Beaches & Surfing
Costa Rica’s Pacific coast boasts almost 800 miles of coastline ranging from picture perfect white sand beaches to exotic black sand beaches bordered by rain forest. The ocean water is warm year round so wetsuits not required! The Central Pacific coast is known for its wonderful surfing and variety of beaches. Here are some of our favorites in the area:
Playa Bejuco: Park your car (or horse, as the case may be) at the Del Pacifico beach bar and head out to enjoy some surfing or a nice long walk on our miles of virtually deserted beach. Playa Bejuco is known for its pure, unaltered beauty.
Playas Esterillos: There are 3 sections of Esterillos- Este (east), Centro (central) and Oeste (west) all of which are known for their delightful palm-fringed coast and black sand. Great for surfing!
Playa Palo Seco: Less known Palo Seco to our south is located between the Pacific ocean and the Palo Seco Estuary. Another quiet expanse of beach, where from August through November you can see baby turtles hatching!
Playa Hermosa: The scene of the Billabong 2009 ISA World Surfing Games, Playa Hermosa is no stranger to the surf scene. The truly brave can try their hand at catching the waves in the pounding surf at one of the 7 surf points along the six mile shoreline. Otherwise, we recommend grabbing a table at one of the beachfront restaurants and watch the pros do their thing!
Playa Jaco: Jaco is one of the most visited beaches in Costa Rica as it is one of the closest to the capital. About 2 and a half miles long, Jaco has great surf and lots of other activities.
Playa Herradura: Herradura means “horseshoe” in Spanish and that is exactly what this beach is- a horseshoe- shaped beach with grey sand. Because of the shape, this has some of the calmer waters in the area. This is a good spot for snorkeling and diving.
Playas Manuel Antonio: There are 3 beaches inside Manuel Antonio National Park and another big one outside of the park, all of which are white sand beaches. The waters here are pretty calm so it’s a nice place to go swimming with the family or sit on the beach watching the different vendors go by with their wares (a simple “No gracias” and a smile is all that you need to stop them).
Surfing is Serious Business in Costa Rica
In 2009, Billabong held the World Surfing Games up the road from us in Playa Hermosa. Surfers came from all over the world to compete at experience the tubes that make the Central Pacific coast famous for its surfing.Contact our concierge to arrange a novice surf lesson.
But Costa Rica has myriad tempting attractions away from the beaches, click here for eco adventures…
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