Pacific Coast
Three different regions are contained within the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica:
The North Pacific Region
The North Pacific region of Costa Rica, encompassed within the Peninsula of Nicoya, is held in less than 2000 km2 (414 mi2).
It includes the entire coast of the Nicoya Peninsula (Except the Gulf of Nicoya itself) with its magnificent beaches, including Tamarindo, the Papagayo Gulf, Nosara, Samara, Potrero, Flamingo, Ostional, and the Playa Grande reserve where millions of sea turtles come in huge arribadas to lay their eggs and up to Santa Teresa and Malpais and their laid back beautiful communities.
All the small original towns like Nicoya, Santa Cruz, Liberia, Cañas, Bagaces, and La Cruz, almost to the border of Nicaragua.
The Guanacaste Mountain Range with the Rincon de la Vieja and the Miravalles Volcanoes.
It keeps an unusual dry tropical weather, huge rainforests, active and extinct volcanoes, great adventure centers, thousands of acres dedicated to cattle, and breathtaking beaches with a fantastic diversity of big and small hotels.
In the region, you may also appreciate a little of the still-alive Costa Rican indigenous heritage like the Guaitil pottery and the Nicoya Church built in 1644. You can also welcome the fantastic folklore of the old haciendas and all the Costa Rican cowboy ways, with unique bullfights (Where the bull is not hurt) and bull riders, horse races, and the traditional dance of the guacales (calabashes).
Having its own international airport, the North Pacific coast region is the most visited Costa Rica area, even though it is the least populated. This latter fact creates beautiful uninhabited extended savannah landscapes and a fantastic array of wildlife that is quite visible in the protected areas.
The North Pacific Coast also has an abundance of marine life, especially around the Isla Santa Catalina area, Playas del Coco, and Playa Ocotal. Making it a popular hub to be astonished at the Giant Manta Rays “flying” in the depths of the ocean (Padi licensed divers only).
There are several diving and surfing schools in the area if you are interested in enjoying the warm water experiences during your trip. You can also have fun doing sea and mangrove (Flatwater) kayaking, as well as kite and windsurfing. Fishing trips and sunset sailing usually include the possibility of snorkeling.
Going out of the sea and into the country, in the North Pacific region of Costa Rica, you will also find an outstanding amount of possibilities regarding nature, adventure, and culture. There are dozens of different choices to delight in the luscious rainforests, beef cattle haciendas, the volcanoes, and national parks‘ trails filled with surreal, however stunning scenery.
In the Guanacaste Volcanic Mountain range and especially in the regions of Rincon de la Vieja and Miravalles volcanoes, you will find ancient cattle haciendas that turned into delightful hotels with gorgeous thermae and fully equipped adventure centers. Surrounded by tropical forests, these exciting hubs include rafting, tubing, ziplining, and canyoning, among several other possibilities, and excellent network trails through the woods that, guided by one of our experts, can quickly become the highlight of your Costa Rica vacation.
Another popular experience and relatively easy to find in this part of the country is yoga. You will be able to enter the peace of yoga surrounded by wilderness, colorful birds, and, at the back, real ocean waves to accompany you. Beautiful golf courses that are part of the PGA and championship courses are located next to or close to the sea, offering a magnificent spot to relish in your favorite game.
The Southern part of the Nicoya Peninsula is one of the Blue zones and has the World’s lowest middle-age mortality rates and the second-highest male centenarian concentration. This is one of the five unique World regions where people live much longer than their counterparts in the country and geographical area.
In the South of the Peninsula, you can also find Tortuga Island, Punta Coral, Curu Wildlife Refuge, and the Santa Teresa and Malpaís beaches. The latter, immersed in the forest they are, have fantastic boutique hotels surrounded by laid-back communities dedicated to surfing, yoga, and wellness.
As we stated before, the region’s accommodations are incredibly varied, with some of the known hotel chains like Four Seasons, Andaz, Marriott, and Hilton, to name a few. Several included options like Westin and Riu, but even better, there are dozens of small boutique hotels where luxury combines with comfort and a leisure sense.
Central Pacific Region
Going from the Gulf of Nicoya down until the area of Dominical Beach and including Jaco Beach and the Manuel Antonio National Park, this region has been quite trendy for a long time.
Conveniently close to International Juan Santamaria Airport and the Central Valley, this region includes:
- Puntarenas and Caldera cruises decks }
- Some of the islands of the beautiful Gulf of Nicoya
- The crocodiles of the Tarcoles River
- Carara National Park, with its breathtaking bird abundance
- Quepos port
- And the renowned Manuel Antonio National Park that is loved for its wealth of visible wildlife.
Its weather is as tropical as it can be! Six months of rain and six months of sunny days provide an exceptional environment!
This allows the area to be a progressive agricultural region with thousands of hectares dedicated to fruit production (From mangoes to watermelons)—, together with a thriving tourism industry that touches all areas of the community.
The region’s nature is biologically diverse, but beyond that, it is easy to reach and easy to enjoy. You can find several private reserves and the Carara and Manuel Antonio National Parks. In these privileged tropical nature havens, you can find an abundance of bird species that include scarlet macaws, keel-billed toucans, several types of hummingbirds, dozens of aquatic birds, including the bizarre Roseate Spoonbill and the Boat-billed Night herons.
