Many tourists who have already been lucky enough to visit Costa Rica call it the most beautiful country on the planet. And it should be noted that there are grounds for this bold statement. This country has noisy waterfalls, exotic beaches with black sand, a huge number of national parks, mountain ranges covered with the rarest "rain" and "cloud" forests, and further down the list. Doesn't it look like a traveler's paradise? Let's see which are the best beaches in Costa Rica and what they look like.
Bahia Culebra
If you come to rest in Costa Rica, you can head to the province of Guanacaste.
On the Pacific coast, in the extreme northwestern parts of Costa Rica, there is a huge bay called Golfo de Papagayo. Baya-Kuleba is located in a small bay in the inner part of the bay. The peculiarity of the area is that the sea surface here is always calm. Here, according to tourists, you will find several small but picturesque beaches withvery clear water and beige sand. Sparse equatorial forests surround the bay. During the dry season, many plants shed their leaves here.
Playa del Coco
And again we return to the province of Guanacaste. Not far from Playa Hermosa, in the northwest of Costa Rica is Playa del Coco. Like anywhere else on the coast of Costa Rica, the beach here is clean, with dark beige sand with brown nuances.
Despite the fact that Playa del Coco is located in a fairly busy tourist region, it looks quite wild. In addition to the numerous villas and hotels that travelers love, this place is also the center of attention in the real estate industry. It's no secret that the Pacific coast has always been an attractive place to live, and Playa del Coco is no exception.
Playa Hermosa (Playa Hermosa)
It turns out that the province of Guanacaste can offer a great choice for a beach holiday in Costa Rica. Not far from Baia Culebra is another beach, Playa Hermosa. It is located on a peninsula between two hills and has a total length of about 1.3 kilometers and boasts beige sand with the slightest ash tint.
Baia Hermosa is one of the busiest beaches in Costa Rica. The reason is that it is a very developed tourist area with many small hotels and villas. According to reviews, here you can not only enjoy your vacation, but also have a good time.
Playa Matapalo
This amazingThe beach is located in the province of Puntarenas. A forest of coconut palms that grow near the shore, waves washing endless strips of sea foam washing cinnamon-colored sand - all this splendor, judging by the reviews, attracts lovers of pure nature and tranquility from all over the world.
The beach is located on the Pacific coast and there are no large settlements in the vicinity. Sometimes Playa Matapalo looks like such a secluded place that you start to feel like you are the first and only person who has ever been on this beach.
Playa-la-Penca
The province of Guanacaste once again offers us a great option for a holiday. Playa la Penca is a beautiful beach, where the beige-golden sand has an exceptionally tempting view against the backdrop of the bright sun. Located in the northwestern part of Costa Rica, the beach with its beautiful surroundings is a good place to relax. Although, despite the abundance of tourists, there is a small chance to be there alone and admire the endless blue sea. According to reviews, this is the best option for a romantic getaway.
Playa-Negra (Playa Negra)
Playa Negra is one of the beautiful beaches of Costa Rica, the photo of which, by the way, does not quite match its name. It is also located in the northwestern part of the country and is located on the Pacific coast.
Contrary to the name, the sand here is not dark, but quite the opposite - quite light with nuances of a golden hue. Sometimes big waves form here, so the place is great for surfers. The region grows lushsubequatorial plants, which, however, are much inferior to the rain jungle of the Caribbean coast.
Playa-Santa-Teresa (Playa Santa Teresa)
This Costa Rica beach can be found in the province of Puntarenas, it is located on the Nicoya Peninsula in the most southwestern part and has a wide and long beach strip with fine light beige sand. Depending on the weather, the ocean here is either calm and looks like a mirror surface, or it hits with huge waves. Surfers can also find use in such weather: in this case, the beach becomes an ideal place for this sport. A lush tropical forest approaches the beach itself, and the village of Malpais is located nearby.
Playa Blanka/Flamingo
One of the most beautiful white sand beaches in Costa Rica is Playa Blanca, or Playa Flamingo, which is located on the northwestern shores. The beauty of this place definitely cannot be described in words. Snow-white sands gradually pass from clear Pacific waters. Often the sea is calm here, which looks very tempting in the high temperatures of Costa Rica. Dense subequatorial vegetation grows on the beach, turning green during the rainy season and thus turning into a real jungle.
Playa Tortuguero
One of the most beautiful and longest beach strips in Costa Rica can be found in the province of Limon on the Caribbean coast - the wild beach of Tortuguero. It is included in the territory of the National Park, which is an equatorialjungle. The color of the sand here varies from brown to light beige.
