One of the greatest things about visiting Playas del Coco is that you’re close to many attractions. Not only are there a several beautiful beaches nearby but you can plan out your whole trip doing something different every day.
You can go from island to forest or beach to volcano in a matter of hours! It’s an excellent home base to explore Guanacaste and there are many day trips from Playas del Coco to choose from.
If you’re looking for some things to do from Coco, here are our favorite day trips from Playas del Coco. Additionally, if you would like to book day trips, we have a small discount for Guanacaste day tours!
Day Trips from Playas del Coco Map
Click here to go our interactive map of all attractions listed below.
Catarata Llanos de Cortes
Llanos de Cortes is one of our favorite waterfalls in the country and we always bring our friends and family here. It’s a big waterfall with multiple cascades and a large pool to swim in. It’s a bit hidden in the forest, in fact you can drive right by it on the InterAmerica highway and never know it’s there which is why we like to call it our little oasis. It makes for a wonderful day trip especially in the heat!
It’s about a hour drive from Coco and you can read our Catarata Llanos de Cortes guide.
Plan your visit: We like to go to this waterfall in the morning, spend a few hours, have lunch in Liberia and then go to Diamante Eco Adventure Park for ziplining in the afternoon. Or hike the short boiling mud pots trail at Rincon de la Vieja National Park in the morning and then go to this waterfall in the afternoon.
Guachipelin Adventure Combo Tour
If you’re looking for adventure and excitement, you have to do a combo adventure tour. It’s one of the best day trips from Playas del Coco. There are several parks about an hour and drive from Playas del Coco Coco that you can choose from. Each one has slightly different activities and they are all incredibly fun!
Guachipelin combo tour consists of a canopy tour, white water tubing, horseback riding, waterfalls, and a separate hot spring and mud baths. Read more about it here. This one is our favorite!
Buena Vista combo tour has a canopy tour, waterslide, horseback riding, waterfall, hanging bridges and their own hot spring and mud baths. You can read more about it in this post.
Borinquen is located on a hotel and they have their own canopy, hiking trails, spa, mud baths, hot springs, and waterfall. Find out more about Borinquen on Day 2 in this article.
There is also Rio Perdido that offer similar activities. We did the river tubing and hot springs at Rio Perdido and it was really fun. The hot springs and pools were amazing.
Rainforest Sloth Tour
Want to see the tropical rainforest and sloths in the wild? Then this day trip is perfect for you! You’ll walk through a private reserve with primary rainforest and then go to a second reserve to find sloths.
You can read our article on this Guanacaste rainforest sloth tour and watch our video of it below! Only a 2 hour drive one way from Coco.
Rincon de la Vieja National Park
If you like to hike, Rincon de la Vieja National Park is an excellent place for hiking. The Las Pailas sector (1 hour and 20 minute drive) has several trails of various levels, perfect for a nice day of hiking to see beautiful scenery.
For an easy hike, you can do the boiling mud pots hike (less than 1 mile) which is all flat and goes around the mud pots. You can see the steaming mud pots bubbling and boiling and smell the sulfur from the active volcano.
For a longer hike, we highly recommend the Catarata La Cangreja trail. It is about 4 kilometers (2.5 miles) each way, going through the tropical dry forest and ending at a gorgeous waterfall!
That waterfall hike is one of our favorites in Costa Rica.
If you want something more adventurous and off the beaten path, check out the Catarata La Leona waterfall in Curubande. It’s very close to Rincon de la Vieja National Park but is a more local, not as well known park.
Explore Beaches
There are a few different places you can beach hop from Coco. This is why we recommend to rent a car in Guanacaste (Playas del Coco) because public transportation is not good if you want to explore. There are SO many gorgeous, non touristy, under the radar hidden beaches that you can find only by car. Remember, it is also best to rent a 4×4 in rainy season if you plan to explore!
Closest to Coco: Playa Ocotal, Playa Hermosa, Playa Panama. These beaches are just a 5-15 minute drive away.
“Hidden beaches” (must have 4×4 car): Playa Cabuyal, Playa Iguanita, Playa Penca, Playa Bonita
1 hour drive away: Playa Conchal, Playa Brasilito, Playa Grande, Playa Flamingo, Playa Avellanas.
