Beaches of Costa Rica
Northern Pacific
La CruzIt is a beautiful little town, next to the coast, a mere 12 miles (20 Km) away from the border with Nicaragua. It is located only 5 minutes away from the Soley Port in the Salinas Bay, and 1 hour away from the International Airport Daniel Oduber in Liberia. Its beaches are still nearly virgin, with clear jade color waters. It is considered one of the best places in the world to practice aquatic wind sports, such as windsurfing and kite surfing. You can easily get there by bus or car in less than 45 minutes from Liberia. The area’s internal airport is currently under construction, and only 3 minutes away from the shores.
Liberia
It is the capital of Guanacaste, and a very important city to Costa Rica. It holds several protected forests, which belong to the honorable list of sites that will hold oxygen in the future.
Liberia, also known as the "White City", has wide streets, antique buildings and adobe houses. It combines ancient customs and traditions with modern commodities such as malls, cinemas, restaurants and hospitals. Currently, a very well known private hospital is under construction in the area. In addition, the NATIONAL CENTER FOR HIGH TECHNOLOGY DR. FRANKLIN CHANG DIAZ recently opened there, in scientific cooperation with the Johnson Spatial Center and the AMES, of NASA. http://www.cenat.ac.cr/area2.htm
It also has an international airport, the Daniel Oduber, located less than two hours away from the main The area’s beaches and hotel developments.
Liberia is the perfect place from which you can visit the different bio-protected areas, such as the national parks of Santa Rosa, Rincon de la Vieja, and Arenal Volcano (which is currently active, thus you can see the lava and ashes pouring down), among others. It is also the way through to the Papagayo Gulf shore, where you can find the very well known beaches of Monte del Barco, Panama Beach, and the small but cosmopolitan little town of Coco Beach. In this region there has been an enormous burst of hotel and property developments, and you can find several large hotel chains such as the Four Seasons, or the Fiesta Premier.
Further south, after following a continuous row of breathtaking beaches, you reach the most developed areas in the region. You work your way down from Pan de Azucar Beach, Potrero, Flamingo (famous for its international fishing tournaments), and Conchal (where the Melia Conchal Hotel is located), all the way down to the outstanding Tamarindo Bay. There you find the renowned Las Baulas National Marine Park, at Grande Beach, which is an extremely important protection site for large marine turtles in danger of extinction to lay their eggs. Also in this Bay is the famous Tamarindo city, with a mile long shore and transparent deep blue waters.
Nicoya Peninsula
The Nicoya Peninsula, in Guanacaste, is practically surrounded by the ocean. It has white, golden and pepper colored beaches, most of them showing spectacular sunsets, with a direct view of the setting sun. The northeastern limit of the peninsula is bordered by the Tempisque River, which ends at the Nicoya Gulf. It has the most amazing wildlife, ideal for scientists, bird watchers and people that just enjoy the virgin and abundant nature of the tropical rainforests.
Nicoya has two main population centers: Santa Cruz and Nicoya, the latter being the capital of the province. From these cities you can go towards the numerous beaches, such as Junquillal, Lagarto and Ostional, which is a wildlife refuge for large marine turtles to lay their eggs. Also, you find the beaches of Samara, Carrillo and Punta Islita, of very blue and transparent waters, surrounded by dense tropical forests. A bit further south you arrive to another one of the most populated areas in the Pacific Coast, which holds Santa Teresa, Malpais (a surfer’s paradise), Cabo Blanco (also a protected area), and Montezuma.
The peninsula ends with the Nicoya Gulf, known for its tranquil and crystalline waters and its beautiful islands, which you can visit by boat. Here you find the seaport for the Naranjo Beach ferry, essential for transportation through the gulf, back and forth from the city of Puntarenas.
