From the backyard to the sea

From Casa Buda to the sea

Costa Rica has countless beaches; this is just a list of our favorites.

Near Liberia (25-45 min)

Playa Cabuyal
A long light-sand beach between hills, quiet and rarely crowded.
Playas del Coco
A lively beach town with restaurants and the gateway to diving at the Catalinas Islands.
Playa Hermosa
A calm-water bay, perfect for swimming and watching the sunset.
Playa Panamá
A serene volcanic-sand cove inside the Gulf of Papagayo.
Calzón de Pobre
A white-sand cove with clear water at Punta Cacique, perfect for swimming and snorkeling.
Playa Penca
A small, calm cove, next to Calzón de Pobre and Potrero.

Playa Conchal
Famous for its crushed-shell sand and turquoise water.
Playa Flamingo
White sand and a yacht marina, on Guanacaste's "Gold Coast".
Tamarindo
The liveliest surf town in the area: restaurants, shops and waves for everyone.
Playa Grande
A vast, powerful beach; leatherback turtles nest here in Las Baulas National Marine Park.
Playa Langosta
A surf break south of Tamarindo, quieter and more residential.
Playa Ostional
A refuge where thousands of olive ridley turtles nest in the arribadas, almost every month of the year.
Playa Prieta
A calm cove inside Papagayo Peninsula.
Playa Barrigona
A remote surf beach reached by a gravel road.
San Juanillo
White-sand coves with crystal-clear water south of Nosara.
Playa Minas
A hidden cove between the rocks, near Las Catalinas.
Guiones Sur
Nosara's surf beach, with a yoga spirit and beautiful sunsets.
Playa Pelada
The wildest beach of the Ostional refuge, between Guiones and Nosara.

Manuel Antonio
A national park with rainforest, monkeys and light-sand beaches on the Central Pacific.
Santa Teresa — Mal País
Surf beaches with a bohemian vibe at the tip of the Pacific.
Uvita — Bahía Ballena
Its sand draws the "whale tail" of Marino Ballena National Park.
Puerto Viejo de Talamanca
Caribbean: dark-sand beaches, cacao and Caribbean rhythm next to Cahuita.

Cultural spots

Must-see places

Restaurants