Read about the best beaches in Guanacaste here.
Tamarindo Surfing
If you’re interested in taking a surf class, head to Tamarindo, the best beach for beginners and first timers. It’s a 1 hour drive south and you will also get to experience another popular beach town in Costa Rica.
There are lots of surf shops in Tamarindo for surf classes like Iguana Surf, Witch’s Rock, Neptuno and Mateo’s. If you have more than 3 people, I’d get a private class so you can have more personal attention. Super fun for the whole family!
You can also spend the rest of the day in Tamarindo exploring another beach town.
Witch’s Rock
Now if you’re an intermediate to advanced surfer, you will definitely want to take a trip to Witch’s Rock. This iconic surf spot in Costa Rica is an absolute MUST for any surf fanatic!
This spot is inside Santa Rosa National Park and is about a 45 minute boat ride one way from Playas del Coco. There are several companies who run surf trips to Witch’s Rock (please contact us if you’d like a quote).
Rio Celeste (Tenorio Volcano National Park
One of the most magical places in Costa Rica is right at the Guanacaste/Alajuela border, Rio Celeste. It is a sky blue river inside the Tenorio Volcano National Park and visitors can hike through the park to see the waterfall and blue river.
It’s only about a 2 hour drive from Playas del Coco and it’s one of the must visit places in Costa Rica. You can hike the park on your own if you have a car or you need to book a tour if you don’t have transportation. Tours are around $140-150 USD per person, minimum 2-3 people. You can read our guide to Rio Celeste here.
Ostional Wildlife Refuge
If you want to see turtles in Costa Rica, head to Ostional Wildlife Refuge about a two hour drive from Playas del Coco. This is one of the most important locations in the world for Olive Ridley sea turtles since hundreds of thousands of mothers come to this area to lay their eggs.
The best time to see turtles is during green season on an arribada, the period of time where majority of mothers come to shore. If you go during an arribada, you can see thousands of turtles crawling onto shore, digging holes and laying eggs.
You can also see baby turtles hatching and crawling out to sea. The big arribadas are generally from July – December in Ostional.
Due to the pandemic, you must have reservations and go with a guide to enter the refuge. Please contact the Ostional Guide Association via their Facebook page to make reservations. You can also book with a certified tour company who can make the reservations for you and provide the guide.
Tip: It is highly recommended to have a 4×4/4wd to visit Ostional from Coco due to road conditions.
Read more about Ostional Wildlife Refuge here.
Palo Verde National Park
Palo Verde National Park is one of the most important parks in the country since it contains an endangered ecosystem in Central America, the tropical dry forest. This forest is home to thousands of birds and other wildlife. Take a boat ride down the Rio Tempisque to see crocodiles, birds, iguanas, frogs and monkeys and the 15 different kinds of habitats.
It’s about an hour and a half drive from Playas del Coco. You can read more about Palo Verde National Park here.
Tours: There are no boat tours offered or guides for hire right at the park. You will need to arrange an excursion with a tour company that includes transportation. If you have your own car, you can arrange to meet the tour company at the park. You can read details in the link above or contact us to help you arrange the boat tour.
Hacienda El Viejo
If you want to add more activities or want a more intimate/exclusive experience, head to Hacienda El Viejo Wetlands. They offer boat rides down the same Tempisque River in their own private wildlife refuge that borders the Palo Verde National Park, a cultural tour and a rum tour. That way, you can have a full day of nature, culture and wildlife.
Highly recommended if you have a rental car and want to experience more of Guanacaste! We offer a small discount for Hacienda El Viejo which you can get in that link.
Diamante Adventure Park
Want some adventure for your trip? Go ziplining! Diamante Eco Adventure Park (get 10% off in the link) is only a 30 minute drive from Playas del Coco and it has one of the best canopy tours in Costa Rica, including a 1+ kilometer superman zipline with an ocean view!
When you finish the zipline, you end up in the animal sanctuary where you can see jaguars, sloths, toucans and many more animals. Walk through the botanical garden back up to the main station for beautiful views of the Guanacaste coast.
Now they have a cultural experience where you can watch a short presentation of Costa Rican coffee, sugar cane and chocolate. This is definitely one of the best day trips from Playas del Coco and you don’t have to drive far to have a ton of fun!
