Refugio Nacional Gandoca-Manzanillo

We loved this park. The hike is beautiful. Some of the terrain is not for everyone, but it was an easy to moderate hike. We had limited time the first time we visited, but still saw monkeys, lizards, butterflies and many birds. We found the most beautiful secluded beaches that were just magical. The second time we visited, we hiked past Playa Bite, about 5.2 miles total including a few detours onto smaller paths off the main path. I snorkeled inches from the beach and saw dozens of small fish immediately. We chose to leave $5 per person each time we visited, but it’s not required. Security checks bags for speakers and cigarettes to avoid people disrupting the animals, which we found to be great. The staff were friendly and helpful, especially the volunteers who were in charge of searching bags the second day we went.

Great and wild park that you can visit. Nice trail till Punta Mona that you can go easily without a guide.(recommend to get a guide for spotting more wildlife and learn things for the jungle) Ones at punta Mona(Monkey point) you can follow the trail for 100 meters inland where you will find some buildings and very friendly people that you can get a coconut for 50c :) great after the hike! Easy and alternative way to get back by boat 5$ just wave to one of the boats in front and enjoy the sea on the way back!

Welcome to the real jungle! I mean you don't have to go inside the jungle like I did as I have been into adrenaline stuff my whole life. Enjoy this huge national refuge and park, the long exotic beach on the border between Costa Rica and Panama on the Caribbean coast. I've traveled Costa Rica for about 1.5 years in 2011 so I decided to leave my review now. Since then I've been visiting other countries around the world. Enjoy Manzanillo Gandoca Refuge as I did.

Beautiful beaches and nature walk. It was a little too muddy to go all the way through. Cheap entry fee snd parking. Please don’t stay alone out by the beach outside the park always have a Buddy system.

We enjoyed our visit. It's beautiful. Visitors can make a donation at the entrance. It's worth it! There is a lookout with gorgeous views. Our beach picnic has a beautiful view. If you want to see the cave and beyond, make sure you wear proper shoes. The trail was very muddy and slippery. We could not go too far because we wore flip flops.

Gorgeous Park. Donation only for entrance. The trail is a bit up and down with lots of roots and slippery spots, and not for those who struggle with mobililty. Lovely beaches along the way. We were rewarded with a wonderful fresh pipa (coconut water) at the casa Azul hostel buried deep in the forest. This was fabulous because we had forgotten our water bottles and it was a really hot day. We didn't expect to find beverages on the trail! Definitely check out the side trail to playa bite. Lovely little beach with swings. We didn't go much further past the hostel because the trail narrowed and there were lots of very big golden orb spiders across the trail.

Amazing hiking 🥾 or running 🏃🏻‍♂️ experience, we did the full run. You have two options: 1) a 6 miles round trip going to Bite Beach or, 2) a 16 miles round trip to Punta Mona. If you’re not up for the full 16 mile run 🏃🏻 you can hire a little boat for the ride back but plan it ahead. It’s definitely a great nature preserve with beaches & wetlands, protecting a vast coral reef & mangroves. We hit every single point of attraction, the Viewpoint, the Cave in the Water, the beaches and coral reefs.

An absolutely gorgeous space. I recommend leaving your shoes behind and enjoying the lovely paths barefoot. Staff do a phenomenal job of caring for this beautiful sanctuary.