Things to know before your visit

Costa Ricans are know one the friendliest and kindest people of the world. Locals loves to help the visitors. Most of the touristic places speaks English, and accepts US Dollars. Manuel Antonio is a very safe area, that’s why is one of the favorite destinations for families. Nightlife is very quiet. If you want to have local currencies there are many banks in the area, including 3 banks in the beach area. The closest bank to the beach is CoopeAlianza (official ticket seller for Manuel Antonio National Park). The main attractions are Manuel Antonio National Park, Manuel Antonio Beach, waterfalls, dolphin watching, ziplining.

How to get here?

Because of its large amount of visitors every year there are many ways to access Manuel Antonio.

Fly: The closest airport to Manuel Antonio is Quepos Airport (XQP), this airport is just 20 minutes drive to Manuel Antonio. Most of all the flights are arriving from Juan Santamaria Airport (SJO) Domestic Flights terminal. The flight is 18 minutes. Please remember the airplanes are small. The aircraft types are similar to  Cessna 208 Caravan

By road: Driving or having a shuttle to get here is a memorable experience. If you are coming from Juan Santamaria Airport the journey is going to be a 2.5hour drive (each direction). There are beautiful scenery during the road. Also you stop in the local sodas to have a traditional Costa Rican meal such as gallo pinto, casados, empanadas or arreglados. We recommend a stop in Puente Tarcoles known as Crocodile Bridge, in this bridge you can spot crocodiles on the Tarcoles River. If you are planning to drive please remember to rent a gps or buy a simcard with internet connection for your phone (Google Maps or Waze works great in all Costa Rica)

Public Transportation: If you are arriving from Juan Santamaria Airport we do not recommend you to take a public taxi (the taxis at the airport have bad reputation because of excessive charges). The main buses are departing from Tracopa bus station.

Best time to visit

Manuel Antonio weather is divided into two conditions: summer and rainy. You can enjoy warm weather and beautiful sunsets almost all year around.

The summer starts in December to mid July. The warmest month is March. Temperatures can go high as 93F or 34C. Because of its proximity to the ocean you will be refreshed by the tropical beach breeze.

The rainy season starts from August to Mid November. Also this season matches with the beginning of the Whale Season (August – October). Please remember during the ‘Rainy Season) most of the rain starts at the afternoon and its no more than 4 hours length. You can enjoy your activities during the morning and then rest in the afternoon at your room while enjoying the sound of the rain.

Top 10 Things to Do

Manuel Antonio is a perfect destination for solo, couples, families or large groups travelers. The top 10 things to do that we recommend are:

• Manuel Antonio National Park Hike (Solo, Couples, Families, Groups)
• Mulguri Waterfalls (Solo, Couples, Families, Groups)
• Catamaran Boat Tour (Solo, Couples, Families, Groups)
• Ziplining Tour (Solo, Couples, Families, Groups)
• White Water Rafting (Solo, Couples, Families, Groups)
• Surf Lessons (Solo, Couples, Families, Groups)
• Mangrove Boat Tour (Solo, Couples, Families, Groups)
• Ocean or sea kayaking (Solo, Couples, Groups)
• Sportfishing (Solo, Couples, Groups)
• Horseback Tour (Solo, Couples, Families, Groups)

If you want to see more details about the Top 10 Things to Do in Manuel Antonio we invite you to click here

What to avoid

Every year Manuel Antonio is getting more popular this is why some people (most of them are not locals or they are in illegal status) take advantage of the visitors. Please book a certified tour operator or tour guide for any of your desired activities, this is for your own safety and product satisfaction. Lately there is been many companies operating without any insurance or certification. The common scams are the fake tour guides, fake tour booking offices, expensive parking lot. Do not book any tour to the street vendors. Also, there are some fake tour guides saying that is a most to hire a tour guide to visit the National Park in fact this is not true. You can visit Manuel Antonio National Park without any tour guide. We recommend certified tour guides to Manuel Antonio National Park to have a better exploration experience in the natural reserve.

