61101

Location: between Jaco and Esterillos beaches in Puntarenas, Costa Rica.
Hermosa Beach GPS Coordinates: 9.576397,-84.606346 (9°34’35.02″N, 84°36’22.84″W)
Hermosa Beach entrance GPS Coordinates: 9.577148,-84.605638 (9°34’37.73″N, 84°36’20.29″W)
District: Jaco, canton: Garabito, province: Puntarenas.
Zone postal code: 61101.

  

Hermosa Beach Costa Rica in a wide and calm beach with a broad grey-sands and blue waters contrasted by pounding white surf of undeniable beauty, located in the Central Pacific coast of Puntarenas province.

Although Hermosa Beach is much less developed than neighboring Jaco beach, it attracts experienced surfers from around the world for its consistent waves which can reach as tall as 13ft, being one of the reasons why there follow the annual surfing contest. Swimmers are advised to take caution as strong riptides are common.

Importantly, in Costa Rica there are several beaches named Hermosa, two of them very famous, one of them is located in Guanacaste – which is not a surfing beach at all – and the other one is in the Central Pacific, which also boasts the Playa Hermosa Wildlife Refuge. This recently created refuge, December 2nd 1999, comprises the strip of beach where the mangrove swamp is. Birds and nesting Olive Ridley turtles may be seen here. In fact, the Playa Hermosa Wildlife Refuge is intended to protect the beach that serves as nesting site for the Olive Ridley turtle. These are one of the smallest sea turtles, weighing in at a mere 90 pounds. Females typically arrive solo or in small groups ashore to lay their eggs between the months of July and December. There are no organized turtle tours in this area; however visitors during the nesting season may spot an Olive Ridley come ashore at night.

Getting to Hermosa Beach in Garabito, Puntarenas:

From San José

Drive north towards Puntarenas on route #27. Take the Pozón exit (to Jaco), and continue for about 42 km (26 miles), passing over the Tarcoles river, and then turn right at Hermosa Beach entrance and continue until you reach the beach, after passing the Jaco entrance. This route requires a total of 1.5 hour from San Jose.

From Daniel Oduber International Airport (LIR)

Drive to the northeast towards Liberia. Once in Liberia, continue along the same highway to Puntarenas for about 120 km (75 miles). Once at the entrance to Puntarenas, continue on route #27 to San Jose for about 25 km (15 miles) until you reach the exit to Pozon and Jaco, take it and continue for about 42 km (26 miles), passing over the Tarcoles river, and then turn right at Hermosa Beach entrance and continue until you reach the beach, after passing the Jaco entrance. This route requires a total of 2.5 hours.

Hermosa Beach Costa Rica By Bus

You can take a bus from the route San José – Quepos / Manuel Antonio (Transportes Morales, +506 2223-5567), which takes about 2.5 hours.

Address map: Click here to view directions from Juan Santamaria International Airport (SJO), Alajuela, Costa Rica TO Hermosa Beach in Puntarenas, Costa Rica

More Hermosa Beach Costa Rica Photos

Location: between Herradura and Hermosa beaches in Puntarenas, Costa Rica.
Jaco Beach GPS Coordenates: 9.613983,-84.630207 (9°36’50.33″N, 84°37’48.74″W)
District: Jaco, canton: Garabito, province: Puntarenas.
Zone postal code: 61101.

Jaco Beach Costa Rica is a 4 km (2.5 miles) long strip beach of grey sands and blue waters of consistently big waves and the breaks are very good that offers world renowned surfing, located in Puntarenas province along Costa Rica’s central Pacific Coast, being also one of the closest beaches to San Jose.

Jaco is one of the most popular Costa Rican beaches as it offers most of the services such as a post office, health center, police station and branches of major banks. Furthermore, there are an abundance of surf shops, hotels and restaurants to suit every budget. There are also plenty of tour operators in town that arrange everything from horseback rides on the beach, to some excellent off shore sport fishing and sea kayaking. Among the activities that Jaco Beach encloses are surfing, swimming, ATV tours, bicycle rentals, crocodile safari, national parks and reserves, boat and white-water rafting, canopy tours and an excellent nightlife. However, visitors need to be careful about swimming here, as riptides are quite common along the beach shore.

Jaco beach lies between several mountains, so it has a tropical climate mainly defined by the dry and wet seasons. Generally speaking, from August through early December is the wet season, and from late November through early April is the dry; the remaining months have irregular rainy spells.

On the other hand, at about 15 km (9.3 miles) north of Jaco beach, is the Carara National Park, recognized for its exuberant wildlife and dense rain forest with several miles of trails open to visitors. Carara is a great place to view much of Costa Rica’s wildlife. Early morning or around sunset is often the best time to see the wealth of scarlet macaws that rest among the mangroves. It is also possible to see crocodiles, white-faced monkeys, peccaries, coatimundis and a wide variety of birds.

