Manuel Antonio National Park packs more visible wildlife per square kilometer than almost anywhere else in Costa Rica. As local naturalist guides who walk these trails every single day, we wrote this guide so you know exactly which animals you can see, where they hang out, and the best time of day to find them.
→ See these animals with a certified guide and professional telescope
| Animal | Scientific name | Chance of seeing it | Best time |
|---|---|---|---|
| White-faced capuchin monkey | Cebus imitator | Very high (95%) | All day |
| Three-toed sloth | Bradypus variegatus | Very high (90%) | Early morning |
| Two-toed sloth | Choloepus hoffmanni | High (75%) | Early morning |
| Howler monkey | Alouatta palliata | High (80%) | Dawn and late afternoon |
| Squirrel monkey | Saimiri oerstedii | Medium (60%) | Morning |
| Green iguana | Iguana iguana | Very high (95%) | Midday (sunbathing) |
| Black spiny-tailed iguana | Ctenosaura similis | Very high (95%) | Midday |
| Common basilisk (Jesus Christ lizard) | Basiliscus basiliscus | High (80%) | Morning, near water |
| White-nosed coati | Nasua narica | High (75%) | All day |
| Agouti | Dasyprocta punctata | Medium (60%) | Morning |
| Raccoon | Procyon lotor | High (80%) | Beach areas, midday |
| Fiery-billed aracari | Pteroglossus frantzii | Medium (50%) | Early morning |
| American crocodile | Crocodylus acutus | Low inside the park | Río Tárcoles / mangroves nearby |
The most famous resident of the park. Intelligent, curious and bold — capuchins travel in troops of 10–20 and are often seen at eye level near the beaches. Watch your backpack: they are skilled little thieves. Never feed them; it changes their natural behavior and makes them sick.
You will probably hear them before you see them — the male’s roar carries up to 5 km through the forest and sounds like something out of Jurassic Park. Howlers are vegetarians and spend most of the day resting high in the canopy. Dawn is the best time to catch them moving and calling.
The jewel of Manuel Antonio. This small, orange-backed monkey is endangered and lives ONLY on the central and southern Pacific coast of Costa Rica — you cannot see it in Monteverde or La Fortuna. Troops of 20–40 move fast through the mid-canopy. A guide who knows their daily routes makes all the difference.
Manuel Antonio has both Costa Rican sloth species. The brown-throated three-toed sloth is active by day and loves cecropia trees — the Sloth Trail boardwalk is named after them for a reason. The larger, blonder Hoffmann’s two-toed sloth is mostly nocturnal, so by day it sleeps curled into a ball that looks exactly like a termite nest 25 meters up.
Here is the honest truth: most visitors without a guide walk underneath sloths without ever seeing them. They do not move, they do not make noise, and their fur grows algae that camouflages them perfectly. Through our Swarovski telescope you will see their faces, claws and even babies — and take phone photos that look like National Geographic shots.
Green iguanas (up to 1.5 m long) and black spiny-tailed iguanas sunbathe on rocks and branches all over the park — the black iguana is actually the fastest lizard on Earth, clocked at 35 km/h. Look for the common basilisk near streams: it is nicknamed the “Jesus Christ lizard” because it literally runs across the surface of water. Boa constrictors, eyelash vipers and harmless vine snakes also live here; your guide knows where they like to rest, always at a safe distance.
White-nosed coatis — relatives of the raccoon with long striped tails held straight up — patrol the trails in noisy family groups. Agoutis, large rodents that look like long-legged guinea pigs, quietly bury seeds along the trail edges (they are the gardeners of the rainforest). And the park’s raccoons have learned that beach bags sometimes contain food — keep yours closed and never leave it unattended.
Manuel Antonio is a birder’s playground: fiery-billed aracaris (a small toucan found only on this coast), chestnut-mandibled toucans, black-hooded antshrikes, blue-crowned manakins, motmots, trogons, hummingbirds and, on the beaches, magnificent frigatebirds and brown pelicans. Serious birders: ask us about our specialized birdwatching tours at sunrise, when activity peaks.
On almost every tour: white-faced capuchin monkeys, sloths, iguanas and coatis. Squirrel monkeys and toucans depend on the day, season and a good guide.
No resident jaguars — the park is too small. Ocelots exist but are extremely rare and nocturnal.
Wildlife is visible year-round. The green season (May–November) means fewer crowds and very active mornings; December–April offers drier trails.
It is possible but unlikely — sloths are masters of camouflage and rarely move. Guides carry telescopes and know each sloth’s favorite trees.
Want to see them all in one morning? Join our small-group guided tour (max 8 people) with park tickets, professional Swarovski telescope and hotel pickup included — $60 adults / $40 children. Every booking includes a $2 donation per person to Kazan Karate for Kids, supporting local children in Manuel Antonio.