www.CostaRicaTicas.com

I'll be staying in Quepos in a couple of weeks and want to spend a day or half a day at Manuel Antonio National Park. Most of the hotels offer "guided tours" and average cost per person for that seems to be around $40 per person. I'll be with date and 2 K*ds so for 4 of us looks like around $160 or so. I've been told, but cannot confirm, that one can drive to the park, pay the nominal entrance fee and that there are local guides right there that you can hire for maybe $10 or $20 that will show you around the park. That would be a lot less expensive than the "guided" tour and also provide more flexibility. Can anyone confirm whether that is accurate or not. Thx.

I have heard that there are locals that will guide you also but can't confirm. Here is a link to the english language newspaper in Quepos and maybe they can give you a definitive answer:
Apdo. 202-6350, Quepos, Costa Rica
Tel/Fax: 506-777-3634 or 506-777-3635.
Email: info@quepolandia.com
I do know that if you don't get there as soon as the park opens in the morning your chances of seeing any wildlife diminishes as the day goes on. Hope this helps.


Pax,
Sluthog

Piroca: Don't "arrange" a tour. Just go. When you get there, hire a guide. The guides are licensed and excellent. Its been a couple of years since I've been, so I can't tell you the exact amount it will cost. Here is the deal: The price is set by the park. The guides are government licensed. They are good. Now, the hotels and private operators are free to sell a "tour" to the park by a "guide" for whatever they can command. That's why you are seeing such a price. It is exorbitant. A licensed public guide at the park is a great idea, and will charge a reasonable amount; perhaps $20-$25. Be sure to go to the 3rd beach. One of the best in the world. Many miss it.

There may be group rates or you can try to negotiate one. But don't be surprised if you can't. The name of the game in Manuel Antonio (and CR for that matter) is to make as much money off the tourists as possible. That's why they raised the entry fees for Gringos to $6/pp.

The official rate for tours is $20/pp. The only guides that are supposed to be allowed in the park are either members of AGUILA (a local guide association governed by the park service) or recognized guides from tour agencies and hotels. They all should have badges. This is to make sure you don't get ripped off by some cut-rate guide (or possibly to enforce the $20 rate).

One thing you can be sure of is that the AGUILA guides will be guide quality as they are all trained by the park service itself and most are bi-lingual. At this time of year, you shouldn't have to worry about booking ahead, but if you want a number to call why not contact the local park information center directly at 506-777-0644

You can easily walk the entire park, including a hike up cathedral point, in less than an hour.

Hiring a guide seems a bit overboard. I suppose he (or she) can show you the difference between white-faced and squirrel monkeys.

Hanging at the beach at MarySombra is basically free (food & drinks) and as nice as anything you see in the park.

Good luck.

I don't think you need a guide! There are signs and maps and plenty of people.

Well--from these posts sounds like I just saved at least $150.00. Thx. to All!

Piroca. I just returned from Manuel Antonio. What a beautiful area. Stayed at the Hotel Karahé, $80 for oceanside room(see my trip report beyond the gultch).
Park entrance $7. Don't need a guide, they are everywhere. The paying group stops to look at a sloth , monkey etc. and move on. You look and see the same for free.
Take a pack with plenty of water and a snack. Some of the trails are demanding and the beaches are tops.
Saw more monkeys at the hotel than at the park.

Enjoy, kenj8

Good observations from all posters. No way I would pay $80 for guiding 4 persons. $20 sure. As one of the posts said, watch the guides showing others around. What they WILL know is which tree the sloth is hanging in this month (they don't move around much, but are really hard to locate if you don't already know they're in the tree), or where a particular group of animals will be at a given time of day. Just don't make the mistake I did on my first visit. I saw the first beach, and didn't continue on to the second and third. Its worth exploring the whole park, and as one post said, its small and will not take long.

One of the best places to see the endangered squirrel monkeys is not in the park, but at the outdoor Anaconda Bar/Restaurant at the Costa Verde Inn; around dusk.

Good observations from all posters. No way I would pay $80 for guiding 4 persons. $20 sure. As one of the posts said, watch the guides showing others around. What they WILL know is which tree the sloth is hanging in this month (they don't move around much, but are really hard to locate if you don't already know they're in the tree), or where a particular group of animals will be at a given time of day. Just don't make the mistake I did on my first visit. I saw the first beach, and didn't continue on to the second and third. Its worth exploring the whole park, and as one post said, its small and will not take long.

One of the best places to see the endangered squirrel monkeys is not in the park, but at the outdoor Anaconda Bar/Restaurant at the Costa Verde Inn; around dusk.

The original question was about guide rates. Actually, I myself never bothered with a guide here in any of my trips, not even just for $20. But then again I've heard the spiel on the eating and shitting habits of sloths and such so many times on so many other hikes that I no longer bother with nature guides a lot of the time anyway. If you'[re going to go guideless, MA is the place to do it. As others have pointed out, it is a relatively small park and wildlife is abundant enough that you should see a lot even without a guide. You can see a good chunk of it in just an hour although if you want to get to some of the more remote trails away from the crowds you will need slightly more. And expect to sweat your ass climbing the various hills in the tropical humidity whether you go on a tour or by yourself.

Also, as was also pointed out, trailing behind a trail group is one cheap way to go and not just at MA, but in many other instances as well. Local tour guides are nearly always much better at spotting wildlife than any of us, though you never know which member of a group will end up spotting something. Thats why I also look to see what any other people seem to be staring at. When following someone else's tour out of courtesy I try to allow the paying members to look first and stand in front and I just linger around the edges. I'll also tip the guide if he's really good or says something interesting that I hadn't heard before.

I concur with ElJefe, Prolijo and others. You really don't need a guide. The first time I visited the park, I had a guide. After that I realized it wasn't really necessary. There's a small snack bar at the 'third' (?) beach where you can purchase refreshments. Just watch out for the thieves...those little monkeys will steal almost anything!

_________________
"In a nation ruled by swine, all pigs are upwardly mobile, and the rest of us are phucked until we can put our acts together; not necessarily to win, but mainly to keep from losing completely"...Hunter S. Thompson (RIP)

YO Park Pioneers:
You guys must be young and in shape to walk and see everything in an hour or little more......I must have taken the wrong turn. Of course I did take a side trail and whack off on a rock.

BTW, keep an eye on the ground also. I stepped on a damn snake and broke the record for the long jump. Don't know what kind of snake (dark color with white markings) but it spooked the shit out of old Circus........worst of all, I sobered up and was out of mini vodkas.

I just hate the damn air turbulent plane ride, not to mention the "World Class" airfield....whoaaa.

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Damn if I'm going to repeat this shit again. I need a drink.
I've been drinking vodka every day for 45 years and I have certainly never found it to be habit forming.

Yeah, that 'terminal' is amazing...one large open-air thatched hut. I get a kick out of their airlines reservations desk...a long folding table and a cell phone. But hey, at least they serve alcoholic beverages

_________________
"In a nation ruled by swine, all pigs are upwardly mobile, and the rest of us are phucked until we can put our acts together; not necessarily to win, but mainly to keep from losing completely"...Hunter S. Thompson (RIP)