With all this to offer it is no wonder why Jaco beach is as popular as ever. However, There are concerns in Jaco about drugs, crime and prostitution. Being aware of your surroundings and using common sense should help you to avoid any undesirable situations. We recommend not leaving anything unattended not even inside your vehicle. If you are using a rental car to travel to Jaco or surrounding areas, ask for the full coverage insurance.

Getting to Jaco Beach in Garabito, Puntarenas:

From San José

Drive north towards Puntarenas on route #27. Take the Pozón exit (to Jaco), and continue for about 34 km (21 miles), passing over the Tarcoles river, and then turn right at Jaco entrance. Continue for about 2 km (1.2 miles), turn left and continue for 1km (0.6 mile) more and then turn right in any of the entrances until you reach the Jaco beach. This route requires a total of 1.5 hour from San Jose.

From Daniel Oduber International Airport (LIR)

Drive to the northeast towards Liberia. Once in Liberia, continue along the same highway to Puntarenas for about 120 km (75 miles). Once at the entrance to Puntarenas, continue on route #27 to San Jose for about 34 km (21 miles), passing over the Tarcoles river, and then turn right at Jaco entrance. Continue for about 2 km (1.2 miles), turn left and continue for 1km (0.6 mile) more and then turn right in any of the entrances until you reach the Jaco beach. This route requires a total of 2.5 hours.

By bus

You can take a bus from the route San José – Jaco (Transportes Jacó, +506 2223-1109), which takes about 2 hours.

Address map: Click here to view directions from Juan Santamaria International Airport (SJO), Alajuela, Costa Rica TO Jaco Beach in Puntarenas, Costa Rica

More Jaco Beach Costa Rica Photos

Location: between Caletas and Jaco beaches in Puntarenas, Costa Rica.
Herradura Beach GPS Coordenates: 9.648350,-84.656911 (9°38’54.06″N, 84°39’24.88″W)
District: Jaco, canton: Garabito, province: Puntarenas.
Zone postal code: 61101.

Herradura Beach Costa Rica is a small beach of grey sands, calm blue waters and a palm tree lined shoreline that has become one of the most popular tourist destinations, located on the Central Pacific Coast of Costa Rica, exactly at about 5km (3.5 miles) north of Jaco.

Initially Herradura, which refers to the shape of the bay of this particular beach whose Spanish name means “horseshoe”, was a rural beach and sleepy little town. Nowadays, this unknown paradise has seen a lot of changes due to the demand of tourism and property development. Today Herradura beach is a tourist hotspot with different types of hotels, vacation rental condos, homes, camping sites, groceries, restaurants and nightlife, such as the prestigious Marriott Los Sueños Resort, with its own marina and golf course, known as the Fishing Capital of Costa Rica playing home to Costa Rica’s only full service five star Marina Boats and home to the largest fleet of the country’s top Big Game Sport fishing Captains and boats.

All this makes Herradura beach ideal for those looking for activities like swimming, water sports, boat trips, sport fishing, golf and many other options. Also, Herradura is located nearby the Carara National Park, famous for its crocodiles in the Tarcoles River and mangroves where you could see birds such as macaws, herons and toucans, as well as its trails will allow visitors to see an abundance of wildlife and impressive flora.

However, Herradura beach still does not attract as many visitors as its neighbor beaches such as Jaco does, making it a great place to slip away in a quiet environment. In fact, Herradura has a campground nearby with showers and other basic services just a few hundred meters from the coast, making it perfect for low budget travelers and backpackers.

Getting to Herradura Beach in Garabito, Puntarenas:

From San José

Drive north towards Puntarenas on route #27. Take the Pozón exit (to Jaco), and continue for about 31 km (19 miles), passing over the Tarcoles river, and then turn right again at Plaza Herradura (where the Auto Mercado supermarket is) towards Herradura. Continue for about 2.5 km (1.5 miles) until you reach the beach. This route requires a total of 1.5 hour from San Jose.

From Daniel Oduber International Airport (LIR)

Drive to the northeast towards Liberia. Once in Liberia, continue along the same highway to Puntarenas for about 120 km (75 miles). Once at the entrance to Puntarenas, continue on route #27 to San Jose for about 25 km (15 miles) until you reach the exit to Pozon and Jaco, take it and continue for about 31 km (19 miles), passing over the Tarcoles river, and then turn right again at Plaza Herradura (where the Auto Mercado supermarket is) towards Herradura. Continue for about 2.5 km (1.5 miles) until you reach the beach. This route requires a total of 2.5 hours.

By bus

There are no public buses to Herradura, however, you can take a bus from the route San José – Jaco (Transportes Jacó, +506 2223-1109), which takes about 2 hours, or you can also take a bus from the route San José – Quepos / Manuel Antonio (Transportes Morales, +506 2223-5567), which takes about 2 hours, making the stop at Plaza Herradura and then walk to the beach in both cases.

Address map: Click here to view directions from Juan Santamaria International Airport (SJO), Alajuela, Costa Rica TO Herradura Beach in Puntarenas, Costa Rica