Things To Do
Manuel Antonio National Park Guided Tour
From $59/person. Check out this National Park with is considered to be one of the most diverse habitats in the world. Naturalist tour guides will help you find monkeys, sloths, lizards, toucans, hummingbirds, and much more!
Manuel Antonio National Park
Open from 7:00 am to 4:00 pm Tuesday - Sunday, this National Park is a must-see on your trip! Entrance fee is $16.00. There are buses that run from Quepos to the park all day long. Once inside, you'll find well-maintained hiking trails that include beautiful beaches and scenic vistas. Wildlife galore!
El Santuario Canopy Adventure Tour
$75/person. This canopy zipline tour is only 20 minutes from Manuel Antonio National Park and features the longest single zipline in Costa Rica. The tour features 14 tree platforms, 3 nature walks, 6 hanging bridges, a rappel secured by a top and bottom belay and air stairs. Enjoy mountain, jungle, and ocean views. Certified, experienced, bilingual guides will lead you over, under, and through the canopy on double anchored, touchless lines.
Rainmaker Hanging Bridges Hike
Rainmaker Conservation Project has about 1.5 miles of hiking trails complete with hanging bridges, waterfalls, natural pools and tons of nature. It'll be a little less crowded then the popular Manuel Antonio national park! You can do a self-guided tour for $20. It's about a 30 minute drive outside of Quepos. Here's a link to a great blog post: https://www.twoweeksincostarica.com/rainmaker-conservation-project/
Manuel Antonio Beach
This is one of three beaches in the Manuel Antonio park and is by far the most popular. It’s an exquisite cove with crystal clear water and white sands that are perfect for a beach day. The only annoying thing about this beach is the monkeys and raccoons who have a tendency to steal stuff, so keep an eye on your bags.
Rainforest Spices Tour
This working farm 16 km (10 miles) outside Quepos grows a plethora of spices and exotic fruits. Vanilla and ceylon cinnamon are their specialties, but they also cultivate cocoa, black pepper, allspice, turmeric, and much more. The tour takes place at the plantation. For part of it, you’ll walk along a jungle trail, learning more about how the different spices are grown. Later on, you get a chance to taste them. The in-house pastry chef is known for preparing some delicious treats showcasing the spices that will have you stocking up on your own supply to bring home. Cost: $45 Travel time: 30 min
Kids Saving The Rainforest Sanctuary
If you're traveling with kids, this is a great activity! This rescue and rehabilitation reserve for injured and orphaned animals is located just 20 minutes from Manuel Antonio. You can tour the sanctuary and learn about the conservation work KSTR does, as well as see a variety of animals up close. There are so many cute animals there and the organization is doing a great job of caring for them. Tours run every day except Tuesday from 9 AM – 12 PM and cost $60 per person. All proceeds go to the animals.
Kayak Through Mangroves
One of the more unique Manuel Antonio tours you can do is a boating excursion to Damas Island. You’ll get a chance to visit the largest mangrove ecosystem in Central America, home to a variety of unique animals such as boa constrictors, anteaters, and capuchin monkeys. You can either do a regular boat tour or a kayaking tour depending on how much exercise you want to get that day. Alternate to kayaking: https://www.tucanestours.com/tours/damas-island-estuary-boat-trip/
Canopy Zip Lining
There is no shortage of places you can zip line in Costa Rica. Nearly every major tourist hotspot has a forest nearby where you can fly through the air on some astonishingly long ziplines. It’s seriously exhilarating and an activity I wholeheartedly recommend you do in Costa Rica.
Biesanz Beach
This is hands down the best free thing to do in Manuel Antonio. You have to walk for about ten minutes through a rocky path (bring hiking sandals!), but once you arrive, the beach is yours for the taking. There aren’t many tourists due to its somewhat hidden location, but there are a fair amount of locals. There are a couple of vendors set up from whom you can rent beach umbrellas, chairs, snorkels, paddleboards, and more. There’s also a nearby stand selling a variety of snacks, drinks, and even ceviche. Plus, all the rentals are really inexpensive. While there are monkeys that hang out in the trees, none of them are daring enough to try to steal your things. The only drawback is that there are some bigger rocks in the water, so you might have to wear your hiking sandals while swimming. Besides that and the path at the beginning, this beach is perfect.
Quepos Farmers Market
Check out the Quepos Farmers Market on Friday or Saturday. It’s on the larger side and isn’t just for food – although you’ll find plenty of that as well. You can buy handmade souvenirs here, as well as ice cream, local produce, homebaked goods, and more. Plus, it’s an excellent place to interact with locals and see what sort of fruits and vegetables are endemic to the region.
Hike To Nauyaca Waterfalls
Around 45 minutes from Manuel Antonio, in Dominical, you’ll find the stunning Nauyaca Waterfalls. These waterfalls are some of the most beautiful in Costa Rica and totally worth the short but somewhat steep hike. The entry fee is $8 per person and you can drive to the waterfalls directly or hike if you so choose.
La Iguana Chocolate Tour
One of the most delicious tours near Manuel Antonio is the La Iguana Chocolate tour. The Salazar Garcia family has been farming a four hectare (10 acre) plot in the mountains of Mastatal for nearly 30 years and recently started focusing on cacao. They grow some of the finest bean-to-bar organic chocolate we’ve ever tasted, flavoring it with fruits and spices that come straight from the farm. Cost: $20. Travel time: 2 hours.
Arenal Volcano
This is a ~3 hour drive from Quepos, but if you're spending extra time in Costa Rica before or after the wedding, we highly recommend checking out the Arenal Volcano area! You can get there by car, and the national parks in this area are truly exquisite. All of the hotels have natural hot spring pools, and most have stunning views of the volcano. It's a truly unique experience! If you're planning to do this, let us know and we can help you plan and provide recommendations.