Central Pacific
PuntarenasThe city of Puntarenas, located in the province with the same name, is an ancient port city, the biggest and most populated of the Central Pacific, surrounded almost completely by ocean waters. It is located about 75 miles (120 Km) west of San Jose. It has a large public hospital and numerous seaports, including the Caldera Seaport, which is the main commercial port of the Costa Rican Pacific and the official rest stop for many cruise ships. Due to its location, it is free of hurricanes and tsunamis. Its people are very friendly and joyful.
Puntarenas attracts a great amount of people that require the use of the seaport or wish to travel through the Nicoya Gulf, on their way to the Nicoya Peninsula and its several beaches, full of tourist developments.
Jaco
Jaco is the first and most developed city on the way to the South Pacific. It has become a powerful center for tourist development, due to its closeness to the capital. It only takes two and a half hours, by car, to get to its tropical beaches full of palm trees, protected areas and highways. The city holds several marinas, a small local airport, large chain hotels (such as Marriott), restaurants, malls, and many housing developments that grow mostly up, overlooking the ocean. The population is extremely varied, holding people from all cultures around the world, which gives it an atmosphere of eternal festivity and great effervescence.
QUEPOS - MANUEL ANTONIO
Dominical
Dominical is located at the very south of the Central Pacific, about 25 miles (40 Km) away from Quepos and only 45 minutes away from the city of Perez Zeledon. From San Jose, you can arrive there in just 4 hours, traveling on a highway in immaculate conditions, and passing through the famous Cerro de la Muerte.
It is renowned as one of the most important surfing destinations in the world. It has a small community, living directly in front of the ocean, with several small restaurants and shops, surrounded by natural and exuberant tropical beauty. Most of its population consists of foreigners who have simply fallen in love with the area and decided to stay there. From here you can take a short boat ride to the Caño Island, a paradise for swimming, scuba diving, snorkeling, and seeing whales, dolphins, turtles, and wild birds; in addition to the manglar of the Terraba River, which is the largest in all of Central America.
It holds the Ballena National Marine Park; from its beaches you can see groups of whales that stop in its calm waters to mate and give birth, which attracts tourists from all over the world. Its sunsets are enjoyed by groups of people that make of them an unforgettable moment. Dominical is also just a few minutes away from Golfito, an area that holds duty free deposits.
South Pacific
GolfitoGolfito is a seaport located on the shores of the Dulce Gulf, a large and important gulf in the South Pacific. The seaport was founded in the 1920’s by the Costa Rica Banana Company and soon developed into an important mercantile center for the whole country. In 1984 the banana company left and gave most of the land to the state. A year later, the land surrounding Golfito was declared National Wildlife Refuge. It is an extensive area of very rich marine life.
In April, 1990, a duty free deposit was opened, which attracts large amounts of people, both national and foreign. This new tourism, in addition to the eco-tourism, has turned Golfito into an emerging region, which attracts more and more attention of governmental authorities and foreign investors. Currently, the construction of an international airport and the improvement of the main highway are both on their way.
On the other side, across from the Dulce Gulf, is a virgin region of one of the most important tropical rainforest for eco-tourism in the world: the Corcovado National Park, in the Osa Peninsula. From there you can also visit the shores of Drake Bay, from where you can see the mating of whales on their way up North.
Lake Arenal
The Arenal area is dominated by the majestic cone of the Arenal Volcano, which is currently active. The volcano makes every night in the area an unforgettable show of lava and ashes pouring down from the cone.The small city of La Fortuna offers the tourists all sorts of ecologic and recreational tours, multiple restaurants, hotels, spas, transportation, Internet access, local handcraft stores, and everything necessary to fall in love with it. The area is full of rich land, exuberant vegetation and soothing thermal waters. There you can observe from the side of the road or from its many gardens a large variety of animals, such as monkeys, iguanas, humming birds, toucans, different wild birds, among others. It is just a few miles away from the Arenal Lake, of dark blue waters, located at the foot of the Arenal Volcano.
The lake is perfect for navigating and ideal for aquatic tourism and fishing, and offers beautiful views from the shores of its many green hills. Many tourists often fall in love with the area and stay there forever.