Central and Southern Pacific Lowlands
Manuel Antonio National Park
680 hectares, one of the smaller national parks in Costa Rica, and still 184 species of birds and 109 of mammals inside it. The habitats sit close together: rainforest, mangrove swamp, beaches and coral reef, all on a morning's walk.
It is best walked with a government-qualified nature guide, and that is how we book the park morning. The guide carries the scope and knows where the animals were yesterday.
From the water it is another park again. A boat down the coast passes rock formations, cliffs and islands, with the marine birds on them.
This is the beach most first-time visitors already have on their list, which makes it the right Pacific stop for a birder travelling with someone who is not one.
At a glance
- Habitat
- lowland rainforest, mangrove swamp, beaches, coral reef, offshore islands
- Map pin
- 9.38453, -84.14306
- On eBird
- PN Manuel Antonio
The birds to look for
Toucans and hummingbirds in the forest, and the marine birds on the islands offshore. Our notes for the park itself name families, not species.
Inland from the beach, on the guided walk through the farms and rainforest of Naranjito, the Yellow-throated Toucan, bigger and darker than the Keel-billed Toucan on the posters.
| English | Scientific | Spanish | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yellow-throated Toucan | Ramphastos ambiguus | Tucán Pico Castaño |
Getting there
Fly into San José. Hot at sea level all year: the park morning starts early.
When to go
All year. The park is lowland forest on the Pacific, so bring a rain layer whatever the month.
Where we stay nearby
None of the lodges on our birding lodges page is within 20 km of the park, so this page shows no cards. The trip below sleeps three nights here.
Trips that bird here
Other hotspots in this region
- Carara National Park
- The Tárcoles River mangroves, by boat
- Marino Ballena National Park and Bahía Ballena
- Hacienda Barú National Wildlife Refuge
- Piedras Blancas National Park and the Golfo Dulce
- Corcovado National Park and the Osa
- Los Cusingos and the San Isidro valley
- Wilson Botanical Garden and Las Cruces
- Golfito Wildlife Refuge
Which of these mornings is yours?
A few minutes on the form, and one of our Costa Rica specialists comes back to you personally with a first itinerary: the Pacific in the right order with whatever else is on your list, and how many nights each stop really needs. That first version is just a place to start.
Or call us: 1 (800) 996-1139 from the US and Canada, +506 4052-2140 in Costa Rica.