A private tour of Manuel Antonio National Park gives you a personalized look at the park’s many attractions. As you make your way through the forests, your guide shares information about the local ecosystem that you might miss on your own, and helps you spot wildlife like sloths, toucans, and monkeys using high-tech scopes—not included on most Manuel Antonio tours. This tour includes all transportation and your admission ticket, too, giving it extra value.

Manuel Antonio National Park private tour
Private tour allows for a more personalized experience
All photos and videos recorded with high-quality scopes included
Hotel pickup and drop-off included

What's Included

Certified bilingual tour guide (Certified by the Costa Rican Tourism Board)
Entry/Ticket, Name, Passport, and Nationality (As it appears on Travel Document/Passport) MANDATORY!
Hotel pickup and drop-off from your selected accommodation (Manuel Antonio and Quepos hotels ONLY)
Freedom to customize your hotel drop-off transportation to the convenience of your itinerary.
Take home excellent HD quality videos and photos captured with our spotting scopes.
Navigate the less crowded trails, traveling in the opposite direction of all visitors.

Transportation from accommodations outside Quepos-Manuel Antonio areas.
Bottled water
Snacks

Meeting And Pickup

Pickup points

Select a pickup point

Pickup details

PICK-UP AT THE HOTEL NOTE: 15 minutes before the selected tour start time, we will have a private transfer, a taxi driver, or our official transportation van meet you directly at your chosen accommodation. For example, if you booked a 7:00 am tour, your pick-up time will be 6:45 am (Keep in mind the further your accommodation is from Manuel Antonio National Park, the earlier your pick-up time will be) TOUR WITH TRANSPORTATION: Our included transportation applies to all accommodations in Quepos and Manuel Antonio (DOWNTOWN AREAS ONLY) If your hotel, Airbnb, or rental villa is located outside the above areas, do not hesitate to get in touch with us, we can always help to organize transportation for you. TOUR WITHOUT TRANSPORTATION: We kindly ask you to INFORM us in advance where we will meet you, If you arrive on your own or rented car, we strongly recommend that you meet our tour guide or drivers at "El Avion Restaurant" and from there follow us to our selected parking area near the park entrance. We usually work with Gonzalo's "CHALO" Parking, between Joseph's Supermarket and Donde Alex Restaurant. Or, if your accommodation is located within walking distance from the national park, we can meet you directly at our tour guides mani office, located right next to Donde Alex Restaurant. PARKING INFORMATION: There is no official parking for the national park, instead several private parking areas are available near the park entrance for ₡4,000 - ₡5,000/ $8 -$10 per day. HOTEL PICK-UP ETHICAL PRACTICE: Whether you are booking a group or private tour, always be an ethical traveler, it is disrespectful to make other enthusiastic participants wait extra time in our cars or vans. If you have a delayed situation, do not hesitate to contact us, we will be ready to help you to ensure that you have the most pleasant and satisfactory experience with our company.

What To Expect

To create an exceptional first-class experience, we decided to operate an ALL-INCLUSIVE TOUR (trust us, it could be very overwhelming and stressful to drive and buy your entrance ticket online) With us, simply book and enjoy the trip... We will personally manage and take care of all necessary arrangements for you (national park entrance fee, parking, or any additional requests in advance) After meeting you directly at your accommodation (Manuel Antonio-Quepos areas ONLY), your adventure begins on your short trip to the entrance of the national park. As naturalist guides, we will describe the possible local flora and fauna that we may see during your experience with us, explaining and educating you about what makes Costa Rica such a diverse part of the world.

Considering the current global situation, all of our experiences are exclusively designed for SMALL GROUPS or TOTALLY PRIVATE groups in mind, we will do our best to avoid all the big classic tour operators and big crowds as we find our way through a beautiful park, you will find yourself next to monkeys, sloths and a wide variety of tropical birds. We encourage any questions you have throughout the activity.

Do you want unique and incredible photos of the animals you see on the hike? We will personally take professional quality HD photos and videos using our cell phones and share all photos with you. Pura Vida!

Manuel Antonio National Park

As a group of experienced naturalist tour guides, we will describe the most important and relevant characteristics of the flora and fauna of the Manuel Antonio National Park, emphasizing any of your requests for favorite animals, themes or direction of the tour. During our two to three hour guided walk, we typically see wild monkeys, sloths, colorful tropical birds, butterflies, tree frogs, deer, toucans, and the occasional snake or even an amazing ocelot... you're welcome to ask as many questions as you like, to better enrich and educate your experience. We will personally help you take professional quality photos and HD videos using our Swarovski BTX or ATX telescopes, holding our cell phones and airdropping all captured content at the end of your tour. Don't forget to pack swimsuits, towels, and sandals if you are willing to enjoy the beach after our guided part. As mentioned before, you are free to customize transportation back to your hotel, just send us a WhatsApp message.

Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Wheelchair accessible
Manuel Antonio National Park is open to visitors Wednesday through Monday from 7:00 am to 4:00 pm. (TUESDAY CLOSED) Keep in mind all visitors must bring a PAPER COPY OR DIGITAL PHOTO OF THE PASSPORT at the time of showing the entrance ticket, which is valid only once.
You must bring your own REUSABLE WATER BOTTLE (single-use plastic water bottles are not allowed in Manuel Antonio and many other Costa Rican national parks)
IMPORTANT INFORMATION: There is no official parking area for the national park, instead several private parking areas are available near the park entrance for ₡4,000 - ₡5,000 per day. (If YOU ARRIVE BY YOUR OWN OR RENTED CAR, we strongly recommend that you meet our tour guides or drivers at "El Avión Restaurant" and from there follow us to our selected parking area near the park entrance)
Pack sunscreen/insect repellent for the hike. Please bring your beach gear (swimsuits, towels, snorkeling) if you plan to stay on the beaches after our guided part services.
Stroller accessible
Service animals allowed
Near public transportation
No heart problems or other serious medical conditions

The entrance ticket to the National Park is VALID ONLY ONCE, you are not allowed to re-enter if you leave the park.
Do not pack any kind of snacks, food, and alcoholic beverages are not allowed in the national park. (If you are traveling with small children or have a specific medical diet, some foods may enter under the conditions and exceptions established by the Park Administration)
Wear light, breathable, neutral-colored clothing (shorts, t-shirts, tank tops, etc. No bright colors, please) Think about blending in.
It is not allowed to enter/use beach umbrellas, sports balls of any kind, tents, or hammocks.
There are changing rooms and showers to rinse off (use of soap and shampoo is not allowed)
Drones and music speakers are not allowed in the park.
It is recommended to wear closed shoes (tennis shoes or hiking boots) to participate in the tour. (No beach sandals or flip-flops please)
Subject to favorable weather conditions; if canceled due to poor bad weather, you will be given the option of an alternative date or full refund.
Most travellers can participate
This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s cancelled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.

Traveller Photos

Reviews

5.0

389 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travellers.

Showing 1-10 of 389 reviews

Lots of animals

Anke_H, Mar 2023

It was a great tour. Our guide Andrey was very friendly and enthusiastic. He also was very good in spotting the most beautiful animals. We have seen a lot: 3 sloths, an anteater, monkeys, tucan, 2 species of bads, little insects and more. Great day thanks to Andrey. Highly recommend!

Lots of wildlife to see, great beach time

Grady_W, Mar 2023

Our family had a terrific tour of MANP! Jorge was an excellent tour guide, took his time explaining many aspects of the park in detail, and we never felt rushed. We saw 4 sloths (including a mother/baby), 2 bats, several capuchin, and an agouti, as well as several lizards and hermit crabs. The beach time was great as well. Highly recommend!!!

National Park Tour

Evelyn_P, Mar 2023

Manuel was an excellent guide for our semi private tour. Extremely knowledgeable and efficient at bringing us through the less crowded areas. With only 6 people in our group, we could hear him well & check the spotting scope easily to move on at a good pace. We were looking forward to receiving the statistics and information he has collected on the animals but we haven’t received that yet. Hopefully we will as it sounds very interesting.

AMAZING!! Highly recommend

Delilah_G, Mar 2023

Such a great tour!! Dylan was amazing and very interactive. He found things for us to look at that we would have never seen on our own. He was very passionate and had such a wealth of knowledge that made the experience even better. We were picked up right from our resort and all our tickets were taken care of which was great. We saw sloths, a variety of birds, lizards, monkeys, and other wildlife. Even got to swim at the beach. Dylan had a scope so we were able to see things clearly and he even took great photos and videos with our phones through the scope. If you have a question he’s always willing to help out and he also gave us a lot of great recommendations about places to go in the town. Would definitely recommend!!

Average

Tracey_B, Mar 2023

Efficient pick up and drop off at the entrance to the park. Good informative guide. Unfortunately we did not see very much ( can’t be helped) but we did see lots of monkey activity at the end of the tour but we were rushed out of the park at this time. Kind of spoiled things 🙁

Great tour of Manuel Antonio National Park

Sandra_P, Feb 2023

Manuel was a great guide and provided us with many interesting facts about the plants and animals. We saw howler monkeys, white faced monkeys and several sloths.

An amazing place

Debbie_J, Feb 2023

Our guide through Manuel Antonio tours was excellent. He was very personable and knowledgeable about the park. He showed us a lot of amazing wildlife on our tour and used our camera to take some amazing pictures.

