Manuel Antonio National Park
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
🐒 Monkeys & Sloths in the TreesManuel Antonio is Costa Rica’s most visited national park and one of the smallest, packing extraordinary biodiversity into just 1,983 hectares of tropical forest and pristine white-sand beaches. Home to the endangered Central American squirrel monkey (Saimiri oerstedii) — found almost nowhere else on Earth — along with three-toed sloths, white-faced capuchins, and green iguanas visible on virtually every visit.
8.890° N 84.375° W
Wildlife
⭐ Iconic Species
★ 
Central American Squirrel Monkey
Saimiri oerstedii
★ 
Central American White-faced Capuchin
Cebus imitator
★ 
Brown-throated Sloth
Bradypus variegatus
★ 
Black Spiny-tailed Iguana
Ctenosaura similis
📊 Most Spotted
Common Basilisk
Basiliscus basiliscus
Mantled Howler Monkey
Alouatta palliata
Central American Agouti
Dasyprocta punctata
Hoffmann's Two-toed Sloth
Choloepus hoffmanni
Black Vulture
Coragyps atratus
Helmeted Iguana
Corytophanes cristatus
Great Kiskadee
Pitangus sulphuratus
Great-tailed Grackle
Quiscalus mexicanus
White-tailed Deer
Odocoileus virginianus
Turkey Vulture
Cathartes aura
Tropical Kingbird
Tyrannus melancholicus
Scarlet-rumped Tanager
Ramphocelus passerinii
⭐ Iconic Species
★ Central American Squirrel Monkey
Saimiri oerstedii
★ Central American White-faced Capuchin
Cebus imitator
★ Brown-throated Sloth
Bradypus variegatus
📊 Most Spotted
Mantled Howler Monkey
Alouatta palliata
Central American Agouti
Dasyprocta punctata
Hoffmann's Two-toed Sloth
Choloepus hoffmanni
White-tailed Deer
Odocoileus virginianus
White-nosed Coati
Nasua narica
Common tent-making Bat
Uroderma bilobatum
Common Raccoon
Procyon lotor
Northern Tamandua
Tamandua mexicana
Proboscis Bat
Rhynchonycteris naso
Mexican Hairy Dwarf Porcupine
Sphiggurus mexicanus
Variegated Squirrel
Sciurus variegatoides
Collared Peccary
Pecari tajacu
📊 Most Spotted
Black Vulture
Coragyps atratus
Great Kiskadee
Pitangus sulphuratus
Great-tailed Grackle
Quiscalus mexicanus
Turkey Vulture
Cathartes aura
Tropical Kingbird
Tyrannus melancholicus
Scarlet-rumped Tanager
Ramphocelus passerinii
Magnificent Frigatebird
Fregata magnificens
Black-hooded Antshrike
Thamnophilus bridgesi
Red-crowned Woodpecker
Melanerpes rubricapillus
Chestnut-backed Antbird
Myrmeciza exsul
Brown Pelican
Pelecanus occidentalis
Palm Tanager
Thraupis palmarum
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
Common Basilisk
Basiliscus basiliscus
Helmeted Iguana
Corytophanes cristatus
Fer-de-lance
Bothrops asper
Delicate Ameiva
Holcosus leptophrys
Green Iguana
Iguana iguana
Köhler’s Vine Snake
Oxybelis koehleri
Many-scaled Anole
Anolis polylepis
Border Anole
Anolis limifrons
Neotropical Green Anole
Anolis biporcatus
White-throated Gecko
Gonatodes albogularis
American Crocodile
Crocodylus acutus
Central American Boa
Boa imperator
📊 Most Spotted
Red-eyed Treefrog
Agalychnis callidryas
Rosenberg's Gladiator Frog
Boana rosenbergi
Masked Tree Frog
Smilisca phaeota
Savage's Thin-toed Frog
Leptodactylus savagei
Milk Frog
Trachycephalus macrotis
Green and Black Dart-poison Frog
Dendrobates auratus
Giant Marine Toad
Rhinella horribilis
Harlequin Treefrog
Dendropsophus ebraccatus
Fitzinger's Robber Frog
Craugastor fitzingeri
Boulenger's Snouted Tree Frog
Scinax boulengeri
Rainforest Toad
Incilius aucoinae
Grainy Cochran Frog
Cochranella granulosa
Recent sightings in Manuel Antonio National Park
LIVEiNaturalistAnimal Events
1Squirrel Monkey Troop Season
Endangered Central American squirrel monkeys, the park's flagship primate, sweep through the canopy in fast-moving, chattering troops as they forage for fruit and insects. Their frenetic feeding raids bring the year's best chance to watch these tiny, tangerine-backed monkeys up close.
