The Guanacaste province offers tourists an unforgettable vacation with its year round sunny weather, fascinating culture and spectacular natural attractions. Guanacaste is known for some of the most beautiful beaches in the country (hence the nickname golden coast) and exciting adventure activities, making it an excellent destination for all travelers. Guanacaste is also a very safe place for tourists as this province depends largely on tourism for its economy.
If you’re planning a trip to Guanacaste, picking what to do is crucial to having the time of your life in Costa Rica. Due to the sheer amount of activities available, it may be a bit overwhelming since they all sound incredible. So in this post, we’re going to narrow down the best things to do in Guanacaste. *Updated March 2019*
Surfing
With 200 kilometers (124 miles) of coastline, this province has some of the best surfing in the Central America. Tourists can take beginner surf lessons at Tamarindo, Avellanas (Little Hawaii) and Playa Grande.
Surfers can also find less touristic beaches to have a surfing paradise all for themselves at beaches like Marbella, Negra and Junquillal.
For the hardcore surfers, skip the beaches and jump on a boat to Witch’s Rock, arguably the best spots in all of Latin America. When a swell hits, waves climb up to 6 meters (20 feet) with an offshore break. It’s known that even when there are “no waves” it’s still good at Witch’s Rock!
Visit Different Beaches
Don’t stay at your resort or at only one beach during your trip. There are so many beautiful beaches in Guanacaste, you have to go out and see at least a few of them! It’s also the best free thing to do in Guanacaste!
Some of the best beaches in Guanacaste are Samara, Conchal and Flamingo but there are many more!
Although the touristic beaches are very beautiful, you will need to explore to see more picturesque beaches with white sand and turquoise water. One of our favorite things to do in Guanacaste is to take a beach hopping boat tour in the Gulf of Papagayo to see boat access only white sand beaches.
Want to know more about visiting these wonderful beaches? Check out our post to the best beaches in Guanacaste and 5 hidden beaches in Guanacaste!
Ziplining
Guanacaste is one of the best places in Costa Rica for ziplining. You can find all sorts of ziplines here! Long ones, family ones, beginner ones and many more. You can zipline upside down, over a river, laying down, tandem, in the dark and from mountain to mountain!
A few of our favorite canopy tours are the one at Guachipelin in Rincon de la Vieja, Diamante Eco Adventure Park and Black Stallion in Tamarindo. The zipline tours at Guachipelin also include an optional rappel, tarzan swing and rock climb in a canyon which is super fun! Diamante has the longest ocean view zipline superman style!
Get your Diamante Eco Adventure Park Discount.
Day Trip to a National Park
There are several excellent national parks in Guanacaste to visit on a day trip. The best ones for hiking are Rincon de la Vieja National Park, Tenorio Volcano National Park (Rio Celeste) and Barra Honda National Park. Barra Honda also runs cave tours which is fascinating. For wildlife, Palo Verde National Park is the best.
In fact, one of the three UNESCO World Heritage sites in Costa Rica is the Guanacaste National Park!
It is easier to visit the national parks if you are staying in Liberia, Gulf of Papagayo or the Tamarindo area since it is not too far of a drive (30 minutes – 1.5 hours). For those staying more south near Samara, it is a longer drive (2.5 hours) but still worth it!
Llanos de Cortes Waterfall
Although Guanacaste is very dry, you can still find some beautiful waterfalls. Our favorite is the Llanos de Cortes waterfall near Liberia. This tall, gushing waterfall is like an oasis in the desert!
You can visit the Cortes waterfall in the morning and schedule another activity in the afternoon such as ziplining at Diamante or Ponderosa Park. We always bring our friends and family to this waterfall. It’s one of the best cheap things to do in Guanacaste and one of the best places to visit for families.
See Turtles at Ostional Wildlife Refuge
Ostional Wildlife Refuge is one of the best places to see turtles in Costa Rica. This reserve was created specifically to protect the beaches that two types of turtles lay their eggs on, the Olive Ridley and Leatherback sea turtles. During peak turtle egg laying season, thousands of turtles come upon the Ostional shores.
Turtle season in Ostional is around May – January. The best months to see turtles at Ostional is September – November, where tens of thousands of turtles lay their eggs all day long! This type of natural phenomenon is called an arribada and is only observed at 7 places in the world (2 of which are in Costa Rica).
