Parking
No car park at this internal junction. Reach the Playa Gemelas / Puerto Escondido end on foot from Manuel Antonio National Park’s main public entrance; the park itself has no vehicle parking.
Overview
About Sendero Congos
Why go
- A useful link between Playa Gemelas and Mirador without retracing the same branch.
Heads up
- Several stair sections in a very short walk, with no viewpoint of its own.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Manuel Antonio map
Full mapElevation37–58 m
Plan your hike
Before you go
Parking
Safety
1 active Manuel Antonio alert
- ClosurePunta Catedral Trail Temporarily ClosedPunta Catedral trail is temporarily closed; do not plan to use it. Check the current Manuel Antonio National Park status before traveling.Official details
The highest, rockiest slopes around here are a summer buffet for grizzly bears.
Manuel Antonio Tour Guide
Your drive to Sendero Congos, narrated.
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 area
Little Pools in the Canopy0:00 / 0:30
“On a forest walk, look up for leafy clumps sitting on branches. Some are bromeliads, plants that use the tree for support without taking food from it. In tank bromeliads, the leaves form a funnel that catches rain.”
Plays on the road 1.3 km from the trailhead in the Parkwolf Manuel Antonio Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Playa Manuel Antonio and Punta Catedral
- Playa Espadilla Norte
- The Iguana’s Sunny Perch
- The Garden Beneath the Ant Trail
- 18 audio storiesacross Manuel Antonio’s roads, triggered by GPS as you drive
- Wildlife heatmapsfor Howler Monkey, White-faced Capuchin Monkey, Three-toed Sloth, and 13 more
- Works offlinemaps, 10 trails, 13 places, and audio download before you lose signal
- CarPlay readysimple controls built for the drive
“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!!!!”
Trail guide
Hiking Sendero Congos
Use it as a shortcutSendero Congos is a 258 m (0.
Sendero Congos is a 258 m (0.16 mi) one-way connector between the Playa Gemelas / Puerto Escondido side and the Mirador trail. Allow about 10 minutes from the lower junction toward Mirador. It is useful when linking those routes or taking an alternate way back; it is too short and has no separate viewpoint to make a destination of by itself.
Mostly path and stairsThe concrete path crosses dense tropical forest and includes several stair sections.
The concrete path crosses dense tropical forest and includes several stair sections. The mapped route climbs about 70 ft (22 m) over its short length, so don't mistake the mileage for an easy, step-free connection. Guides disagree on whether it feels easy or moderate; the stairs are the part that changes the effort. Visitor guides link the name to howler monkeys, but treat calls as a possibility, not a promised sighting.
Access and rulesStart at the Playa Gemelas / Puerto Escondido trail junction and follow the connector uphill to…
Start at the Playa Gemelas / Puerto Escondido trail junction and follow the connector uphill to the Mirador route. There is no vehicle parking at this internal trail junction, and the park has no vehicle parking inside its boundary. Pets aren't allowed in the park. I couldn't verify the connector's current open-or-closed status, so check the signs or park staff before relying on it as part of a circuit.
Wildlife
Wildlife in Manuel Antonio
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.
