Tropical Paradise in Costa Rican Beaches
Costa Rica is a country of 51,179 km2, and it has two coastal zones: the Pacific, which runs for 1,016 km and the Caribbean for 212 km. Each coast can be reached in as little as 3 hours from San José (Costa Rica's capital city) by land or 45 minutes by air. Some north pacific beaches are as close as 1.5 hours from Liberia's International Airport
These tropical paradises are distributed in more than 600 beaches fully accessible by vehicle, plane, ferry, or helicopter. We want to start with the Pacific Central coast, recommending 5 beaches, which are classified as the best and most desired, visited by local and international tourism.
1. Manuel Antonio (Central Pacific, Puntarenas province): The main feature is the varied wildlife that can be admired in this National Park, which has an area of 1,950 hectares of land and 55,000 marine hectares. It is the second most visited national park in the country. The beaches among the park include: Playa Manuel Antonio, Espadilla Sur, Las Gemelas, and Playa Escondida.
Manuel Antonio's Park conservation area (admission ticket is required and can be pre-booked online), can be visited every day from 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., except Tuesdays. Water and non alcoholic drinks are permitted , but at the moment, any type of food is not allowed. This is in order to keep the impact on the environment as low as possible. The park entrance rangers will check your backpacks!
The best place to park your car is in the area located at the entrance of the park. If you are touring Manuel Antonio National Park on your own, please be aware that the road to the National Park will be crowded with people selling their own services as “guides” and for parking or entrance tickets. They will dress like official rangers or guides and may have tags identifying them as park staff, but they are impostors with no relation to the park whatsoever. They will try and sell you overpriced tickets, tours and parking kilometers away from the entrance. Please do not get intimidated by them, you can keep going all the way down to the park entrance and park there for 3,000 - 4,000 colones (less than $6-$7) and buy your tickets online here (around $18 for adults and children 12 and up).
Activities to do on rainy days in Manuel Antonio: Spa, Yoga, Pilates, Spanish School Classes and Workshops, Art Gallery, Body Therapy and Treatments.
Activities that can be carried out in Manuel Antonio include: Snorkeling, Guided Walk, Sport fishing in the Marina Pez Vela, the Rainmaker reserve, and Paragliding. Boat ride in the mangroves of Damas Island, Chocolate Tour, Kayak Tour through the mangroves, and Wildlife Tour (a guide can be hired), or a visit to the Farmer's market.
2. Espadilla Beach: Part of Manuel Antonio's National Park, it extends from Punta Quepos to Punta Cathedral, divided by an estuary, which separates the beach in Espadilla Norte (free access) and Espadilla Sur (inside the park). South Espadilla´s walk is a little steeper than the North, and is located inside the protected area of the park, having access to a small mangrove swamp and a wooded plain behind the beach .
Activities for this beach include: Surfing, surf lessons, renting a catamaran, riding a banana boat, and long walks on the beach. You can reach this beach by car or public transportation.
3. Las Gemelas: Also within the Manuel Antonio National Park, this beach has crystal clear waters, ultra-white sand, and it is surrounded by stones which divides the beach in two sides.
It’s great for snorkeling, since its waves are minimal, or you can sunbathe under the trees. To visit both sides of the beach takes just a small rock climb.
To get to Gemelas beach, you walk along a path surrounded by vegetation and fauna. It is common that on the way you will spot monkeys and raccoons. The journey is just over 1 km from the main entrance, coming to a crossroad; if you turn right you head to Manuel Antonio and Espadilla Sur beaches. If you turn left, you will reach Gemelas (follow the signs). It is about 300 meters from the crossing to the beach. It is preferable that you bring tennis shoes and water in your backpack.
4. Playa Escondida: One of the most beautiful white sand beaches, it is located in front of Los Sueños Resort and Marina Resort, which is one of the most exclusive beach communities in Costa Rica. The residences are just steps from the white sands of the beach where you can do world-class stand-up paddle boarding, snorkeling and surfing.
5. Jacó Beach: Located very close to San José (1.5 hours away), it is a quite popular beach, made up of large areas of gray sand. Over the years it has had an important hotel development, many bars and restaurants, and quite peculiar nightlife.
It has a variety of activities, including bicycle rentals, ATV's, fishing tours, surfing lessons, parasailing, waterfalls, walks, shopping areas, all-inclusive hotels, and casinos.
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