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Rincon de la Vieja:
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The Rincon de la Vieja area encompasses four of Costa Rica’s most stunning
national parks; the Parque Nacional Rincon de la Vieja, the Parque Nacional Santa
Rosa, the Parque Nacional Guanacaste and the Zona Protectora Miravalles. While
the Santa Rosa National Park is among the oldest, largest and historically significant
in Costa Rica, the Rincon de la Vieja National Park is a magical mysterious place
with its rich and varied foliage and fauna.
Rincon de la Vieja area is one of Costa Rica’s most fascinating places to explore.
With four volcanoes namely the Rincon de la Vieja, the Orosi, the Santa Maria and the
Miravalles within close proximity to each other, this area is surrounded by dense lush
forestation and is home to a plethora of wildlife and insect species.
An adventure lovers delight, there is much to see and do here. With some of the best
horseback riding trails in the country, the Rincon de la Vieja area lets tourists explore
the largest and last remaining tropical dry forest in Central America, some of the best
surfing in the world at Witches Rock on Playa Naranjo in Santa Rosa National Park,
and access to one of Costa Rica’s most active volcanoes, the Rincon de la Vieja with
its stunning vistas of the surrounding landscape, boiling mud pots and fresh water
volcanic lagoon.
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Papagayo Gulf:
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The Papagayo Gulf is an untamed and very beautiful area. If you want to get away
from people and experience the nature of Costa Rica at its fullest, this is a great area
to explore.
Papagayo is located close to the Liberia International Airport. Rest and relaxation
always go hand in hand in the Gulf of Papagayo, with mesmerizing ocean views and
intimate settings and activities, as well as lush tropical greenery at every turn. If you
enjoy sunny days, this is your spot. Here you can find large resort developments, as
well as small intimate hotels and close proximity to lots of national parks such as
Santa Rosa and Rincon de la Vieja.
Traditionally known as a paradise for bird watchers and nature lovers, Papagayo is
also a charming experience for those interested in relaxation and fun. Papagayo's
beaches comply with most of the requirements upon which a good beach is usually
judged. Water quality, views, texture of sand and the limited presence of mosquitoes
and other pests are probably the most specified criteria. There is a general
agreement that Papagayo's shores rank very well when it comes to these factors.
Spectacular sunsets are a regular component in the scenery along the Pacific
coastline of the Gulf of Papagayo. It is a perfect destination to enjoy nature and relax.
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Flamingo:
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Playa Flamingo is still one of the most beautiful beaches in Costa Rica. Situated on
the country’s Gold Coast, 75 km southwest of Liberia. Located in between the
beaches of Playa Potrero and Playa Brasilito, Playa Flamingo or Flamingo Beach is
the sole full-service marina between Acapulco and Panama on the Pacific coast of
Central America.
With its stunning white sand, unspoiled beaches and pristine clear blue waters,
Playa Flamingo is the ideal vacation getaway, offering visitors some of the best deep
sea fishing in the world. Marlin, tuna, swordfish and snapper can be found off the
coast all year around, making this beach an extremely popular tourist destination.
Every July, this beautiful beach also plays host to a fantastic international sailfish
tournament sponsored by the Costa Rican Amateur Fishermen’s Club.
Besides deep sea fishing, Playa Flamingo also offers a wealth of water sports along
with close proximity to the amazing Santa Rosa National Park and the Palo Verde
natural reserve. Nearby, for the golfing enthusiast is also an 18-hole championship
golf course designed by Robert Trent Jones Jr.
Scuba diving is available here all year round, allowing tourists to experience the
excitement of swimming with white-fin sharks and an array of other stunning tropical
fish and marine life. Sailing and diving expeditions and tours can also be arranged
to the close by island of Plata.
Home to some of the most beautiful hotels, condos and private residences on the
coast, the Playa Flamingo is a fabulous holiday spot if you prefer taking advantage of
the world class fishing out here, or if you prefer a simple sunset cruise.
