Is Manuel Antonio National Park closed on Tuesdays?
Yes. The park is open Wednesday to Monday, 7 AM to 4 PM, and closed every Tuesday. Entry is by advance online reservation only — our National Park tour includes the entrance ticket, and we book it for you.
Do we need to book tours before we arrive?
Not necessarily, but the popular ones — the national park, Nauyaca, and anything on a boat — fill up, especially between December and April. A few tours also need a small group to run: the chocolate tasting and horseback riding go out with four or more, so telling us early helps us pair you with other guests. Write to us before you travel and we will hold your places; otherwise the front desk will arrange things on the day.
Is transport from the hotel included?
Round-trip transport is included in almost every tour on this page — the exceptions are the Private Catamaran and most sport-fishing boats, marked on their cards. Most tours are within twenty minutes of the gate — the national park, the beach, the marina at Quepos. Six are a real drive and start early: the whales at Uvita, Nauyaca, Eco-Chontales, Los Campesinos, the three-waterfall day, and rafting on the Savegre. Each card says where it goes and roughly how long the drive is.
What time will we be collected?
It depends on the tour, and the time is on each card. Most morning departures leave between 7 and 8.30 AM. The earliest is the whale excursion: pick-up at Makanda is 5.45 AM. That is well before the drive needs it — the van collects guests from other hotels on the way down the coast, and the boat leaves Uvita at 8.30 AM.
How and when do we pay?
Tours are settled at the front desk — you can add them to your room account and pay on departure. Prices on this page are in US dollars and do not include tax.
When can we see whales?
Humpbacks pass this coast twice a year, and the surest months are August to October. The Catamaran Cruise and the Luxury Sail Cruise both look for them along the way. Until 15 November we also run a dedicated Private Whale Watching Charter — a luxury catamaran for two guests, morning or afternoon.
Can we do a tour on our arrival or departure day?
Usually yes, if the flight times allow. Tell us your arrival and departure times and we will fit something short around them — the mangroves, the chocolate tour, or a surf lesson.
Do we need a tour to see the beaches?
No. There is a secluded wild beach below the property, and Manuel Antonio's main beaches are a short walk away. We wrote up which beach is which — the national park tour also includes beach time.
Where do we stay while doing all this?
Makanda is an adults-only boutique hotel on the hillside above the Pacific — nine categories of suites and villas, every one with a private balcony, fifteen minutes from the national park gate.
Are tours suitable if we do not want anything strenuous?
Many are gentle: the mangrove kayak, the catamaran, the chocolate and coffee tasting, private yoga. The ATV, zipline, rafting and Nauyaca tours are the physical ones.
Is anything available in the evening?
Two things. The Damas mangrove night tour runs on request, with the departure set by the tide — we confirm the exact time the day before. The Night Sub Paddle leaves at 4.45 PM, weather permitting. Both are back in time for dinner at Árbol.
Whale season · until 15 November
