Parking
The park has no parking area. Arrange parking outside the main entrance, then walk to El Manglar inside the park.
Overview
About Sendero Elevado El Manglar
Why go
- A raised, wide boardwalk with Braille interpretation.
- A short route from coastal forest to Playa Espadilla Sur.
Heads up
- It is point-to-point, so returning requires a connection or backtracking.
Map & elevation
The route
Loading the Manuel Antonio map
Full mapElevation3–25 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 Elevado El Manglar, 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 trailhead
Playa Manuel Antonio and Punta Catedral0:00 / 0:37
“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 this trailhead in the Parkwolf Manuel Antonio Tour Guide.
More stories near here in the app
- Little Pools in the Canopy
- 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 Elevado El Manglar
A short way to the beachSendero Elevado El Manglar is a 0.
Sendero Elevado El Manglar is a 0.47-mile, one-way raised boardwalk from the park entrance area to Playa Espadilla Sur. It’s an easy walk of about 20 minutes, or longer if you stop at the numbered nature displays. It makes sense as part of a day in the park, not as a loop or a separate trail outside the gate.
Above the forest floorThe broad raised walkway has handrails and Braille interpretation.
The broad raised walkway has handrails and Braille interpretation. Its elevated design leaves room for animals to move below, while the panels explain local plants and wildlife. You stay on a built walkway through dense vegetation; this is a short interpretive route rather than a rough backcountry hike.
Choose the beach branchAt the junction, continue along El Manglar toward Playa Espadilla Sur.
At the junction, continue along El Manglar toward Playa Espadilla Sur. The straight connector leads to the separate Perezoso route, so don’t count it as part of this trail. El Manglar ends at the beach access. To get back, retrace it or use another park route; the boardwalk itself doesn’t close into a loop.
Plan park entryThis walk is inside Manuel Antonio National Park and requires park entry.
This walk is inside Manuel Antonio National Park and requires park entry. The park has no parking area, so arrange parking outside its entrance before walking in. Pets aren’t allowed in the park except assistance dogs.
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.