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Playa Grande:
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Costa Rican beaches don't come more beautiful than Playa Grande, a seemingly
endless curve of coral-white sand with water as blue as the summer sky. Alas, no
palms or shade trees grow down by the beach itself. A beach trail to the north leads
along the cape through dry forest good for birdlife and deposits you at Playa
Ventanas, a pristine scalloped swath of white sand you will want to claim as your
own. You'll see a few tide pools for snorkeling and bathing. Superb surf pumps
ashore at high tide year-round. Playa Grande is renowned among surfers for its
consistency and good mix of lefts and rights. Surfing expert Mark Kelly rates it as
"maybe the best overall spot in the country."
Even though surfing is definitely a draw, most tourists come to Playa Grande to visit
the turtles; especially during the October - March nesting season.
The entire shoreline is protected within the 445-hectare Playa Grande Marine Turtle
National Park (Parque Nacional Marino Las Baulas), which guards the prime
nesting site of the leatherback turtle on the Pacific coast, including 22,000 hectares
out to sea.
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Tamarindo:
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With its pristine beaches, crystal clear blue waters, superb natural surroundings,
and near perfect weather, it is no wonder that Tamarindo is among the most popular
vacation destinations in Costa Rica. A former fishing village in the northern regions
of Guanacaste province on the North Pacific Coast, Tamarindo is the area’s most
well developed tourist town with plenty of accommodations to suit every pocket. With
much to enjoy & even more to do, this multi-cultural community is the ideal place to
have some fun in the sun!
The beaches here are first-rate, and the entire town has a relaxed laidback feel to it,
making it a fabulous place for anyone looking to have a good time. With the surfing
and windsurfing conditions here near perfect for the experienced as well as novice
surfers, Tamarindo Costa Rica is probably the most accessible beach town on the
country’s entire northern Pacific Coast. Besides surfing, swimming, snorkeling,
sailing, kayaking, jet skiing, boogie boarding, horseback riding and scuba diving,
visit the nearby wildlife refuge of Diria, as well as the Marino Las Baulas National
Park, where leatherback turtles come every summer to nest and breed.
The beach at Tamarindo Costa Rica is large enough for those who are looking to
find some peace and quiet to get some. But for those who want to be where the
action is, another favorite past time here is sportfishing, with record marlin, tuna and
sailfish catches off the coast. For the land loving traveler, golf is a popular option at
the Hacienda Pinilla, one of the finest golf courses in Central America.
Tamarindo town itself is quite colorful with plenty of local Tico flavor. Here you can
find several bakeries, an outdoor vegetable market, an art gallery, pottery stores, a
beauty spa and more than 40 restaurants, bars and discos with cuisines to suit
every palette!
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Liberia:
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Liberia is a small quiet city where a colonial atmosphere still exists. It is the capital
of the Guanacaste province and is fast becoming the new gateway to the sunny
Guanacaste beaches. A new international airport in Liberia has opened up and
many American airline carriers are now flying into Liberia.
Liberia is very close to popular Tamarindo and its surrounding beaches and it is
also becoming the preferred city to fly into if you are going to the new resorts in the
Papagayo Gulf, only 30-40 minutes away. It is also very close to some popular and
beautiful national parks. Parque Nactional Santa Rosa, Parque Nacional Rincon de
la Vieja and Parque Nacional Guanacaste are just to the north and are worth visiting.
Liberia is a friendly and open city compared to other Costa Rican cities of the same
size. Locally, the town is often referred to as "la ciudad blanca" (the white city). An
appropriate name due to its whitewashed, colonial houses, built with “bahareque”
(similar to adobe houses), a type of clay found all around the city with a particularly
white color. Liberia is the only town in Costa Rica to which the term "colonial" could
be applied.
Local fiestas, the biggest being July 25, "El Dia de la Anexion", celebrating
Guanacaste's Province annexation to Costa Rica, give color to Liberia with parades,
horseshows, cattle auctions, rodeos, fiestas and roving marimba bands. There's
also the "Fiestas Civicas de Liberia" in the last week of February and first week of
March with Tico style bullfights (1 bull, 300 people and one small bullfighting ring). If
you want to attend, make sure you make your hotel reservations as far in advance as
possible.
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