Fun Manuel Antonio National Park Excursion

Carl_P, Feb 2023

The tour guide was amazing and we got a lot of great pictures. He was extremely friendly and knew the park very well. If I had not had the guide I would not have seen nearly as much. I highly recommend this tour!

Amazing experience with a great guide

Tsvetomil_S, Jan 2023

We had a really amazing experience during our tour in Manuel Antonio National Park thanks to our guide Mop who was really knowledgeable and friendly and showed us a lot of animals that we would have never seen otherwise and answered all of our questions in great detail. This was the best tour we have had so far and we would definitely recommend!

Amazing and unforgettable private tour through Manuel Antonio National Park thanks to Manuel’s Tours!

Victoria_H, Jan 2023

My parents and I did a private tour through this company with Manuel as our tour guide. We had an extremely amazing experience. Manuel knew the exact places to look to find wildlife and was extremely knowledgeable about it as well. Along with this he was very nice and made the tour fun. On our tour we saw all 3 species of monkeys, 2 species of sloths, 2 species of bats, frogs, many birds, and more in the Manuel Antonio national park which we got to see up close through a telescope. More than anything, what we loved the most is that he truly cares about the wildlife and is working towards giving back in more than one way. This was an unforgettable experience my family will always treasure.

Fun, informative tour

Letty_C, Jan 2023

We had a really amazing time on this tour. Lots of information, great sights, and it was catered to our interests. We never would have seen any of the wildlife without a guide. Would definitely recommend.

I enjoyed seeing the...

John_T, Jan 2023

I enjoyed seeing the animals up close with a zoom lens. I’m not sure how the guide was able to see the lizards, frogs, bats, and sloths as they blended in so well to their surroundings. He was entertaining and knowledgeable. Amazing!

Perfect Way to See Manuel Antonio National Park

Emily_C, Jan 2023

We had a great time on this tour! Mop was a wonderful and knowledgeable guide, and without his help, I don’t think we would have seen any of the animals that we did. He was GREAT at finding animals and the best ways to view them. We saw several sloths, monkeys, birds, and insects, etc. I highly recommend going with a guide, as well as on a private tour or a small group so you can move at your own pace and have the best views of the park and the animals in it.

Great time

Huntlee_A, Dec 2022

Amazing tour and Jeremias was knowledgeable and engaging. He shared the incredible photos of the animals we saw straight away. Overall a lovely day in the park exploring.

Wonderful tour

Michelle_M, Dec 2022

We had an amazing day with Carlos. It was unbelievable how he was able to spot the animals for us to see. This was a leisurely walk through the park, very easy. Would highly recommend this for everyone. The tour group was very communicative and prompt, very easy to work with. Carlos was very informative and so interesting to hear. He clearly loves his work. He was also very aware of the people who were trying to get in on our tour without paying. He would kindly ask them to respect that we had paid for this tour. If you are considering a tour this is it. We also booked the night tour with this company and thankfully they had rubber boots for us to wear. We could not have asked for a better company to go with. Lastly, be careful who you go with. We saw some guides not really looking around, just walking and getting in on others. You get what you paid for.

Awesome Guide

J_P, Nov 2022

Our guide, Manuel, was fantastic! He worked hard to show us every thing he could in the park and took the time to educate us on ever animal, tree and flower of importance.

Worthwhile to have a guide at Manuel Antonio

Kathryn_F, Nov 2022

Our guide, Bernie, was exceptionally professional and knowledgeable. My sister and I experienced a premier day, exceeding my expectations. Without our guide, we would have missed most of the amazing animals that we saw. He was also very knowledgeable about plants, evolution, and biology.

Private Tour Manuel Antonio

Rochelle_A, Nov 2022

We enjoyed our private tour, and got to see a lot of animals without the wait. I wish they had told us we couldn’t bring food into the park- and I wish there had been more options afterwards to grab food there, before heading back. A bit of a tourist trap.

100% recommendable tour

Daniela_H, Oct 2022

Amazing tour with Manuel! I would totally recommend doing this tour as you’ll learn tons about the wildlife in Manuel Antonio and you spot things you would never be able to see by yourself. Manuel arranged my pick up and I wanted to spend a few more hours in the National Park and he sent my pick up back to my hotel as soon as I texted him. Thanks for this amazing experience!

Amazing Tour!

Michelle_C, Aug 2022

Best guided tour with the best guide! If we were to have gone into the park without a guide we would never have seen the majority of animals we did. Along with finding these amazing animals we also were able to ask questions and learn a lot about them and their history. And of course learn about history and culture in Costa Rica. And their beach is amazing! We highly recommend this tour.

...