Sheltered, clear water considered the calmest swimming spot in the park, with frequent monkey sightings.
Blue Flag beach Protected area
Manuel Antonio National Park
Playa Manuel Antonio is a crescent-shaped beach inside the national park between Punta Catedral and Punta Serrucho, known for calm, clear water protected by the surrounding headlands. White-faced capuchin monkeys and iguanas are regularly seen at the tree line behind the sand.
Reached on foot from the park entrance via the main trail past Espadilla Sur, roughly 30-40 minutes; requires a paid park entrance ticket.
Manuel Antonio
Beach-based water sports operation with over 35 years on Playa Espadilla, offering winch boat parasailing up to 600 feet above the Pacific, banana boat rides, water-skiing, wakeboarding, and jet ski rentals. Parasailing runs daily from 9 am to 3 pm (1 pm cutoff during rainy season) and requires no prior experience. The operation is located directly on the public beach outside Manuel Antonio National Park.
Manuel Antonio
Surf school on Playa Manuel Antonio run by Alejandro, a local instructor with 15 years of teaching experience, offering private one-on-one lessons, board and bodyboard rental, surf camps for kids, and surf trips to other breaks. Since 2022 the school is certified with Surf Adaptado Costa Rica to provide adapted surf lessons for guests with disabilities, including a beach wheelchair and adapted boards. Lessons include fruit, water, beach chairs, and shade at the surf spot next to the national park entrance.
Manuel Antonio
A working cacao and coffee farm 15 minutes from Manuel Antonio that covers the full arc from cacao pod to finished chocolate, including fermenting, grinding, and making traditional drinking chocolate. The tour also demonstrates cafe chorreado preparation and traditional sugar cane grinding at a trapiche. Multiple daily departures from 8 am to 3 pm with hotel pickup from Quepos and Manuel Antonio.