This beach strip is one of the most important places in Costa Rica, as sea turtles come here to lay their eggs.
Punta Uva (Playa Punta Uva)
On the southeastern coast of Costa Rica in the province of Limon stretches Punta Uva beach, considered the most beautiful place within this exotic tropical country. Fabulously beautiful wild beaches with golden sand spread around the peninsula, covered with tropical rainforest. According to reviews, this is also one of the best places to swim among the luxury of the Caribbean's coral reefs.
Playa Manzanillo (Playa Manzanillo)
This beach in Costa Rica has the most typical Caribbean look and is located north of Playa Gandoc in the province of Limón. The sand here is light, soft beige-golden in color. A rainforest grows at the edge of the beach, and coconut palms hang right above the shore. Like many Costa Rican beaches, this one is also unguarded and wild, and branches thrown onto the coast by tropical winds remain there until the next storm, until it blows them into the sea.
Playa Gandoca
This beach of Costa Rica is located in its southeastern part, directly on the border with Panama. Located on the Caribbean coast, it has a dark ash color. The area here is almost deserted, except for a couple of small villages. Dense equatorial jungle covers the areaPlayi Gandoca.
Playa Conchal
As you already understood, beach tourism in Costa Rica is very developed. For example, according to reviews, the Nikaya Peninsula, in the northwestern part, has one of the most beautiful beaches that a tourist could find on the Pacific coast. The waters of the sea here are transparent and clean, and the sand is ivory. Dense subequatorial vegetation grows right next to the beach, shedding its leaves during the dry season.
This is one of the cleanest coastal locations in Costa Rica according to local authorities.
Bahia Junquillal
Baia Hunkilal is an exceptionally beautiful and small bay on the Pacific coast. It is located in the northwestern part of Costa Rica, about ten kilometers from the border with Nicaragua. The bay attracts tourists with its sandy light beige beaches.
The surroundings of this place are great for camping, and greenery lovers can admire the subequatorial forest. Many trees here shed their leaves during the dry season, making the place unrecognizable at different times of the year.
Playa Carrillo
On Playa Carillo you can spend a great holiday alone. The ideal temperature, combined with the abundance of sunshine, is the perfect complement to a white beach that will leave tourists breathless just by looking at it. Sea waves provide good conditions for swimming, as they are very calm. This beach, according to residents, is one of the cleanest in the country, and therefore in the whole world.
Ballena Bay(Baia Ballena Bay)
Baia Ballena Whale Bay is one of the most famous beach resorts in Costa Rica, famous for its tropical lush greenery, huge sandy beaches and humpback whales swimming close to the coast. According to reviews, rest in Costa Rica is here - one of the best options. This place is attractive for lovers of sport fishing, surfing, kayaking and diving. The sandy shore, which opens into the ocean with a huge forked cape, resembles a large whale's tail.
Costa Rica's Baia Ballena Beach is part of the Ballena Marine National Park and is the area's main natural attraction. Named after the humpback whales that migrate to the area from August to October, the marine park provides visitors with the opportunity to explore coral reefs, mangroves and the seashore.
The park has about 110 hectares of coastline and over 5300 hectares of Pacific waters, and is also a good place for sea turtles to lay eggs. The hawksbill and olive turtles nesting here from May to November are also endangered. This reserve was created to preserve the fragile marine ecosystem and the natural habitats of marine animals (bottleneck dolphins, sea hares, turtles) and fish.
The pearl of the national park are humpback whales, which annually come from December to April and from August to November to the coast of Costa Rica during the mating season. These sea giants can reach 16-18meters, and meeting them will leave an unforgettable impression!
Numerous tourists flock to the wonderful sandy beaches of Baia Ballena all year round to see the Bay of Whales live. Travelers feel safe as the beach strip is protected from strong waves by small islands and coral reefs.
Mangroves close to the coast provide plenty of bird watching opportunities for enthusiastic people. In the thickets, an attentive traveler will find nesting sites for great blue herons, cormorants, shorebirds, gulls, white ibis, frigatebirds, pelicans and some species of terns.
On the coast, judging by the numerous reviews, all conditions have been created for comfortable accommodation of tourists who wish to visit Costa Rica. If desired, travelers can stay in luxury hotels near the beaches, cheap apartments or small eco-hotels. The territory of the national park is open daily from 6:00 to 18:00.