Scuba dive/snorkel/snuba
Scuba diving is one of the must do things in Guanacaste for ocean lovers. I don’t have my scuba diving certification (yet) but the Gulf of Papagayo has some of the best diving in Central America. It is close to several amazing spots such as Bat Islands (great for snorkeling too) and Catalina Islands. Swim with eagle rays, turtles, sharks and other creatures of the sea. Flamingo, Tamarindo, Playas del Coco and Playa Ocotal are excellent places to go scuba diving in Guanacaste.
If you don’t have your certification, you can go snorkeling. The crystal clear waters of the Papagayo Gulf are the best. There are also great snorkel tours from Flamingo.
Snuba is another option for those who want to go beyond snorkeling but don’t scuba dive. Snuba is like scuba diving but instead of a tank, you’re breathing through a tube connected to a raft on the top. You can stay down around 6 meters (20 feet) for a long period of time.
We did snuba in Guanacaste and it was an awesome experience. It really made me want to get my scuba diving certification!
Fishing
Fishing lovers will have a blast fishing in Guanacaste. Many of the popular beach towns started out as fishing villages and is how many locals still make their living today.
You can book inshore or offshore fishing trips up and down the Guanacaste coast. You can catch snappers, mahi mahi, groupers and wahoo on inshore fishing trips. On offshore trips, you can go sport fishing and wrestle marlins, roosterfish, groupers and more. There are many sport fishing charters in Flamingo, Coco, Samara and Tamarindo.
If you catch fish like snapper or mahi mahi, you can take it with you to eat for dinner which is awesome. Many restaurants will cook it for you if you bring it to them.
Boating/Sailing Tour
The best way to explore the beautiful coasts of Guanacaste is by boat. Go on a sunset cruise on a catamaran, enjoy a booze cruise or take a private boating tour. Whichever one you do, it’ll be a wonderful experience. Many tours take you to nearby beaches to swim and snorkel a bit bring you back under a stunning sky for the sunset tours.
You can take a private boating tour for more personal trips. Our friend Marcy runs private boat tours in Coco and in the Flamingo area, Life is Better at Sea is a good one.
You can also go on an open sailing tours which are really nice too. Some good ones are Antares in Tamarindo, Panache in Brasilito/Potrero, Kuna Vela in Playas del Coco and Samara Adventure Company in Samara. Marlin del Rey in Tamarindo and Coco is a good one for groups of friends.
Sailing is a must and one of the very best things to do in Guanacaste to see the beautiful ocean and coastal views!
Hot Springs
Up in the Rincon de la Vieja Volcano area, you can relax in the natural hot springs. Many of the hotels like Guachipelin, Vandara, Borinquen and Buena Vista have their own.
Rio Perdido also has extremely nice hot springs. It is further away in Rincon de la Vieja but they have a hot spring resort with rooms, tubing, and zipline. It is amazing!
Our Favorite Guanacaste Tours
- Guachipelin combo tour
- Buena Vista combo tour
- Kayaking and snorkeling Isla Chorro (Playa Samara)
- Horseback riding Playa Samara
- Hacienda El Viejo cultural, rum and wildlife watching tour
- Sensoria
- Tamarindo estuary boat ride
- ATV in Tamarindo
- Rio Perdido hot springs
- Antares or Marlin del Rey sunset cruise
- Scenic helicopter tours with Adventure Air Costa Rica
- Miravalles volcano walk
- Hiking Rincon de la Vieja National Park
- Camping at Ostional
- Rio Celeste hike
For more ideas, check out this sample 5 day Guanacaste itinerary. Or check our favorite things to do in Tamarindo.
If you’re not sure if you should visit Guanacaste, check out our post “Differences between the Caribbean and Pacific of Costa Rica.”
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colby says
Hello I have 1 week in nicoya at which time I will need to work remotely from noon to 8. I have a hotspot so WiFi is not a problem. I was wondering what you think the best place to do this would be. I am looking for a place that has the best snorkeling (that is easily accessible without a car or transportation, also preferably solo without a boat or guide needed). I have all my own equipment and am very comfortable in all types of water. I saw above you suggested papagayo is that the best or is there any close runner ups? I will also be diving the bat island the weekend after I work. Thanks for the help and the content.
yeison says
Hello Colby,
Thank you for reading our blog 🙂
If you are staying at Nicoya the town (some people confuses Nicoya with Peninsula de Nicoya which is the whole peninsula), the first thing that I would recommend you is to check where exactly you are going to stay and test/ask if your WiFi device will work properly. We have used many of those devices and depending on the provider and the location you will be at the device can work very well or very bad.
