Manuel Antonio National Park is in Quepos canton, Puntarenas, on Costa Rica’s Central Pacific coast: 157 km (97 miles) south of San José and about 7 km from downtown Quepos, according to SINAC, the park authority. The drive from San José takes about 3 hours without traffic; plan 3 to 4.5 hours in real life. Below: the address, every way to get here, where to park, and where to find us on the day of your tour.
Rated 4.9 out of 5 from 259 travelers on TripAdvisor — the guides who’ll meet you at the park entrance.
Manuel Antonio National Park address
Costa Rica does not use street numbers here, so the practical address is Manuel Antonio National Park main entrance, end of the road into Manuel Antonio, Quepos, Puntarenas, Costa Rica — GPS 9.39149, -84.14567. Here is how far that is from where most visitors start:
| From | Distance | Driving time |
|---|---|---|
| San José (city center) | 157 km / 97 mi (SINAC) | ~3 h, up to 4.5 h with traffic and stops |
| San José Airport (SJO) | 156 km (My Tan Feet) | ~2 h 49 min to 3.5 h (Rome2Rio) |
| Quepos (downtown) | 7 km (SINAC) | ~15 min |
| Jacó | 74 km (Rome2Rio) | ~1 h 18–20 min |
What is the address of Manuel Antonio National Park?
Costa Rica does not use street numbers, so the practical entrance address is: Manuel Antonio National Park main entrance, end of the road into Manuel Antonio, Quepos, Puntarenas, Costa Rica. The main entrance is about 7 km from downtown Quepos (SINAC). Drive to the end of the road through Manuel Antonio village, past the public beach; the entrance is just after Chalo’s parking lot.
GPS for the official parking lot next to the entrance: 9.39149, -84.14567 — open Chalo Parking in Google Maps or navigate with Waze. The beach entrance is not the park entrance: set your navigation to the parking lot, not to “Manuel Antonio beach”.
How far is Manuel Antonio from San José and the SJO airport?
It is 157 km (97 miles) from San José by SINAC’s figure, and My Tan Feet measures 156 km from SJO airport. The drive takes about 3 hours with no traffic or stops. In practice, plan 3 to 4.5 hours: the Route 27 exit from the Central Valley, a stop at the Tárcoles crocodile bridge and December weekend traffic all add time. That range is why landing at 4 p.m. and visiting the park the same day rarely works — the park closes at 4:00 p.m.
Once you know how to get here, the next question is where to sleep. Our guide to Manuel Antonio National Park accommodation compares the four areas by measured driving time to the gate, and gives the hotel departure time for a 7:00 a.m. tour from each one.
How far is the park from Quepos?
About 7 km from downtown Quepos (SINAC), a short ride up the hill through Manuel Antonio village. Local buses run between Quepos and the park area during the day and taxis are easy to find; if you stay in Manuel Antonio, many hotels are within walking distance or a few minutes by taxi.
How do you drive to Manuel Antonio from San José?
Take Route 27 west toward Caldera, then Route 34 (Costanera Sur) south along the coast to Quepos, and follow the signs up to Manuel Antonio. Route 27 has toll booths, so carry some colones. The roads are paved the whole way; a regular car is enough for the park, though an SUV helps if your hotel sits on a steep side road.
Do not leave anything visible in the car at the Tárcoles bridge pull-off — vehicle break-ins there are a recurring complaint from travellers.
Is there a bus from San José to Manuel Antonio?
Yes. Tracopa runs direct buses from its downtown San José terminal (Terminal Tracopa) to Quepos and Manuel Antonio: about 4.5 hours and roughly ₡5,510 (about $11) one way, per My Tan Feet. Check the current schedule at the terminal or with Tracopa, since departures are fixed. Ask the driver to let you off at the last stop in Manuel Antonio, a short walk from the park entrance.
How much is a shuttle from San José to Manuel Antonio?
Shared shuttles cost roughly $59 to $77 per adult one way and private shuttles around $220 one way for 1 to 5 people, according to My Tan Feet’s 2026 guide. They pick you up at the airport or your San José hotel and drop you at your Manuel Antonio hotel — the most comfortable option if you do not want to drive.
Can you fly from San José to Quepos?
Yes. Sansa and Green Airways fly from San José to the Quepos airport (XQP) in about 20 minutes, around $150 one way per person (My Tan Feet). From the Quepos airstrip it is a short taxi ride to Manuel Antonio.
Where do you park at Manuel Antonio National Park?
Park at Chalo’s lot, the official parking 75 m from the park entrance, with 360° security. The fee is ₡5,000 or $10 and it is not included in any tour. If the lot is full you may be asked to leave your car keys.
Watch out on the last stretch of road: people step into the street waving you into unofficial lots, sometimes saying the park lot is full or closed. Keep driving to Chalo’s. The same stretch is where unlicensed “guides” offer tours at the gate — read how to spot a fake guide at the entrance before you arrive.
Where do you meet Jason and the Wakoo guides on tour day?
On the Classic Group ($30) and Classic Private ($69) tours you arrive on your own, and we meet you outside Chalo’s parking lot, next to Supermarket Joseth, just before the park entrance (not the beach entrance) — GPS 9.3914788, -84.1457724. Arrive 10 to 15 minutes before your tour time and message us on WhatsApp at +506 8514-1361 when you get there.
On the Premium and VIP Private tours you do not need to find us: we pick you up at your Manuel Antonio or Quepos hotel and bring you back, so you need no car for the park at all.
What are the park hours, and which day is it closed?
The park is open Wednesday to Monday, 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., and closed every Tuesday (SINAC). Entrance tickets are sold online only through SINAC. Arrive early: the first hours after opening are cooler and the wildlife is usually most active. Check whether the park is open today before you drive.
