Manuel Antonio National Park tickets and admission choices
Manuel Antonio National Park tickets organise access around a particular visitor, visit date and arrival window. Begin with those details before choosing any extra services. A direct admission ticket provides entry; a nature guide, food and transportation are separate services. Packages may combine some of these elements, but the word ticket on its own should lead you to compare entry arrangements rather than assume a complete guided outing.
There are useful choices for different plans: admission for an independent walk, an entry-and-guide package, or an option combining entrance with an air-conditioned vehicle. Match the service to your route and interests. If wildlife interpretation is your main priority, compare guided park walks; if you are arranging the whole stay, the Manuel Antonio overview puts the park beside the coastal excursions.
Our take
Choose admission for an independent visit or the naturalist walk for a guide and scope. The vehicle package combines admission with transport.
Hand-picked tours, booked through GetYourGuide and Viator. Prices are indicative starting prices in US dollars (as of November 2026). Tap a tour for live availability and the current price in your currency.
Park entry and naturalist walk
- National park entrance ticket
- Naturalist guide
- High-definition spotting scope
The guide also takes wildlife photographs.
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National park admission
- Admission ticket for Manuel Antonio National Park
- Access to all trails
Admission covers the park; check current trail access separately. Parking and transport are extra.
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Park admission with vehicle
- Entrance fee
- Air-conditioned vehicle
The package combines the entrance fee with a vehicle.
Check availability →Admission options and guided entry
Choose admission for an independent visit, the naturalist walk for entry plus scope-assisted guiding, or the entrance-and-vehicle option when that combination suits your arrangements.
Booking an online ticket with SINAC
The official visitor information describes online booking and registration. The public booking FAQ asks for names, identification, country of origin, visit day and time slot. Have the purchase code and the relevant identity document or passport available for admission. Enter names carefully: the personal tickets cannot be transferred to another name. Keep the reservation details accessible alongside your journey arrangements so you can arrive for the booked window.
For private users, the FAQ permits up to six tickets and one transaction per day for Manuel Antonio. This is an account-purchase rule for private users, rather than a general maximum size for every visiting group. If you are organising several people, prepare the identities and the intended visit together. Avoid treating a tour meeting time and a park arrival slot as interchangeable without matching the actual arrangements.
Published prices and children's age categories
As of 11 November 2026, SINAC's published nonresident admission rate for visitors older than twelve is USD 18.08 including IVA. This is the rate published in official park information, not a final shopping-basket quotation. Intermediary packages have their own prices and services. Comparing a guide-and-entry package with that admission amount alone leaves out the service being purchased, so compare what each option actually supplies.
The published nonresident categories list ages two to twelve at USD 5.65 and ages zero to two at USD 0, with the same source date and tax basis. For a child aged exactly two, clarify the applicable category with SINAC when arranging admission. Use the stated age categories rather than assuming every child enters free. Residency also matters: select the correct visitor category and identification instead of converting a resident tariff into a nonresident entitlement.
Arrival windows and ticket availability
Make the visit date and arrival slot the anchor for the rest of the park day. The public FAQ requires arrival at the booked time. Arrange your journey and any guiding meeting around that requirement. The getting-there guide helps separate arrival from San José, local transport and the final approach. A transport booking is a different part of the plan from admission to the protected area.
Use the booking service's available dates and slots when choosing your visit, and make a compatible selection for everyone travelling together. A general excursion description is not a reservation for a particular date. Leave practical room for reaching the meeting point, finding your reservation details and following entry instructions. For a later change of plans, consult the conditions attached to the purchase rather than budgeting on an automatic refund.
Opening days and the Tuesday rest day
The ICT regional guide gives Wednesday to Monday, 07:00 to 15:00, as the operating reference consulted on 11 November 2026, with Tuesday closed. Use this reference when placing the park in your itinerary and follow your booked arrival window. Put a different activity on Tuesday, such as an excursion considered on the tour comparison page, rather than planning park entry for the rest day.
Entry alone or entry with a nature guide?
The admission-only offer covers national park entry and leaves guiding as a separate choice. Its trail-access wording remains subject to local signs and staff instructions. The naturalist walking package explicitly includes the admission ticket, a naturalist guide, a high-definition spotting scope and wildlife photographs taken by the guide. Transport, food, drinks, water and parking are extra for that package; its meeting point is Chalo Parking near the entrance.
The entrance-and-vehicle option includes the entrance fee and an air-conditioned vehicle. Choose it for those stated services, and match the meeting arrangements to your journey. For any visit, stay on designated paths and follow instructions about available routes. Include the park beaches in your planning without treating admission as permission to swim under every set of conditions. Flags and staff guidance still determine the sensible choice on the day.
Ticket questions
Does the direct SINAC ticket include a guide?
Direct admission covers entry. Guiding, food and transportation are separate services. An excursion that explicitly includes both admission and guiding combines those services into a package.
What should I bring for entry?
Keep your purchase code and identity document or passport available. The reservation is personal and linked to the chosen visit date and arrival slot.
Can I visit on Tuesday?
Tuesday is the park's rest day in the official planning information consulted on 11 November 2026. Arrange the park for another day and use Tuesday for a different part of the destination.
What about a child aged exactly two?
Ask SINAC for the applicable category when arranging the child's admission. Select the age category deliberately rather than assuming a free ticket from the child's birthday alone.