One of our prime reasons for choosing Costa Rica is because it’s one of the most diverse ecosystems in the world and spotting wildlife at Manual Antonio National Park was high on our to-do list.

We’d already hit the Caribbean at Tortuguero, and the highlands of Orosi, but we had high hopes for spotting even more species as we headed to Manual Antonio National Park on the Pacific side, one of the country’s premier parks. Camera in hand, we drove an hour or so south of our AirBnB to reach the park right as it opened in a mostly failed attempt to avoid the crowds.

Manual Antonio National Park sits on the outskirts of the village of Quepos, Costa Rica on the Pacific Coast and is open every day except Tuesday from 0700-1600. You can arrange a guided tour with the park or get your entrance tickets online at Sinac.go, a government agency that manages the national park system. Entrance fees are currently $18.83 USD to wander the trails on your own.

We chose the independent visit to the park and eagerly headed along the dense jungle trails in search of wildlife. We hiked from one end of the park to the other, rested on the beach beside a stunning little bay, wishing we’d brought swimsuits with us, and climbed endless steps to higher lookout perches.

Was it worth it?

Yes and no. The park is nicely maintained and seems well-run. It sits on a spectacularly beautiful coastal setting with lush jungle. We saw a variety of wildlife including monkeys, deer, iguanas, lizards, butterflies, and a mysterious rodent-type creature we were unsure of. the name of.

And yet…. as we experienced in Tortuguero, we spotted nearly as much wildlife simply hanging out in the pool of our rental house. I’m sure it’s a combination of the large number of visitors and the expansiveness of the national park, but it did seal our decision to not visit any other national parks during our time in the country.

After all, hanging in a pool beachside cocktail in hand is pretty comfortable wildlife viewing!