You may also see, in Carara, three different species of monkeys (In Manuel Antonio, there are four -Incorporating the endemic squirrel monkeys to the howlers, the white-faced capuchins, and the agile spider monkeys-). You can also enjoy American Crocodiles, Spectacled Caymans, agouti pacas, two and three-toed sloths, coatimundis, mangrove raccoons, and even more unique species.
As close as it is to the cruise terminals in Jaco, Herradura areas and the Manuel Antonio area, you will find a vast collection of experiences to enjoy. You will find breathtaking river rafting, great ziplining tours, waterfall canyoning, sea, and mangrove kayaking, and of course, and rainforest pathways guided by some of the best naturalists in the World that become unplugged fun and mighty interesting documentaries.
Further South and reaching the South Pacific, you will find Dominical and Dominicalito that hold a wilder and more isolated region, however breathtaking as it has impressive rainforests and fantastic beaches, as well as some of the best-hidden waterfalls of the country.
This part of the Central Pacific coast of Costa Rica is well known to be a hub for wellness, surfing, and travelers from all over the World that falling in love with the beauty of the region, decided to retire, and create unique breathtaking boutique hotels. In this part of the country, you will find only very few chain hotels -like the Marriott Los Sueños in Herradura- however, there is an excellent variety of small and medium-sized accommodations, houses, and apartments to choose from.
The South Pacific Region
It is the country’s wildest part, holding a ferocious beauty that is hard to describe but very easy to feel once there.
The South Pacific region of Costa Rica goes from Dominical beach to the border with Panama. And is the most luscious and intense of the whole country.
The inhabitants of the South Pacific region of Costa Rica say that they live in the country between Costa Rica and Panama. Not only is it probably the wealthiest area of Costa Rica, biologically speaking, of course, but it also holds great indigenous communities that still retain their culture and traditions.
It is also considered to be one of the most pristine regions of Costa Rica, and we will divide it into the following areas:
• Uvita and Marino Ballena National Park
• Drake Bay and Corcovado National Park
• Golfo Dulce
• Burica Point, San Vito, and La Amistad National Park
The area of Uvita
This region is a favorite destination for nature lovers; it has primary rainforest, gorgeous waterfalls, the Marino Ballena National Park, a foodie community in Ojochal, secluded beaches, or at least with very few visitors, fantastic snorkeling, and plentiful nature walks.
Some of the most popular activities are surfing, white-water rafting, dolphin and whale watching, (the latter is seasonal) nature walks, and a more relaxed and natural vibe around the coastal villages.
Uvita may be considered the most populated town in this region, although it is still quite relaxed and quiet. Many of the hotels and lodges in the area are small, with no more than 20 or 30 rooms; some even have their own private reserve with several options to experience it. Many have magnificent ocean views, and as close to the seashore as they are, you can enjoy incredible sunsets.
It is more humid than the rest of the Pacific due to its proximity with the Cerro de la Muerte range and the humid low land forest of Corcovado and the South, but it is still one of the must-visit places.
Drake Bay and Corcovado National Park:
Corcovado National Park is a precious gem of tropical rainforest. A small patch of land contains more than 3% of the living species of the World. Four species of monkeys, two types of sloths, hundreds of species of birds, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians, make Corcovado a Holy Grail for authentic tropical nature lovers.
Accommodations are varied; however, the majority are small boutique hotels and lodges. As comfortable and luxurious as a grand hotel can be, with breathtaking sea landscapes and a surrounding jungle that will never cease to surprise you with the abundant wildlife around. In Corcovado, the hotels usually offer several days packages that include the most popular tours of the region like nature walks, snorkeling in Isla del Caño, or birdwatching early in the morning.
Accommodations are varied; however, the majority are small boutique hotels and lodges. As comfortable and luxurious as a grand hotel can be, with breathtaking sea landscapes and a surrounding jungle that will never cease to surprise you with the abundant wildlife around. In Corcovado, the hotels usually offer several days packages that include the most popular tours of the region like nature walks, snorkeling in Isla del Caño, or birdwatching early in the morning.
Golfo Dulce
Golfo Dulce is a region for raw nature experiences, where accommodations are accessible by sea only.
It will grant you wildlife sightings both in water as inland. The Golfo Dulce is a favorite place for several dolphins and whales to give birth and watch after the new babies. It is surrounded by the Piedras Blancas National Park that belongs to the same ecological system as Corcovado National Park.
Accommodations are also small boutique hotels, dedicated entirely to the full enjoyment of the rainforest and sea life experiences.
Burica Point
In Burica Point, you will find Pavones beach. A surfer’s haven with the second-longest left wave in the World. A wave that takes minutes to break and goes for over a kilometer in one stable flowing movement.
In Zancudo, you will see the Golfo Dulce’s breathtaking view and enjoy the fantastic mangroves system of the Coto River. In San Vito, upon the Talamanca mountains, you will find breathtaking primary cloud forests and isolated, peaceful, and beautiful communities as well as a strong presence of the Ngöbe indigenous tribes that have lived in the region of the Panama and Costa Rican borders for hundreds of years.
So many great activities and locations to choose from, that is why we create tailor-made trips based on your interest and wishes.
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