TRIP OVERVIEW
Day 1 – Quepos · Manuel Antonio National Park
Day 2 – Isla Damas
Day 3 – Nauyaca Waterfalls
Day 1
From Hotel: 🚶 2 min · 🚕 1 min → Quepos
1. Quepos
A working fishing town and sportfishing hub on the Pacific coast. Marina Pez Vela occupies the waterfront — 300 slips, open walkways over the water, and unobstructed views of the bay and forested hills. The compact town centre holds a covered market, central park, and the flat grid of Barrio El Carmen.
🚶 15 min · 🚕 5 min → Manuel Antonio National Park
2. Manuel Antonio National Park
The park protects 1,625 hectares of primary rainforest and four white-sand beaches on the Central Pacific coast. White-faced capuchins, three-toed sloths, squirrel monkeys, and scarlet macaws are spotted at trail level. Playa Manuel Antonio is the main beach — calm water and a tombolo connecting to Punta Catedral.
🏛️ Wednesday - Monday 7:00am - 4:00pm
🚫 Closed Tuesday
⏰ ~5 hr
⚠️ Last entry 3:00pm — advance online reservation mandatory; tickets sell out 3 to 4 weeks ahead in peak season
🚶 2 min · 🚕 1 min → hotel
Day 2
From Hotel: 🚕 15 min → Isla Damas
1. Isla Damas
A mangrove island in the Damas Estuary, 6 km north of Quepos. Boat tours navigate narrow tidal channels through 800+ hectares of red mangrove forest where crocodiles bask, white-faced monkeys move through the canopy, anteaters cling to roots, and kingfishers and herons work the waterline.
🏛️ Daily 7:00am - 2:00pm
⏰ ~5 hr
⚠️ Departures are tide-dependent — confirm exact departure time on booking
🚕 25 min → hotel
Day 3
From Hotel: 🚕 1h → Nauyaca Waterfalls
1. Nauyaca Waterfalls
Twin-tiered waterfall on a private reserve inland from Dominical. The upper fall drops 45 metres into a wide pool; the lower fall drops a further 15 metres. A 3.2 km trail from the trailhead crosses secondary forest and cattle pasture. Swimming is permitted in both pools.
🏛️ Monday - Saturday 7:00am - 2:00pm · Sunday 8:00am - 2:00pm
⏰ ~5 hr
⚠️ 4WD truck or horseback transfer available from entrance — the access road is unpaved and steep; trail is slippery when wet
🚕 1h → hotel
🗓️ Weekly Closures
National Parks · Closed Tuesday
Nature Reserves · Closed Saturday
Cafés · Closed Wednesday
📅 Tours
Viator
📅 1. Manuel Antonio Park Nature Guided Tour with a Nature Specialist · Viator · 4.80⭐ · 4373+ reviews
Small-group guided walk through the national park with a trained naturalist. Sloths, monkeys, and scarlet macaws spotted at close range.
⏳ 4 hr · 👥 Max 10
🚶 2 min · 🚕 1 min
Group guided tour combining wildlife spotting on the forest trail with free time on Playa Manuel Antonio. Park entrance included.
⏳ 4 hr · 👥 Max 12
🚶 2 min · 🚕 1 min
Naturalist-led park tour with optional ticket add-on for visitors who have not pre-booked via SINAC. Trails through primary forest with guaranteed wildlife sightings.
⏳ 4 hr · 👥 Max 10
🚶 2 min · 🚕 1 min
Wildlife-focused guided walk through the park forest trails. Ticket option available. Small group for better wildlife sighting opportunities.
⏳ 3 hr · 👥 Max 12
🚶 2 min · 🚕 1 min
Small-group hiking tour departing from the Quepos area. Naturalist guide, park entry logistics handled. Maximum 8 participants.
⏳ 4 hr · 👥 Max 8
🚶 2 min · 🚕 1 min
GetYourGuide
📅 1. Manuel Antonio National Park Guided Tour with Entrance Included · GetYourGuide · 4.8⭐ · 914+ reviews
Guided naturalist tour with park entrance included. Primates, sloths, and forest birds spotted along the main coastal trail.
