When you think of Costa Rica, you generally think of the phrase- “Pura Vida”. For those who don’t speak Spanish- it means “Pure life.” What does that mean exactly? Well take it as you will but to me, it means: it’s a way of life that encourages people to be grateful for what they have and to focus on the positive. For this reason, Costa Rica embodies a lifestyle of relaxation and chill … .not taking life so seriously and again, enjoying the positive things in life. Costa Rica truly encapsulates this phrase, so much so that it has become the forefront of what it means to be an eco-tourism hotspot. Just like its slogan, Costa Rica focuses on preserving the natural beauties of life- through Mother Nature’s incredible biodiversity. So, naturally, when in Costa Rica, you find activities that combine preservation and observation.
With that, we take you to Costa Rica’s Pacific coast and its most famous national park- Manuel Antonio. The park is a haven for biodiversity, with over 100 species of mammals and 180 species of birds. Common wildlife includes capuchin monkeys, sloths, iguanas, coatis, and colorful birds like toucans and scarlet macaws. It features well-maintained hiking trails that lead to scenic viewpoints, waterfalls, and secluded beaches. For all the reasons above, we were so excited to explore the park and spend a full-day immersing ourselves in the natural beauty that is Costa Rica.
The question you have to ask yourself before entering the park is simple: “Do I want to go as part of a tour or do I want to go solo?” Both offer valid points but after doing an incredible tour, we think the answer is simple: GET A TOUR GUIDE! And no, we aren;t really ones to do tours or pay someone to guide us…we believe it is part of the adventure to do self-exploration. But, we will explain more as to why a tour guide is absolutely necessary to get the most out of your experience. You will find many tour options on Viator of GetYourGuide but we believe that best one is:
Steve Tours Costa Rica: https://www.getyourguide.co.uk/costa-rica-l168995/manuel-antonio-park-guided-tour-to-see-animals-beach-time-t596372/
TIP: Buy your park entrance tickets at your earliest convenience (THEY ARE NOT INCLUDED WITH THE TOUR)- https://serviciosenlinea.sinac.go.cr/
If you do not book your entrance ticket, you risk not entering as there may be no more tickets in-person. The ticket prices are as of DEC. 2024:
Adults (Foreign Visitors): $18.08 USD
Children (Foreign Visitors, Ages 2-12): $5.65 USD
Once you reach the gate to the entrance to the park, you will see many signs prohibiting things like single-used plastic, drones and food to protect the area. Therefore, BRING A REUSABLE BOTTLE (don’t try to sneak in plastic bottles because they will check and confiscate).
The tour:
We were lucky to have a private tour (mind you tours with guides range from $24 upward) because no one else showed up. Upon entering the park with our guide Steve, we were immediately greeted by a coati, sort of like a raccoon, and a sleeping sloth in the tree. This was literally within the first 5 minutes…THERE IS WILDLIFE EVERYWHERE! But the thing is, we certainly wouldn’t have seen these creatures without the watchful eye of our tour guide. Additionally, if you take the guide route, they will have a special wildlife viewing telescope for you that provides truly incredible vantages of things that are difficult to see with the untrained naked eye. Without Steve or the telescope we would’ve just walked past and not seen anything.
The tour takes about 2 hours of walking along the many trails through the rainforest and we saw everything from sloths to different species of monkeys to lizards and of course bugs that there’s seriously no way we would see without the telescope. It was incredible to see all these creatures in their natural landscape. I just feel for all the people that walked past us unguided, having no idea what we were looking at. Well, I take it back, I don’t feel sorry for them because they tried to save a few bucks … .DO THE TOUR! With the telescope, you can take incredible photos through its lens making it look like you have a camera worth thousands of dollars with superzoom lenses. Is everything I have said here not enough to encourage you to go?
After the tour is completed, your tour guide will drop you off at the entrance of Manuel Antonio beach- a beautiful end to your time spent in the rainforest. It truly felt like a tropical paradise, with powdery white sand, turquoise waters, and a lush rainforest backdrop. The surrounding greenery made it feel like a secluded oasis. As you aren’t allowed to bring any plastics/food, we didn’t see a single piece of trash which was very unusual as every beach we have ever been in the world has unfortunately featured some type of trash. It was the perfect end to the tour as our time within Manuel Antonio featured everything we could’ve asked for: wildlife, rainforest exploration and a picture-perfect beach.
PRO TIP: Enter the park or organize the tour earlier in the morning so you have more time to explore the beaches. The park closes at 4pm and they ask you to be on your way at 3pm. Therefore, if you do a tour in the afternoon, you may miss your chance to explore the beaches.
All in all, our time in Manuel Antonio National Park was unforgettable and magical. We can’t recommend enough Steve’s Tours as you will truly be missing out if you do not do an organized tour. Let Manuel Antonio take you away to a breathtaking world of natural beauty that shows us how important it is to preserve Mother Nature.
Stay tune to hear more about our travels as we backpack around the world and spend each month in a different country!
