMost seen around 7 AMSighting map
170 sightingsCoatiMost seen around 7 AMSighting mapSighting maps show where each species has been reported across Manuel Antonio. Wildlife moves, so no sighting is guaranteed.
Keep exploring
EasySendero Elevado El Manglar0.8 km · 20 min · At the trailheadA wide rainforest boardwalk that ends on a Pacific beach.
EasyLa Catarata Trail1.3 km · 36 min · 0.2 km awayA short climb to a small waterfall that appears with the rains.
EasySendero Playa Espadilla Sur0.9 km · 21 min · 0.5 km awayA shady sandy link from the mangroves to Espadilla Sur.
EasySendero El Perezoso0.6 km · 21 min · 0.6 km awayA shaded forest boardwalk with Braille nature signs.
EasySendero Playa Manuel Antonio0.8 km · 18 min · 1 km awayA short café-to-beach walk ends on a forested tombolo.
ModerateSendero Mirador2.3 km · 1.3 hr · 1.2 km awayA steep stair climb links rainforest to Punta Serrucho's jagged coast.
EasyPlaya Gemelas Trail0.7 km · 30 min · 1.2 km awayA short path to Manuel Antonio's twin rocky coves.
ModeratePunta Catedral Trail1.2 km · 1 hr · 1.3 km awayA short loop rounds a forested headland with Pacific lookouts
Bus stop · 0.3 km awayManuel Antonio Bus StopA Quepos bus drop-off near the beach, 10 minutes from the gate.
Sight · 0.4 km awayLa CatarataA short jungle spur to a small rainy-season waterfall.Beach · 0.8 km awayPlaya Espadilla SurA quieter sandy shore, with surf worth checking before a swim.
Beach · 1 km awayPlaya Espadilla NortePacific sunsets, surfboards, and snacks close to the sand.
Food · 1.1 km awayManuel Antonio National Park CafeteriaA quick food break at the park's central trail junction.Beach · 1.2 km awayPlaya Manuel AntonioTwo bays, one sandy tombolo, and Quepoa turtle traps at low tide.
Sight · 1.2 km awayMirador de Punta SerruchoWorth the stairs for Punta Serrucho’s sawtooth coast.
Sight · 1.3 km awayLa TrampaA low-tide stone feature with a local fishing story.Parkwolf’s Manuel Antonio ranking
The audio tour guide for the drive, plus offline maps, trails, and wildlife heatmaps for when the signal drops.
