10 Best Beaches in Costa Rica
Costa Rica, bathed by the waters of the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, boasts some of the best beaches in Central America, perfect for taking a relaxing swim, watching the sunset, surfing, or simply taking a walk on the sand.
With its two coastlines located just a few hours away by car, this destination concentrates a multitude of beaches of all types, making it perfect for any traveler. Among them are paradisiacal beaches with white sand and palm trees, expansive sandy beaches, small coves with crystal clear waters, and protected virgin beaches, which stand out, leaving many travelers wondering where to invest their precious vacation time.
One of the best tips for traveling to Costa Rica is to take into account the strong waves and currents on its beaches. So, you should always be aware of whether there is a red flag or signs that do not recommend swimming.
Based on the experience and the numerous beaches that I visited during my trip to Costa Rica, I have made this selection of what I believe are the 10 best beaches in Costa Rica. Let’s start!
1. Uvita Beach
Uvita Beach, located in the Marino Ballena National Park, one of the best National Parks in Costa Rica, and with 3 kilometers of white sand, crystal clear waters, and photogenic palm trees, is, for me, the best beach in Costa Rica.
But here, it’s not all about lying in the sun. One of the great attractions of the area is taking a two-hour boat tour to see humpback whales. This experience is available between August and November and also between December and April. After the excitement of witnessing such a fascinating animal, spend time leisurely walking along the sand of the enormous beach. As the tide goes out, arrive at the rock formation shaped like a whale’s tail of Punta Uvita.
From Punta Uvita, you can continue with the walk through the neighboring Playa Hermosa, which lives up to its name, and wait for a fantastic sunset while you bathe in its calm waters.
It must be taken into account that all these beaches are inside a protected natural park, so they lack services and have to pay an entrance fee of about 6 euros per person.
If you want to visit a beautiful beach outside the national park, you can opt for the nearby Playa Ventanas. It has two caves that you can walk through at low tide and where you can watch how locals spend a day on the beach.
2. Conchal Beach
To the north of the Nicoya Peninsula, between Flamingo and Tamarindo, is Playa Conchal, another of the most beautiful beaches in Costa Rica.
This beach is about two kilometers long. It is characterized by its bright white sand, made up of millions of small pieces of shell and pulverized rocks, giving its waters a beautiful turquoise blue color. If you access through Brasilito beach, you will see the largest pieces of shell. However, I recommend leaving your car in the parking lot on the opposite side to enjoy a more relaxed bathing experience with fewer people.
One of the advantages of this and other Costa Rica beaches is that they have an area of trees in the back that allow you to shelter from the sun and leave your backpack hanging from a branch, preventing it from filling with sand.
If you have a good budget, you can stay at The Westin Reserva Conchal, located a few meters from this beach, which has all the amenities and is also one of the best-known hotels in the area.
3. Beaches of Manuel Antonio Park
Located just a few hours from the San José airport, the protected beaches of Manuel Antonio Park are some of the most frequented by tourists who travel to Costa Rica on their own or on organized tours.
After a route of about two hours with an expert guide looking for the sloth bear and other animals in the park, there is nothing better than spending the last few hours enjoying its white sand beaches and turquoise waters surrounded by tropical jungle.
I would recommend visiting the less accessible ones, such as Playas Gemelas and Playa Escondida. Then, spend more time on the popular Playa Manuel Antonio and Espadilla Sur, which are much quieter. Remember that you cannot bring food into the park because tourists give it to the monkeys and raccoons, causing changes in their natural habitat and making them increasingly aggressive.
If you are going to spend more days in this area and want to enjoy the beach without paying the park entrance fee, I recommend Espadilla and Biezanz beaches. These are among the best beaches in Costa Rica, where you can savor a unique atmosphere and landscapes.
4. Cabo Blanco Beach
At the southern end of the Nicoya peninsula, over the waters of the Pacific Ocean, is Cabo Blanco Beach, another of the beaches in Costa Rica that you cannot miss.
To get to this wild white sand beach, you will have to take a hard hiking route of about two hours, crossing the entire Cabo Blanco National Park, the oldest protected area in Costa Rica.
In addition to being able to see some animals, such as howler monkeys, during the route, you will have to climb several small mountains and cross a river. Therefore, it is important to wear waterproof boots, especially if it has rained recently since a lot of mud forms on the road.
At the end of the trail, you will have the well-deserved reward of being able to bathe on the beach of Cabo Blanco with crystal-clear waters and gentle waves. You can also take a shower to wash off the salt from your body and have a picnic at one of its tables. Remember that there is no service, and you must bring both water and food.