If you would rather see the park from the water than walk it, the coastline is also reachable by catamaran from the Quepos marina — no SINAC ticket and no park queue involved. The full departure, pricing and month-by-month whale calendar is on our Manuel Antonio National Park boat tour page.
The easiest way to do the park once you are here
Getting here is the long part; the park itself is best with someone who knows where the sloths and monkeys usually rest. Our guided tour is led by Jason Solano Zamora and our ICT-licensed team, from $30 per person on the Classic Group. Coming in December? See December dates and book your Manuel Antonio tour, or ask us on WhatsApp — we answer route and parking questions too.
More planning: the full visitor guide for tickets and rules, the park map with trail distances and what you see on each one, the trails guide, how to buy tickets online, and what to wear and pack.
Once you’re through the gate, pair the walk with our Manuel Antonio snorkeling tours guide, or read best guide Manuel Antonio National Park before you book one at the entrance.
Sleeping in the Central Valley? We wrote the whole 14-hour itinerary, the 3-hour drive and the four prices out on one page: day trip from San José to Manuel Antonio National Park.
Coming in from another town on the coast? The measured driving times, the departure time for the 7 a.m. opening and the transfer quotes are on our Manuel Antonio tour from Jacó, Quepos and Dominical page.
Coming in from another town? We have a page for each drive, with the real distance, the time you have to leave and the four prices:
- Manuel Antonio tour from Jacó
- Manuel Antonio tour from Quepos
- Manuel Antonio tour from Uvita and Dominical
Arriving from further north? Each long-haul origin has its own page with the drive measured on OSRM on 26 September 2026: Manuel Antonio tour from La Fortuna and Arenal (216.7 km, about 5 hours), Manuel Antonio tour from Monteverde (188.7 km, about 4 hours), Manuel Antonio tour from Liberia airport (LIR) (266.6 km, about 5 hours). All three are overnight trips, not day trips.
If you are arriving on a cruise ship rather than driving, Quepos is a tender port and the transfer is the same 7.1 km: see the Manuel Antonio shore excursion from Quepos cruise port for the timing that fits inside a ship call.
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Once you know how to get here, read the complete guide to Manuel Antonio National Park, Costa Rica: opening hours, the SINAC ticket window, the trails and what you actually see.
See the full list of Manuel Antonio National Park tours we run, and everything else about Manuel Antonio National Park in one guide. Our Manuel Antonio National Park tour is the flagship walk, the Manuel Antonio wildlife tour page breaks down what you actually see, the Manuel Antonio National Park boat tour covers the water route, and the Manuel Antonio night tour runs even on the park’s closed Tuesdays.
Prefer not to arrange the drive at all? See our Manuel Antonio tour with hotel pickup included.
Once you are through the gate, the walk ends at the beach: compare Playa Manuel Antonio, the sheltered swimming cove, against Playa Espadilla Sur, the wider beach on the other side of the isthmus, and read what is realistic at Playa Gemelas and Playa Escondida before you plan a stop there.
Planning your dates: see wildlife odds and closed Tuesdays for Manuel Antonio wildlife in December and January, February 2027 or March 2027. Comparing tours before you book? See the best Manuel Antonio tours 2026, ranked, or go straight to the Manuel Antonio bird watching tour.
Working out what the day will cost you in total? The Manuel Antonio tour packages page sets out all four guided options against the .08 park entrance, so you can see the real per-person total before you book.
Once you know how to reach the gate, the other question is what to do at it: Manuel Antonio guided tour vs self-guided visit covers the 7:00 a.m. entry, the nine closed Tuesdays and the two-month SINAC ticket window.
Deciding whether to book direct or through a local company? See our guide to Manuel Antonio tour operators. And if you just need tickets, hours and where to start, the Manuel Antonio Park information center has it in one place.
Once you know how you are getting to the gate, the other half of the budget is the tour itself: our Manuel Antonio tour deals page shows every published price and shows which options include hotel transport (Premium and V.I.P. Private) and which meet you at the entrance (Classic Group and Classic Private).
Once you know how you are getting here, the next decision is how long to stay: our Manuel Antonio itinerary for 1, 2 and 3 days lays out each version hour by hour, with the guided morning walk, the 9 closed Tuesdays of December 2026 and January 2027, and the 18.08 USD SINAC entrance already placed in the schedule.
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Once you know how you’re getting there, finish with Manuel Antonio National Park booking so your guide and transport are confirmed before you arrive.
Spanish-speaking travelers booking the holidays can read our Spanish guide: tour del Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio en diciembre 2026 y enero 2027.
Three more pieces worth reading before you land: the Manuel Antonio sloth tour guide covers which of the two species you are likely to see and the best hour for it, Manuel Antonio National Park in January has that month’s closed Tuesdays and weather, and Manuel Antonio park tickets explains the SINAC window and prices.
Ready to experience it yourself? Browse our Manuel Antonio National Park tours or lock in your dates with a Manuel Antonio National Park tour booking for December 2026.
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Before you go, check the exact steps for Manuel Antonio National Park booking, or compare pricing with GetYourGuide vs direct before you book your transport.
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Planning your dates by season? Our Spanish-language guide to the mejor época para visitar Manuel Antonio compares the wet and dry months, and if you are wondering about safety at the park read Is Manuel Antonio National Park Safe?
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If you have a health condition, read about the Manuel Antonio park tour with health conditions before booking. Traveling for the holidays? Check our Manuel Antonio Christmas and New Year tour. ¿Buscas la info en español? Mirá el tour del Parque Nacional Manuel Antonio en español.
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