Three days is enough to see the best of Manuel Antonio without rushing, and it is the length most visitors choose. The plan below is built around two fixed facts: the national park is closed on Tuesdays and open Wednesday to Monday, and the best wildlife viewing is early in the morning. Everything else bends around those. If your three days include a Tuesday, use it for the water, a farm tour or the beach, and put the park on a day when it is open. Tickets for the park are sold online in advance, so reserve before you arrive, and book the boats and the biggest adventures early in the dry season, from December to April.
Day one: settle in and see the park
Arrive, drop your bags and head to Playa Espadilla for a swim and an early dinner. Better still, if you land in the morning, go straight to the national park for a guided walk, because the animals are most active at the start of the day and a certified guide will find sloths you would walk past. The National Park Guided Tour is the anchor of the whole trip, so if you can only get tickets for one day, make it this day. After the walk, have a long lunch, rest through the heat of the afternoon and swim at the beach at the end of the trail or at Espadilla. In the evening, a guided night walk shows a completely different set of animals, from frogs to sleeping birds.
Day two: the water
Spend the second morning on a boat. The classic choice is the Damas Island mangrove tour, an easy, shaded outing for monkeys, herons and the occasional caiman, and it is gentle enough for children and older travellers. If you prefer to paddle, the kayak version is quieter and closer to the roots. For something bigger, a catamaran cruise along the coast offers swimming and snorkeling, and the sunset sail is the most romantic way to end the day. Pick one boat trip rather than three, and leave the afternoon free. This is a good day to try a surf lesson on the gentle waves at Playa Espadilla or to simply lie on the sand.
Day three: something big
Choose one adventure and give it the day. The canopy zip-line is the signature activity and takes about half a day. Savegre River rafting is the other classic and a full morning with a lunch stop at a waterfall. Travellers who prefer something muddier can ride an ATV through the forest, and those who want a gentler, tastier day can visit a cacao farm. Whichever you choose, schedule it for the morning, when the weather is most reliable, and keep the late afternoon open for a swim and a good dinner. If you have energy for one more outing, a night boat tour on the mangroves is a fine finale.
If you have a Tuesday
Treat Tuesday as your water and farm day. The mangroves, the catamaran, the chocolate tour or a long beach day with a lesson all work well, and the park will be waiting on Wednesday. Do not try to buy tickets at the gate on any day, since the park does not sell them there.
Where to base yourself
For a three-day stay, the main road between about kilometre four and the park entrance is the most convenient, because you can walk to dinner and to the beach path. If you want quiet, the hillside toward Punta Quepos is calmer and greener but requires taxis. Splurge-minded travellers should look at the beachfront resorts on the Playitas side. The hotels we cover suit different tastes, so choose by how you want to spend your evenings, and remember that a steep hillside means stairs.
Practical notes
Wear light, quick-drying clothes, closed shoes for the trails and a hat. Bring a reusable water bottle, because the park discourages plastic bottles, and keep food out of sight, because monkeys will take it. Carry reef-safe sunscreen and insect repellent. Rain in the green season, from May to November, usually arrives in the afternoon, so do the important things early. The dry season, from December to April, is sunnier but busier and more expensive. Cash is useful for small purchases, though cards are widely accepted. Taxis are plentiful and inexpensive, and a car is not essential if you stay along the main road.
Packing the days
The best itineraries here mix an early start with a long break. Do not stack a zip-line morning on top of a night walk and a sunrise park tour on the following day. Alternate strenuous days with easy ones, build in a slow lunch and leave room for a spontaneous afternoon at the beach. If you can add a fourth day, use it for a day trip to a waterfall or a recovery soak at the hot springs, which are both well suited to the end of a trip.
