Travel Log: Quepos & Manuel Antonio National Park, Costa Rica

If you follow me on Instagram you saw that I recently spent about a week in Costa Rica (9 days including travel days) with three of my dearest friends. Our itinerary included one night in San Jose to reset after redeye flights and ~12 hours total travel time from Seattle, two nights in Quepos to explore Manuel Antonio National Park, two nights at a stunning hot springs resort near La Fortuna and Arenal Volcano, and three nights in Guanacaste before flying home from the Liberia Guanacaste airport. This was my first visit to Costa Rica and I was amazed at the biodiversity of nature with so many different animals and plants along with beaches, jungles, and volcanoes. It really is a nature lover's dream to explore. I also loved the local coffee and food and had to bring some coffee beans home to enjoy after our trip. Today I am sharing more on our two nights in Quepos and visit to Manual Antonio National Park, a must-do when visiting Costa Rica. Please continue reading to see photos, details, and travel tips to consider if you are planning your own trip to this stunning Central American country.

There are a number of hotels close to Manuel Antonio National Park, and after doing some research and price comparisons we chose Si Como No Resort and Wildlife Refuge. Our room looked exactly as described on the website with comfortable beds and a balcony that looked over the forest to the ocean. It was amazing to watch the colorful toucans and parrots fly from tree to tree from our balcony as well as the poolside patio/lounge area. Breakfast was included with our stay, and there was a second on-site restaurant where we enjoyed a fantastic dinner our first evening of fresh ceviche, grilled fish, and veggies. There are two pools; a family pool by the breakfast restaurant and an adults only pool set farther up the hill, both with swim up bars and food/drink service. Speaking of service, everyone at this hotel was friendly, helpful, and I definitely would recommend a stay at Si Como No Resort if you visit this area. The location is a short drive from the national park entrance (2.4km or 1.6 miles) and worked well for us to take taxis to and from the park. Travel tip: bring cash in small USD bills. My dear friend who had visited Costa Rica before gave us all a heads up to bring small bills for taxis, transport vans, and purchasing small items. Negotiate the rate up front and then pay in cash, you'll thank me later. 

We arrived in Quepos on a Sunday afternoon, and after a relaxing evening we woke up early to explore Manuel Antonio National Park. This was the reason we were here, after all! It is worth noting that the national park is open from 7:00am to 4:00pm Wednesdays through Mondays and is closed on Tuesdays. We purchased the earliest possible entry timeslot (7:00-7:45am) to enable us to explore during the coolest part of the day and with the fewest crowds (official site to purchase tickets can be found here). I forgot to take a photo of the national park entry area, but since we arrived early there was no line--you just need to first do a bag check and then scan your tickets. This park has strict rules including no plastic or food allowed in the park, so remember to take a reusable water bottle! It took only a couple of minutes for us to show our bags, have our tickets scanned (there was one person in front of us), and we were in. There is a large map of the park when you first enter that has a QR code you can scan for a park map, and it is worth taking a photo of the larger trail map since reception is spotty. We chose to explore the park on our own, rather than paying for a guide, since we had another experience planned later in the week with a guide. We started on the main trail, then headed down to the beach to pick up the Punta Cathedral (Cathedral Point) trail that winds up a series of stairs and around to several gorgeous viewpoints, then back down to the beach. We saw lots of animals in the park and I noted what I could below.

We walked along the "sloth trail" for a bit, enjoyed the trees and shade but saw zero sloths! We saw a gazillion bright purple and orange crabs that are apparently called "Halloween Crabs" and surface at the beginning of the rainy season. Lucky us? I don't know why I didn't take any photos of them, but it's probably because they kept startling us by rustling in the leaves along the trails. You can see some good photos of these crabs on this website (not mine, I just did a google search and found it).

White-Faced Capuchin Monkey

After you walk on the main path for a while, you will reach a set of bathrooms and can branch off to the right to head down to the beach. The beach here was beautiful and clean, and the water was warm and shallow. We saw a number of families who packed in towels just to spend time at the beach, which I think was a great idea. There are several bathrooms close to the beach that were clean and well maintained along with additional taps to rinse off your feet or hands after the beach.

This lizard was a pro at camouflage, we did not see him at first!

The trails in the park are very well maintained with clear paths and railings to make it easy for visitors to stay on the trails. Costa Rica is home to a number of poisonous creatures including frogs, insects, and snakes and it is a good idea to stick to the laid out paths. Having the national park be closed on Tuesdays might be inconvenient for some visitors due to their timing of their trips, but we guessed it was the day that the staff was able to go through the park to ensure it was clean and safe for visitors.

The Cathedral Point trail rewards you with several beautiful viewpoints like this one!

I think this is an iguana? Not 100% sure so if anyone knows, please correct me!

Central American Agouti--they look like oversized mice or guinea pigs!

I won't lie to you, you will get sweaty on the Cathedral Point trail if you visit in April like we did. There are loads of stairs and it gets hot and humid. I am so glad we went early, and putting my feet in the ocean felt SO good after our hike. Also be sure to wear bug spray--I put some on my arms and feet but not my legs because I thought my pants would suffice, but I was wrong. My left leg became a mosquito buffet that day. The mosquitos are also tiny and sneaky, not like the big ones we have in the Pacific Northwest, and I didn't see or hear them. So definitely wear bug spray even with long sleeves or pants.

White-Tailed Deer

Remember when I said we chose the earliest timeslot to enjoy the park with cooler temperatures and lower crowds? Well, I am so glad we did because this was our view on the way back out of the park just before 10:00am. Literally one large tour group after another, barely any separation between groups, and we had to sort of duck and weave our way around them as every tour guide had a small scope and tripod that they would set up and enable the tour groups to peek through to spot creatures like tiny frogs or birds or monkeys up in the trees. Of course, everyone should visit at a time that works for them, but we were very happy to be on our way out of the park when the crowds were coming in. When we left the park, we did a quick scan for taxis but did not see any--so we stopped at a nice hotel and asked reception to call a taxi for us. It took maybe 10 minutes? Quick and easy, and we carried cash in USD for the trip.

Once back at Si Como No Resort & Wildlife Refuge, we enjoyed lunch and a relaxing afternoon at the adults only pool, then walked to a nearby restaurant for sunset views and dinner. Lounging at the pool watching colorful toucans fly around and hearing only the sounds of tropical birds felt like a world away and was a great way to round out our time in this beautiful, scenic part of Costa Rica.

Have you visited Costa Rica? If so, please be sure to leave me a comment below to let me know your favorite moments. I hope you enjoyed this travel log and please stay tuned for more of my Costa Rica adventures. Thank you for visiting my blog today and I hope you have a wonderful week!

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