Costa Rica Beaches

Costa Rica Beaches - If you want to visit Costa Rica simply for its beautiful beaches, you are not making a bad decision. While the whole cultural and ecological side to the country is great, for those of you who are just looking for a place to get away from it all, but don’t want to spend 24 hours travelling to get there, Costa Rica beaches are waiting and calling to you. From surfers to shell lovers to hippies at heart, the beaches will give you everything you want and more, as long as you choose correctly.

With over 1100 miles of coastline and over 65% of its borders made up of that coastline - it is not hard to see why Costa Rica has become the place to go for a beach vacation.

Costa Rica actually means rich coast in Spanish and that is evident no matter what beach area you decide to visit on your vacation to this paradise. Whether you are looking for idyllic, white sandy beaches for relaxing, lazy sunbathing or fishing, or if you are looking for adventure on a beach where giant sea turtles come ashore to lay their eggs- Costa Rica beaches has it all. With a beach never more than 75 miles away and an infinite number to choose from- this paradise has everything to offer its visitors looking for excitement at the beach.

The warm waters that surround Costa Rica and the country’s well developed tourism infrastructure are just some of the reasons that the Costa Rica beaches are rated among the best in the world.

A plethora of water sports and beach activities exists for every visitor- whether it is world class surfing, sport fishing or just relaxing on the sand - Costa Rica has it all.

Some Costa Rica beaches also have forest preserves with populations of exotic animals and plant life to explore and observe, while others offer vast expansions of sand in almost every colour available.

Top 10 Costa Rica Beaches

Montezuma (Nicoya Peninusula)

Located at the base of the Nicoya peninsula, Montezuma is a beach area that stretches on for miles with plenty of little nooks for private sunning and surfing. The main beach is relatively small, but has charming tide pools and amazing waterfalls nearby that are worth viewing, as well as much wildlife to be observed. The wildlife reserves at Cabo Blanco and Curu are nearby and are definitely worth a visit also. Known as an extremely cost effective beach location, Montezuma has something for everyone.Manual Antonio (Central Pacific)

Manuel Antonio is not only one of Costa Rica's most beautiful beaches, but one of the most beautiful beach in the entire world. Imagine: perfect horseshoe bays bordered by soft white sands, dazzling blue-green waters, and hilltops piled with jungle and streaming waterfalls. Dive, snorkel, surf, kayak, hike, or zip line - relax and enjoy the unforgettable views.

Playa Tamarindo (North Pacific)

Located just over 45 miles from Liberia, Playa Tamarindo has become one of the most visited beaches in Costa Rica. Not only is it very accessible, but it also boasts a nearly two mile expanse of white sandy beach bordered by crystal blue, sparkling ocean. Playa Tamarindo also can claim nearly perfect weather, with sunny, warm year round conditions- even during the green season you need expect only a brief late afternoon shower.

Tortuguero (Caribbean)

At the helm of Costa Rica's Caribbean side, Tortuguero is a eco-tourist's fantasy. Travellers can experience any number of exotic attractions: tours down jungle canals in dugout canoes, scenic hiking trails, guided safaris. Sixteen of Costa Rica's endangered animal species live in the Tortuguero National Park, like tapirs, ocelots, manatees, and green sea turtles, after which the region is named. To top it all off, Tortugero's beaches are perfect for sunbathing.

Mal Pais (Nicoya Peninsula)

Mal Pais literally means “Bad Land”, but nothing could be further from the truth. A beautiful sandy cove protected by a rocky reef, the beach at Mal Pais is everything that a visitor to Costa Rica is looking for: excellent snorkeling and surfing, secluded, private expanses of amazing pale grey sand, and a plethora of fish and wildlife to enjoy and ad-mire.Mal Pais offers some of the best surfing in the world and few tourists crowd this beautiful area, leaving it undiscovered and private.

Drake Bay (South Pacific)

Drake Bay is probably one of the most remote and secluded beaches in Costa Rica. An adventure lover’s paradise, the adventure begins just trying to get there. Accessible only by air or water, it is paradise for visitors looking for an isolated spot to relax and escape from it all. River taxis are the most common form of transportation once you arrive in the area and are reasonably priced and readily available

Playa Puerto Viejo (Caribbean)

Playa Puerto Viejo is located on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica in the Limon Province. Well known for what has been called the most awesome surf wave in Costa Rica, “the Salsa Brava”, this beautiful beach area is renowned for its world class surfing and laid back life style. A thick Hawaiian style wave, the Salsa Brava builds up in the deep water and then breaks in the shallow reef, offering up to triple overhead surf in the best conditions.

Samara (Nicoya Peninsula)

Located on the western coast of the Nicoya Penninsula, Playa Samara is one of the prettiest and safest beaches in all of Costa Rica. This long; over three miles; pure white beach offers a wonderful place to sunbathe, snorkel, take leisurely walks in the sand or do the millions of other things one does on a relaxing beach vacation. The swimming is great at Playa Samara primarily because of the living coral reefs frames the beautiful expanse of sand.

Playa Dominical (Central Pacific)

Playa Dominical, about 30 miles south of Manuel Antonio National Park, is widely recognized as one of the best Costa Rica surfing beaches. A number of surf camps and surf shops have sprung up to take advantage of the lively lefts and rights. But even if you don't surf, you'll adore Playa Dominical's lush green landscape, nightlife and relatively uncrowded sands.

Playa Tambor (Nicoya Peninsula)

Playa Tambor is a beautiful dark sand beach located at the southern end of the Nicoya Peninsula in Ballena Bay. This arch shaped beach opens up to a snorkelling and scuba diving Mecca surrounded by high bluffs of volcanic origin. Copious amounts of marine life exist in this area make both pursuits highly enjoyable.

This country has the perfect location for beach lovers around the world.

It’s hard to say which might be the best Costa Rica beaches as there are many of them and each one seems to be more beautiful than the one before.

One nice thing about Costa Rica beaches is that all of them are public property. Individual land ownership is restricted within 50 meters and often up to 200 meters back from the high tide line. So the Costa Rica beaches will always remain accessible for everyone to enjoy.

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