Manuel Antonio National Park wildlife spotting tour with telescopes

Two hours tracking sloths, monkeys and toucans through rainforest trails with a naturalist and telescopes

A guided tour of Manuel Antonio National Park led by an expert naturalist equipped with telescopes to spot wildlife in the rainforest and along the park's beaches. You walk the park's trails for two hours, watching for sloths, monkeys, toucans, lizards and frogs in their natural habitat while your guide uses optical instruments to bring distant animals into sharp focus. Park entry is optional. You choose at checkout whether to add it to the tour.

The experience

Manuel Antonio National Park sits on Costa Rica's central Pacific coast, and a two-hour guided tour here means walking the trails with someone who knows where the animals actually are. Your guide carries state-of-the-art telescopes and speaks English or Spanish, and their job is spotting the creatures most visitors miss: sloths moving through the canopy, monkeys calling from the treetops, toucans perched on high branches. The guide brings them close enough to photograph in detail, which is the difference between seeing a shape in the distance and actually watching what the animal does.

The park itself is a mix of rainforest and beach. The trails wind through dense vegetation where the wildlife lives, and the guide's expertise means you're not just walking and hoping. They position you to see what's there. The telescopes let you watch behavior and detail that would be invisible to the naked eye, so you get the high-definition clarity the operator emphasizes rather than a blurred sighting. This is a walking tour, not a vehicle tour, so you move at a pace that lets the guide stop and point out what's worth your time.

You choose at checkout whether to add park entry to the tour or bring your own ticket. The tour itself includes the guide and the optical instruments. Food, drinks and transportation to the park are your own. If you're staying in Quepos or nearby, public transportation reaches the park entrance, and the tour operates on trails that are wheelchair accessible, though the terrain is uneven enough that you should know the route before booking if mobility is a concern.

What’s included

• State-of-the-art optical telescopes for close-up wildlife viewing.
• expert naturalist guide fluent in English and Spanish.

Options for this experience

2 options

Tour only, park tickets not includedGuide in English or Spanish · 07:30, 11:00, 11:30 and 13:00The offer covers the tour itself; travelers pay their own admission fees to Manuel Antonio Park. Duration: 2 hours. Afterward, tourists may remain longer on the national park's beach.

Tour and park entrance tickets are includedGuide in English or Spanish · 07:30, 11:30 and 13:00This package covers the tour as well as admission tickets to Manuel Antonio Park.

You pick the guide language when booking.

You'll see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates and prices

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day except TuesdayDepartures at 07:30, 11:00, 11:30 and 13:00

Book up to4h before

AgesUp to age 80

GroupUp to 10 · max 8 per booking

Live guideEnglish and Spanish

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated 4 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortWheelchair accessibleAccessible transportStroller-friendlyPublic transport nearbyNot recommended with heart problemsNot recommended with back problems

Operated by Diego Nature Tours

Is this one for you?Book this tour if you want a guide who actively finds the animals rather than hoping you'll spot them yourself: the telescopes and the guide's expertise are what turn a rainforest walk into actual wildlife encounters. The two-hour length fits a morning or afternoon window if you're staying nearby or have a few hours free in Quepos.

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English and Spanish.

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

What animals will I actually see on this tour?

Sloths, monkeys, toucans, lizards and frogs live in the park year-round, and your guide's job is spotting them in the rainforest canopy and along the trails. The guide uses telescopes to bring distant animals into focus so you can see detail and behavior, not just shapes in the trees.

How does the guide spot wildlife so quickly?

The guide is a seasoned professional with extensive knowledge of Manuel Antonio National Park and the habits of its animals, where they feed, rest and move through the day. That expertise, combined with the telescopes, lets them find creatures most visitors would walk past.

Is the two-hour tour enough time to see the main parts of the park?

Two hours covers the trails where the wildlife concentrates, including the rainforest and access to the park's beaches and coral reefs. The guide curates the route to fit the time and the animals active that day, so you see the highlights rather than rushing through everything.

Do I need to buy park entry separately, or is it included?

Park entry is optional and you choose at checkout whether to add it to the tour or bring your own ticket. Either way, the tour includes the guide and the telescopes.

What should I bring, and what does the tour provide?

The tour provides the guide, who speaks English or Spanish, and the telescopes for wildlife viewing. You're responsible for your own food, drinks, water and sun protection. Wear sturdy shoes for the rainforest trails and bring a camera if you want to capture the animals the guide helps you find.