⏳ 4 hr · 👥 Max 8
🚶 2 min · 🚕 1 min
📅 2. Manuel Antonio National Park Guided Tour + Ticket Guaranteed · GetYourGuide · 4.8⭐ · 483+ reviews
Guaranteed-entry guided tour — operator handles all park entry logistics. Small group. Wildlife spotting and beach time.
⏳ 4 hr · 👥 Max 10
🚶 2 min · 🚕 1 min
Ten zip lines and 16 platforms above the rainforest canopy, plus a butterfly garden and crocodile lagoon. Optional 100-ft waterfall rappel. All gear included.
⏳ 3 hr · 👥 Max 12
🚕 15 min
Ten zip lines above the rainforest canopy in the biological corridor, with a full Costa Rican meal, fruit, and drinks at the end. Round-trip transport included.
⏳ 4 hr · 👥 Max 12
🚕 15 min
TripAdvisor
Naturalist-guided walk through the national park. Wildlife focus: sloths, monkeys, birds. 97% of reviewers recommend. Small local operator.
⏳ 4 hr · 👥 Max 8
🚶 2 min · 🚕 1 min
☕ Cappuccino
El Patio de Café Milagro · 4.5⭐ · 500+ reviews
Monarca Coffee Shop · 4.6⭐ · 100+ reviews
🫕 Restaurants Near Hotel
El Patio de Café Milagro · 4.5⭐ · 500+ reviews
Open-air restaurant on the beach road. Latin menu, local coffee, full bar.
🏛️ Daily 6:30am - 9:30pm
🚶 3 min · 🚕 1 min
Café Agua Azul · 4.3⭐ · 300+ reviews
Hillside café and bar above the coast road with Pacific views.
🏛️ Daily 11:00am - 10:00pm
🚶 15 min · 🚕 5 min
El Avión · 4.3⭐ · 1000+ reviews
Restaurant built around a WWII cargo plane on the hillside with coastal views.
🏛️ Monday - Sunday 11:00am - 10:00pm
🚶 20 min · 🚕 5 min
🍽️ Downtown Restaurants
Emilio's Café · 4.4⭐ · 200+ reviews
Hilltop café with Pacific views. Local coffee, plates, and desserts.
🏛️ Daily 6:00am - 9:00pm
Soda Sanchez · 4.4⭐ · 300+ reviews
Traditional soda in the Quepos grid. Casados, gallo pinto, and juice.
🏛️ Daily 6:00am - 8:00pm
The Runaway Grill · 4.1⭐ · 200+ reviews
Casual grill at Marina Pez Vela with marina views. Burgers, ribs, salads.
🏛️ Daily 11:00am - 10:00pm
🍮 Local Tastes
Gallo Pinto
Black beans and rice cooked together with Salsa Lizano, served with eggs, natilla, and fried plantains at breakfast. The Costa Rican national dish — every soda in Quepos serves it.
Casado
The standard Costa Rican lunch plate: white rice and black beans side by side, a protein, patacones, and salad. Best value at any local soda.
Ceviche
Raw corvina or mahi-mahi marinated in lime juice with onion, cilantro, and jalapeño, served cold with soda crackers. The Central Pacific coast standard.
Patacones
Twice-fried green plantain rounds, flattened and salted, served as a side or topped with beans, cheese, or guacamole. Ubiquitous across every meal type.
Café de Tarrazú
Highland Arabica from the Tarrazú region south of San José — one of the world's most-exported specialty coffees. Clean, bright, with low bitterness. Café Milagro has been roasting Tarrazú since 1994.
🌿 Where the Forest Meets the Water
The park is one of the few places where primary rainforest and white-sand beach share the same footpath. You walk through dense canopy — sloths overhead, capuchins two metres away on a parallel branch — and step out onto Playa Manuel Antonio without the scenery changing register. The transition is so abrupt it feels designed.
Day 2 inverts this: the Damas mangroves are the park's wilder, quieter inverse. No beach, no casual swimmers — just 800 hectares of tidal channels that the forest has grown down into. The boat navigates at a crocodile's pace because that is the only pace the place allows.