What to do in Quepos, Costa Rica on a Monday

We will be on the Azamara cruise through the Panama Canal beginning January 3, 2016. My husband is 72 and I am 69. We are in good condition for our age. We wanted to visit the Manual Antonio National Park, but have read that it is closed on Mondays and we will be in Quepos on a Monday. We spent a week in Costa Rica about 12 years ago and did the zip line and river rafting and horse back riding adventures. We don't really care to repeat those at this age. Any suggestions for us for the day in Quepos?:)

Boat tour in a mangrove swamp? We've gone a couple times - once during a port stop on a Panama Canal cruise (but I can't remember the port nor where we toured) and again when we stayed in Manuel Antonio on a land visit a few years ago/couple years after the PC cruise. I'm sure the Costa Rica board could give actual company recommendations if that's of interest. Lots of wildlife sighting, but not too physical other than being outside in heat & humidity....

We will be on the Azamara cruise through the Panama Canal beginning January 3, 2016. My husband is 72 and I am 69. We are in good condition for our age. We wanted to visit the Manual Antonio National Park, but have read that it is closed on Mondays and we will be in Quepos on a Monday. We spent a week in Costa Rica about 12 years ago and did the zip line and river rafting and horse back riding adventures. We don't really care to repeat those at this age. Any suggestions for us for the day in Quepos?:)

Last year, I did essentially the same tour you are doing except in the reverse order. Manual Antonio was my last excursion, and what a let down. It is not a large park and was overwhelmed with tourists, many of whom were pushy and rude. (Possible this was because it was spring break and there were lots of unsupervised high school groups.) Saw virtually no wildlife. Eventually, you do get to a gorgeous beach, but very little time for that. In retrospect, I would have been happy if the place had been closed and I had found something else to do.

Some fellow passengers I had met took the Sky Walk and Pura Vida Gardens tour that I notice is also available to you. They raved about it.

Manuel Antonio has been open on Mondays during the high season for the past few years. We stayed there for a week December 7-14, 2014. We arrived on a Sunday. When I spoke to the hotel about booking a tour they told me that the park would be open on Mondays, so we were able to go the next day. I was surprised because everything I read before we left home said it was closed on Mondays.

FYI: If you really want to see the wildlife you must hire a private guide. Then you don't have to stand there forever waiting for a turn to look at the wildlife in the trees. Without a guide you won't see anything. The animals are so well hidden in the canopy that it takes a guide who knows what he is looking for to spot those amazing colored bugs, lizards, and birds. The monkeys were really fun to watch and we were so lucky to get great shots of the sloths and they had their faces turned up. The guide will take photos for you through the lens of the scope. It was crowded, but we didn't find that anyone was pushy, and we were ever so glad we had our own guide. Many of the tours were stuck in one spot while 30 people got a look through the scope.

There is a nice beach at the end of the hike through the park - much nicer than the public beach there. Just watch out for the raccoons who will steal your stuff. Crocodiles are on the right side by the beach.

If you want to see an amazing view and have a nice lunch stop by La Mariposa Hotel. We stayed there for a week and had an amazing view from our 4th floor corner room. Our next door neighbor went down to CR a month ago and went to La Mariposa for lunch and ended up staying for hours because he loved the place so much. Good food and nice staff.

Also, there is a Falafal bar at the corner of the main road and the turn off to La Mariposa and that is highly recommended.

Unfortunately, unless you are there after 5pm El Avion will be closed. It is a restaurant and bar built into one of Oliver North's Iran Contra planes. The plane was abandoned at the San Jose Airport and then taken apart and brought to the mountain. The food is reasonably priced. You need to get there around 5pm for the sunset (or watch it at La Mariposa).

We also went deep sea fishing through Quepos Fish Adventure. Our boat got 10 sailfish and 2 Mahi Mahi's. We brought the Mahi Mahi back to a local restaurant (Fred's Place) and Frederick cooked it for us 3 ways.

We had a wonderful week in Manuel Antonio/Quepos.

Thanks for the responses. I had contacted a private tour company for the park and they said that the park would be closed on Monday. We may try to sky walk thing.

Thanks for the responses. I had contacted a private tour company for the park and they said that the park would be closed on Monday. We may try to sky walk thing.

You might want to check with somebody else.

http://www.destinationcrnews.com/manuel-antonio-national-park-opens-monday-during-high-season/

Manuel Antonio has been open on Mondays during the high season for the past few years. We stayed there for a week December 7-14, 2014. We arrived on a Sunday. When I spoke to the hotel about booking a tour they told me that the park would be open on Mondays, so we were able to go the next day. I was surprised because everything I read before we left home said it was closed on Mondays.

 

FYI: If you really want to see the wildlife you must hire a private guide. Then you don't have to stand there forever waiting for a turn to look at the wildlife in the trees. Without a guide you won't see anything. The animals are so well hidden in the canopy that it takes a guide who knows what he is looking for to spot those amazing colored bugs, lizards, and birds. The monkeys were really fun to watch and we were so lucky to get great shots of the sloths and they had their faces turned up. The guide will take photos for you through the lens of the scope. It was crowded, but we didn't find that anyone was pushy, and we were ever so glad we had our own guide. Many of the tours were stuck in one spot while 30 people got a look through the scope.

 

There is a nice beach at the end of the hike through the park - much nicer than the public beach there. Just watch out for the raccoons who will steal your stuff. Crocodiles are on the right side by the beach.