This is also one of the best things to do at the Riu Guanacaste Hotel since it is literally right next to it.
Snorkeling/Scuba Diving/Boating
Our personal favorite excursion from Playas del Coco is a private boat trip in the Gulf of Papagayo. We always arrange a tour with our visiting friends and family because it’s truly the best way to experience the stunning Gulf of Papagayo. We get to snorkel, visit hidden white sand beaches and see marine wildlife like dolphins, turtles, rays and humpback whales.
We recommend a private boating tour because you will have the boat just for your group, you make your own schedule and have a much more personal, exclusive experience. The open sailing tours are nice as well but they only go to one beach and you share the boat with anywhere from 20-70 other people!
If you’re interested in a private boat trip, we recommend going with our friend Marcy. He owns his own boating company and can take you on boating, surfing, fishing, snorkeling and beach hopping to the best spots that other sailing companies don’t go. Click here to read more about boating in Playas del Coco and request a quote!
If you are a scuba diver, the scuba diving in this part of the country is excellent. You can go out on a boat to Monkey Head, Tortuga Islands and the Bat Islands to dive with hammerhead sharks and huge manta rays. There are several dive shops in Coco such as Rich Coast Diving, Summer Salt, Rocket Frog and Deep Blue Dive.
Arenal/Monteverde
Arenal and Monteverde are two very popular and beautiful destinations in Costa Rica. Although they are both about a 4 hour drive one way from Coco, it makes for a really fun day trip, especially if you don’t ever plan to return to Costa Rica. At Arenal, you will experience the rainforest and volcano. At Monteverde, you will experience the cloud forest.
You can go on your own or go with a tour company who will handle transportation for you if you don’t want to drive. They’ll arrange all the activities with you before hand so you’ll make the most of your day there. A day trip from Coco costs around $170 USD per person for both depending on the activities. A tour is the most convenient way as you don’t need to plan anything or worry about driving.
I actually recommend spending a couple nights in both areas if possible but if not, a day trip gives you a wonderful taste of the many different natural landmarks, ecosystems and micro-climates that exist in Costa Rica.
Arenal 1 day tours normally include breakfast, a short hike to see the volcano, lunch and hot springs. Monteverde 1 day tours normally include breakfast, a walk through the cloud forest, coffee tour and lunch. But you can customize your tour if you want different activities.
Nicaragua
Playas del Coco is actually just a 2.5 hour drive away from the border of Costa Rica and Nicaragua. So if you have an open day, you should take advantage and do a 1 day Nicaragua tour. Not only is it that close to Coco but Nicaragua is a beautiful country drastically different from Costa Rica. It’ll be a great way to experience the country, especially if you don’t ever plan to make a dedicated trip there.
The Nicaragua one day tour goes to Managua, Masaya, Granada, Lake Apoyo, Lake Nicaragua and hit all the major spots. Roundtrip transportation from Playas del Coco, breakfast and lunch are included.
We offer a $10 USD discount on the Nicaragua one day tour discount which you can get here.
White Water Rafting
About a 1.5 hour drive from Playas del Coco is the Tenorio River where you can go white water rafting through Class 2, 3 and 4 rapids. It’s an exhilarating day out in the rainforest and you’ll get to experience one of the best outdoor adventures in Costa Rica!
Where to stay in Playas del Coco
- Budget: Hotel M&M. They’re on the beach with a hostel-like atmosphere. They don’t have AC but it’s a good place for a short stay. If you want AC and nicer rooms, stay at Toro Blanco which is right behind and only a little bit more expensive. Also an excellent option for families as their rooms have a sitting area, pool and a kitchen.
- Luxury: Villa Buena Onda. It’s up in the hills so you get an amazing view of all of Coco. It’s adult only so perfect for honeymooners and couple getaways.
- Mid range: Hotel Puerto del Sol. This hotel is very close to the beach and town. It is renovated and has a pool, restaurant and fairly spacious rooms.
Hopefully this list gave you some ideas of the amazing day trips from Playas del Coco. These are also great day trips from the Hotel Riu Guanacaste which is about 30 minutes from Coco. If you need recommendations for tour companies, please contact us.
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