3Green Iguana Breeding Display
During the drier months male green iguanas flush into vivid orange and stake out basking perches, bobbing their heads in territorial display high in the canopy and along the trails. Common basilisks join the sun-warmed lineup, adding another dragon-like reptile to the show.
2Rainy Season Frog Chorus
When the wet season fills the forest with pools, Rosenberg's gladiator frogs, masked treefrogs, and harlequin treefrogs erupt into deafening nighttime breeding choruses. Males call and wrestle for mates around flooded hollows, turning the dark forest into a pulsing wall of sound.
Sighting Calendar
Average chance of spotting the park's most-spotted species, month by month
- 1Squirrel Monkey Troop Season
- 2Rainy Season Frog Chorus
- 3Green Iguana Breeding Display
* Manuel Antonio is closed every Tuesday for maintenance. Open Wednesday through Monday, 7:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Tickets must be purchased online in advance.
Sighting Zones
Warmer areas are where all species together are recorded most often.
Essentials
Climate
What visitors saw
Spotting a sloth in the wild was top of our priority list and so we prepared our ‘wildlife bingo’ cards and set off to the small resort district of Manuel Antonio, outside Quepos on the west coast, to see if we could make this dream come true.
We found a Three-toed sloth on our own, a few Crab-eating raccoons on the beach, and a troop of Squirrel monkeys on the way out of the park.
We saw monkeys, lizards, an iguana, loads of colourful birds and even bumped into a family of coatis who followed us down the trail for a few hundred metres.
We walked along the "sloth trail" for a bit, enjoyed the trees and shade but saw zero sloths!
Quick answers
What animals can you see in Manuel Antonio National Park?
The most likely sightings are Black Spiny-tailed Iguana (seen by about 90% of wildlife watchers), Central American White-faced Capuchin (seen by about 90% of wildlife watchers), Brown-throated Sloth (seen by about 80% of wildlife watchers), Common Basilisk (seen by about 80% of wildlife watchers), Mantled Howler Monkey (seen by about 70% of wildlife watchers) — among 991 recorded vertebrate species, based on citizen-science data from GBIF.
When is the best time to visit Manuel Antonio National Park for wildlife?
February has the highest combined sighting rate for the park's top species in our month-by-month GBIF data. The full sighting calendar on this page shows each species' best months.
Can you see Central American Squirrel Monkey in Manuel Antonio National Park?
Yes — about 70% of wildlife watchers report a Central American Squirrel Monkey sighting in Manuel Antonio National Park, based on 319 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
Can you see Central American White-faced Capuchin in Manuel Antonio National Park?
Yes — about 90% of wildlife watchers report a Central American White-faced Capuchin sighting in Manuel Antonio National Park, based on 1,142 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
Can you see Brown-throated Sloth in Manuel Antonio National Park?
Yes — about 80% of wildlife watchers report a Brown-throated Sloth sighting in Manuel Antonio National Park, based on 651 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
Can you see Black Spiny-tailed Iguana in Manuel Antonio National Park?
Yes — about 90% of wildlife watchers report a Black Spiny-tailed Iguana sighting in Manuel Antonio National Park, based on 1,428 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
Where Wildlife Score
How good is this park for seeing wildlife?Biodiversity
Very goodHow rich is the wildlife?
Sighting
Very goodHow likely to see animals?
Experience
GoodHow easy and pleasant is the visit?