 

If you want to see an amazing view and have a nice lunch stop by La Mariposa Hotel. We stayed there for a week and had an amazing view from our 4th floor corner room. Our next door neighbor went down to CR a month ago and went to La Mariposa for lunch and ended up staying for hours because he loved the place so much. Good food and nice staff.

 

Also, there is a Falafal bar at the corner of the main road and the turn off to La Mariposa and that is highly recommended.

 

Unfortunately, unless you are there after 5pm El Avion will be closed. It is a restaurant and bar built into one of Oliver North's Iran Contra planes. The plane was abandoned at the San Jose Airport and then taken apart and brought to the mountain. The food is reasonably priced. You need to get there around 5pm for the sunset (or watch it at La Mariposa).

 

We also went deep sea fishing through Quepos Fish Adventure. Our boat got 10 sailfish and 2 Mahi Mahi's. We brought the Mahi Mahi back to a local restaurant (Fred's Place) and Frederick cooked it for us 3 ways.

 

We had a wonderful week in Manuel Antonio/Quepos.

Deb! What a wonderful post and I couldn't agree more. Costa Rica is our 2nd home as we have traveled there at least once a year if not twice for the last 20 years. You have brought back a lot of memories (La Mariposa & El Avion) from our central Pacific coast stays. We now have migrated up to the Guanacaste area especially Samara where it is more like what Quepos and Jaco used to be 10-15 yrs ago. Thank you!

Thank you DebJ14. I'll check again before I actually schedule anything.

We are also on the Azamara trip and are currently looking at booking a monkey tour with Odyssey Tours. We are using Odyssey for a tour from San Jose and transfer to the Caldera Port on Sunday. If you are interested in either please let me know and I'll be happy to share more information.

Linda

kenlinhaupt@verizon.net

Manuel Antonio has been open on Mondays during the high season for the past few years. We stayed there for a week December 7-14, 2014. We arrived on a Sunday. When I spoke to the hotel about booking a tour they told me that the park would be open on Mondays, so we were able to go the next day. I was surprised because everything I read before we left home said it was closed on Mondays.

 

FYI: If you really want to see the wildlife you must hire a private guide. Then you don't have to stand there forever waiting for a turn to look at the wildlife in the trees. Without a guide you won't see anything. The animals are so well hidden in the canopy that it takes a guide who knows what he is looking for to spot those amazing colored bugs, lizards, and birds. The monkeys were really fun to watch and we were so lucky to get great shots of the sloths and they had their faces turned up. The guide will take photos for you through the lens of the scope. It was crowded, but we didn't find that anyone was pushy, and we were ever so glad we had our own guide. Many of the tours were stuck in one spot while 30 people got a look through the scope.

 

Yes, definitely hire a private guide. They are very reasonably priced & will point out many things that most people don't see. My guide even spotted an endangered species of lizard.

 

There is a nice beach at the end of the hike through the park - much nicer than the public beach there. Just watch out for the raccoons who will steal your stuff. Crocodiles are on the right side by the beach.

 

The Capuchin monkeys come by around 3 PM every day and are experts at opening bookbags etc. I didn't see any crocodiles while I was there...whew, especially since I wandered around the right side of the beach quite a bit collected some of the tons of really pretty green rocks.

 

If you want to see an amazing view and have a nice lunch stop by La Mariposa Hotel. We stayed there for a week and had an amazing view from our 4th floor corner room. Our next door neighbor went down to CR a month ago and went to La Mariposa for lunch and ended up staying for hours because he loved the place so much. Good food and nice staff.

 

Also, there is a Falafal bar at the corner of the main road and the turn off to La Mariposa and that is highly recommended.

 

Unfortunately, unless you are there after 5pm El Avion will be closed. It is a restaurant and bar built into one of Oliver North's Iran Contra planes. The plane was abandoned at the San Jose Airport and then taken apart and brought to the mountain. The food is reasonably priced. You need to get there around 5pm for the sunset (or watch it at La Mariposa).

 

Yes, I was about to suggest El Avion if the timing was right. Do get there early so you can get an outside table overlooking the sea.

 

We also went deep sea fishing through Quepos Fish Adventure. Our boat got 10 sailfish and 2 Mahi Mahi's. We brought the Mahi Mahi back to a local restaurant (Fred's Place) and Frederick cooked it for us 3 ways.

 

We had a wonderful week in Manuel Antonio/Quepos.

Hav a great time whatever you decide.

I was in Quepos off a ship last month , ON A MONDAY, and Manuel Antonia was closed.

We took a private tour with Cambute tours, mangrove boat tour. My cabin mate is 76 years old and did fine on this mild activity. It was a nice mild boat ride. the monkeys did come to the boat and one jumped on my head. It was a tour that started at 10:30. They have to arrange it according to the tides, as the boat is in an inlet. We were also given a nice lunch in an open air restaurant. Had a nice time. We met the tour guide near the boat docks, and had to be on time for him to find us.

We went ziplining in Quepos a few weeks ago. We used Titi canopy tour and we had a great time. We were picked up at the tender spot, driven in an AC van to their building, and zipped through the rain forest on 11 zips. They included lunch which I was not expecting.

I thought they were safety conscious and we were always clipped in to something to keep us safe. I am not a height person, but did it and even bought the photos to prove.

They are open on Mondays.