If you don’t want to walk so much, on the drive from Montezuma to Cabo Blanco Park, you have several beaches like Cabuya, which is also among the best beaches in Costa Rica.
5. Playa Manzanillo, One of the Most Beautiful Beaches in Costa Rica
Playa Manzanillo, located in the town of the same name, south of the famous Cahuita National Park, is another of the natural gems to visit in Costa Rica.
This beach, more than 3 kilometers long, is bathed by warm Caribbean waters and is surrounded by palm trees that give it a wild appearance. Although the stretch of beach that runs through the town of Manzanillo is filled with locals every weekend, you can find peace in the area closest to Punta Uva, where a photogenic ship is found stranded in the sand.
After a good swim, you can go to the Manzanillo Viewpoint, cross the Gandoca – Manzanillo National Wildlife Refuge, and eat a delicious Caribbean chicken at the Coccoloba restaurant, one of my favorites. Other nearby beaches between Manzanillo and Puerto Viejo that are worth visiting are Punta Uva and Cocles.
If you are going to spend several days in this area, I recommend staying in a wooden cabin at the Congo Bongo EcoVillage, located in the middle of the rainforest and with private access to Manzanillo Beach.
6. Cocalito Beach
If you visit the Corcovado National Park in the inaccessible Osa Peninsula, I recommend investing a morning in walking the beautiful Drake Trail from Playa San Josecito to Agujitas de Drake. This allows you to enjoy the lagoons of the best beaches in Costa Rica.
My favorite on this trail is Playa Cocalito, located about 30 30-minute walk from Drake Bay, which is characterized by its white sands and rock formations on both sides.
Keep in mind that if you are going to do this trail, the route is linear and takes about 6 hours round trip. In case you don’t want to take such a long route, I recommend you do as I did: hire a 4×4 that, for $30, left us in Rincon, one of the ends of the trail, and thus make a single trip along the trail.
7. Santa Teresa Beach
Santa Teresa Beach is one of Costa Rica’s best beaches for surf lovers or travelers who want to start this exciting sport.
On this huge beach, you can surf good waves thanks to its winds all year round, walk or run on its fine sand, and have a fresh coconut (pipa) while you watch the sky turn red during the sunset.
In addition, the beach is surrounded by local restaurants and Western cuisine, bars with a great atmosphere, and shops where you can rent a surfboard or buy sports clothing.
The only drawback of this beach is that it is fashionable and full of tourists. So, if you want to surf or watch the sunset somewhere without many people, I recommend taking a few minutes by car to Mal País beach, which is much less crowded than its neighbor, Santa Teresa.
8. Danta Beach
Playa Danta and its little sister Playa Dantita, located north of the Nicoya peninsula on “The Gold Coast” of Guanacaste, are some of the most beautiful beaches in Costa Rica.
After leaving the car in the sandy parking lot of Playa Danta and walking a short distance, you will arrive at an incredible crescent-shaped beach surrounded by vegetation, which I’m sure will make you fall in love with it at first sight.
After a first swim, if the tide is low, you can cross the rocks to Dantita Beach, a beautiful beach less than a kilometer long with white sand and blue waters, perfect for snorkeling near its rocks. If the tide is high, you can access Dantita via a path that runs along the top.
If you like snorkeling, you can also go to Playa Ocotal, which has a small island with coral and hundreds of tropical fish on one side, as well as having the good Father Rooster’s restaurant where you can get the best taste in your mouth.
9. Samara Beach
Chosen in 2013 as the second most beautiful beach in Central America and located in the middle of the Nicoya Peninsula, Playa de Sámara is another of the beaches that could not be missing from this list of the most beautiful beaches in Costa Rica.
Known for its white sand and crescent shape, this beach is characterized by its calm waters and coral reefs that make it ideal for snorkeling and diving.
In front of this beach, surrounded by jungle, there is also a desert island where numerous species of birds nest, which you can observe by approaching by kayak.
10. Turtle Island Beaches
To finish this list of the best beaches in Costa Rica, I suggest you take a boat to reach the paradisiacal Isla Tortuga, located a few kilometers from the southeast coast of the Nicoya Peninsula.
Formed by two small and very close islands, Alcatraz and Tolinga, Isla Tortuga marvels for its white sand beaches, emerald waters, and hundreds of palm trees full of coconuts adorn its coastline.
These virgin islands, protected by a national park, are also perfect for hiking trails, zip-lining, or kayak rides. At the same time, you can see dolphins, humpback whales, or turtles if your visit coincides with the season these fascinating animals pass by.
Also, if you are a fan of diving, remember that the seabed is home to three sunken ships.
