Costa Rica

Beaches:

Jaco Beach
This popular beach encompasses three kilometers of sandy shore peppered with smooth pebbles. Both beginner and seasoned surfers enjoy its year-round beach breaks and accessibility to nearby surf spots like Escondido and Boca Barranca. “Roca Loca”, a tricky rock bottom wave, is located at the southern tip of Jaco, just beyond the cliff from the Costanera Highway. Crazy Rock is a well-known break for the experienced only, as strong currents and shallow rocks make for a challenging ride.

Jaco has its share of riptides, though not as many as neighboring Playa Hermosa. A handful of lifeguard towers are usually manned during the high season. After a long day in the sun, visitors can unwind with a cocktail in one of the beachfront cafes or bars.

Playa Hermosa
Playa Hermosa, as its name implies, is a place of undeniable beauty – its broad grey-sand beach contrasted by pounding white surf. It boasts one of the biggest beach breaks (after Dominical) on the country’s Pacific Coast. Just five kilometers south of Jaco, it is a favorite spot among surfers, with seven distinct surf points along its ten-kilometer shore.

The area is much less developed than neighboring Jaco, and attracts experienced surfers from around the world with its consistent waves and annual international surf contest. The beach is also part of a wildlife refuge that protects nesting Olive Ridley sea turtles. Between the months of July and December, females come ashore to lay their eggs and begin the life cycle anew.

Playa Herradura
Just north of Jaco, Playa Herradura is still a favorite among locals. The horseshoe-shaped beach has grey sand, calm waters, and is dotted with excellent seafood restaurants. Herradura is home to Los Sueños Marina, a full-service port packed with charter boats that ply the seas for big game fish, including billfish, marlin, mahi mahi and tuna. The beach is also a jumping off point for snorkeling and dive trips to nearby reefs and islands.
 

Playas Esterillos
The deserted beaches of Playas Esterillos, about 22 kilometers south of Jaco, are definitely worth exploring. Divided into Esterillos Este, Centro and Oeste, each offers long stretches of palm-fringed coastline and right and left beach breaks with some reasonably long rides.

The waves along Esterillos Centro and Este are strong beach breaks, similar to those found in Playa Hermosa. Esterillos Oeste has a beach break that is especially fun during a big swell. Swimmers should stick closer to the northern end of Esterillos Oeste, where a calm tidal pool offers shelter from the area’s dangerous riptides. All three villages have a few hotels, cafes and vacation rentals, but remain less visited by tourists.

Playa Bejuco
31 kilometers south of Jaco on the way to Quepos, Bejuco is a place to relax and unwind. Forget about shopping, internet cafes, or nightlife of any kind. Bejuco’s claim to fame is raw, untouched beauty where travelers can walk miles of beach without so much as seeing another person.

Strong riptides keep swimmers at bay, but Bejuco’s surf is well-known in the local community. There are plenty of beach breaks, but fewer surfers than in nearby Playa Hermosa. Bejuco village has a couple of hotels with restaurants, a mini-supermarket and a small soda that serves cheap and tasty local cuisine.

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National Parks, Gardens and Wildlife Refuges:

Carara National Park
Carara National Park is a crucial sanctuary for wildlife in the increasingly developed Pacific Zone. Carara is distinctive in that it encompasses both the wet rainforest of the southern Pacific and the dry tropical forest of the northwest. The name comes from an indigenous word meaning “river of crocodiles”, and visitors can see these mammoth reptiles sunning themselves on the sandy banks. The reserve is also home to nearly 450 scarlet macaws, and is one of the country’s top areas to view these flamboyant birds. Every year between December and April, visitors…Read More

Rainforest Aerial Tram Pacific
Situated in a park with over 200 acres of rainforest, each gondola at the Rainforest Aerial Tram Pacific affords guests sweeping views of the Central Pacific while slowly climbing above the canopy layer. Several combo-excursions are available here, including a “tranopy tour” (combo aerial tram and canopy tour), and a nature walk which begins with a stroll through heliconia gardens and a serpentarium, followed by a 40-minute gondola ride high above the treetops. Open daily from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Telephone: 506-257-5961

Butterfly Garden
Neofauna butterfly farm and serpentarium is a ten-minute drive from Jaco. Visitors can observe morpho and tiger butterflies as well as many of Costa Rica’s venomous snakes. Guided tours are available. Open daily from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., entrance fee is $15 pp. Telephone: 506-643-1904

Playa Hermosa Wildlife Refuge
Five kilometers south of Jaco, Playa Hermosa is part of a wildlife refuge that protects nesting Olive Ridley sea turtles. Between the months of July and December, females come ashore to lay their eggs and begin the life cycle anew. Locally known as the tortuga lora, Olive Ridleys are one of the smaller sea turtles…Read More

Rivers & Waterfalls:

The Tarcoles River
Celebrated for its population of more than 2000 American crocodiles, the Tarcoles River flows from the Nicoya Peninsula into the Pacific Ocean and forms the northern border of Carara National Park. This unique ecosystem is rich in avifauna, with more than 120 bird species living within its mangrove estuaries.

The Tarcoles boasts one of the planet’s biggest populations of American crocodiles, with an average of 25 crocs per square kilometer. These prehistoric reptiles can measure more than 12 feet from snout to tail and are a common sight on boat tours. If traveling from San Jose or Puntarenas, be sure to stop at the Tarcoles River Bridge where you can see up to a dozen massive crocodiles sunning themselves on the river’s edge.

Tour operators specialize in combo ATV/hiking/horseback riding excursions to several of these waterfalls:

- Bijagual Waterfall
Towering 600 feet, Bijagual is one of the tallest falls in Costa Rica, located 35 minutes north of Jaco.

- Waterfall del Zorro
35 ft. waterfall on the outskirts of Jaco

- Waterfall de la Gloria
Nestled on the hillsides of Playa Hermosa
 

Day Trips:

Tortuga Island
Jaco visitors can arrange a day trip to visit Tortuga Island off the Nicoya Peninsula, famous for its white-sand beaches and clear waters. A full-day tour includes roundtrip boat or catamaran transportation from Herradura or Puntarenas, bilingual guide, snorkeling, beverages and a BBQ lunch on the beach. Dolphins, turtles and whales can be spotted along the way.

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