Interesting things to know

• ‘’Pura Vida’’ is the most common word among the Costa Ricans, this word is used almost for everything. It means everything is great, it is also a way to say hello, good bye, nice to meet you.
• The local currency is colones (₡), the average exchange rate is ₡600 colones per $1. If you are planning to visit a bank to exchange USD Dollars to Colones please have your passport with you.
• Before taking a public taxi ask their price. An average ride from Quepos Downtown to Manuel Antonio Beach is ₡5000 – ₡6000
• Cheapest way to move around is the public bus, their last beach to Quepos Town service is at 9:30pm
• Quepos is just 15 minutes away from Manuel Antonio Beach, this is the town where most of the locals live, in Quepos you’ll find airport, bus station, marina, banks, supermarkets such as a Walmart owned store.
• Local people in Quepos are named Quepeño.
• Eat before 10pm. Most of the dining options in Manuel Antonio are closed by 10pm, if you feel hungry after 10pm you must go to Quepos Town
• Manuel Antonio National Park closes on Mondays.
• Tipping is voluntary, but it is very appreciated it by the people. Please remember the majority of locals live because of the tourism, so tipping is a great form to contribute to their living and sustain their families.
• Locals are friendly and helpful: Costa Rica is a country fully of friendly people, this also happens in Manuel Antonio, feel free to ask any advice to any local, many visitors have made good friends in Manuel Antonio.

Shopping

Groceries: Go where locals do their shopping, in these places you’ll save money, we want to recommend you these supermarkets: Pali (Part of Walmart’s Group), Maxi Pali (Part of Walmart’s Group), Super 2000. In these two first supermarkets you’ll find basic stuff, in Maxi Pali you can find some US goods. For more high quality goods you can visit Mini Price Store, but please remember this place is more expensive than Pali or Maxi Pali. Avoid the supermarkets close to Manuel Antonio Beach, they charge a lot more than the supermarkets located in Quepos Town.

Souvenirs: Manuel Antonio is one of the most visited places in Costa Rica that’s why it has a lot of souvenir places. Beware of the beach vendors because many products are from China. There are some good shops to find authentic Costa Rican products: In the beach area you can shop at the store that is next to CoopeAlianza Bank where the national park tickets are sell.

Many street vendors are in illegal conditions and they don’t have any permits from the government, that is why we don’t recommend you to buy them any stuff from them.

Manuel Antonio Beach Area

The official name of Manuel Antonio Beach is Playa Espadilla Norte, but it is known as Playa Manuel Antonio. In this area you’ll find many restaurants, shops, and supermarkets. At daytime this area is very busy, you can find many water activities such as surf lessons (Barrabas or Rogelio Surf Lessons), kayaking, parasailing, snorkeling. Also there are many beach rentals offering cocktail, drinks and meals service which is great to make you a comfortable stay at the beach. At nighttime this area is very quiet, only the supermarkets, shops are open.

Security

Manuel Antonio is very secure area. The crime rate is very low. We have some considerations for you while visiting this beautiful area:

• Always keep your belongings in sight: When you are relaxing at the beach do not forget to put all your personal items together in sight. Also while visiting Manuel Antonio National Park the monkeys or racoons can “steel” some of your belongings, this happens because they want to look for some food.
• Always lock your car and hide your items. Do not keep your personal belongings to be easy spotted.
• Always ask for the price first than making the payment. Also please remember to ask if the price is in Colones or USD Dolars. One of the common scams are street vendors selling a product and not say the currency, the vendor would say sixty (60) and many visitors pay them sixty thousand colones instead of sixty dollars.
• In holidays week some thieves from outside Manuel Antonio / Quepos Area visit this place to scam tourists, please be aware always with strangers approaching to you.
• Always book your activity at your hotel or place you are staying. Keep out of the street tour vendors. Some of these vendors would sell you the tour cheaper than the official price, they would ask you for a deposit but then nobody is going to pick you up for the tour paid in advance.