From Nicoya (The town) you will need transportation to go to any beach the Public bus takes like 2 to 3 hours to get to Samara which is the closest popular town, If you are staying at someplace in the Peninsula de Nicoya the first you need to do is to find our in which town and start from there due to the fact that there are many towns where you can stay at the Peninsula de Nicoya (Samara, Santa Teresa, Montezuma, Mal PaĂs, etc) and everything town is different.
Kathleen Ram says
Hi! We are flying into Liberia Airport and staying in Guanacaste. Should we rent a car at the airport or get a shuttle to hotel? Thanks so much for all your info!
Sammi says
It depends on what you would like to do, if you’re only staying in Guanacaste you can take a shuttle and then book tours for day trips but if you want to explore more, then renting a car is the best way to get around Guanacaste and visit different beaches and have more flexibility. You can read more on getting around Costa Rica in this post.
Kate says
Hi there!
I d love your expert advice please.
My family will be spending 14 days in CR arriving 25 July, flying in and out of SAN Jose. We are planning to hire a car.
First 5 days head to Uvita then travel to La Fortuna for a few nights followed by 5 nights in Puerto Viejo.
Does this sound a reasonable itinerary?
Many thanks in advance
Kate
Sammi says
Hi Kate, that can work just note that they are long travel days between the destinations since they are all about a 5 or so hour drive. But just leave early and enjoy the views, they are all on main roads and highways.
Igor says
Very informative, thanks.
Is boogie boarding popular in CR? If “yes”, what are the good spots for that?
Sammi says
Hi Igor, I have seen several people boogie boarding in Costa Rica, mostly at the good beaches for beginner surf like Cocles, Tamarindo and Jaco. Most surf shops have boogie boards for rent.
Trin says
Love your site so much; thank you for all of the valuable information. For a family with kids ranging in age from 2-13yrs, what would you recommend for activities? We are staying near Playa Grande for 3-4 days and then to La Fortuna for 3-4 days; we are renting a car. We are all pretty adventurous and good hikers. There seems to be so many activities to choose from!
Sammi says
Hi Trin! You can read this post here for activities in Fortuna: Things to do in Arenal and La Fortuna and Things to do in Tamarindo (close to Grande). You won’t be able to do some activities with a 2 year old though like ziplining, horseback riding, etc. but in La Fortuna, I highly recommend doing a safari float ride for wildlife, hot springs and la Fortuna waterfall. In Grande, definitely beach and a sunset sailing cruise from Flamingo like Panache or Serendipity.
Deborah says
Hi-
We are planning a 10 day trip to CR in May with our 13 year old son. We are exploring Arenal/Monteverde for the first part of the trip. The second half is all about the beaches in Guanacaste. We are thinking of making Samara our home base for day trips both south as far as Santa Teresa and north to Playa Hermosa. Is this reasonable or should we consider staying at a few different beach locations? Also what is the best way to get to Samara from Monteverde?
Sammi says
Hi Deborah, you can definitely use Samara as your homebase. A lot of families love Samara and it is a very nice beach town with nice beaches around. However, I would recommend against doing a day trip to Santa Teresa from Samara because it is a long drive, around 4 hours one way on the paved road. There is no paved road directly connecting Samara south to Santa Teresa so you would need to drive all the way around the Nicoya Peninsula going back up to Nicoya and then around the east side of the Nicoya Peninsula through Montezuma. If you go on the “road” south, it is partially on the beach, crossing like 3 -4 rivers and all on dirt paths so it is not a recommended route.
Samara to Hermosa is also a very long drive, at around 2 hours one way. It’s doable as a day trip though if you want to visit the Gulf of Papagayo.
For Samara to Monteverde, you will need to go up to Nicoya, past the Friendship bridge, onto the 1 and then onto Route 145 Las Juntas to Monteverde. It’s around a 4 hour drive as the Route 145 is a very curvy, narrow and windy road up the mountains so you need to go slow. You will need a high car for Monteverde.
Amy Harris says
Hello! Wondering if the guachipelin tour you are referencing is close to the playa hermosa area? The resort we are looking at is by playa hermosa but we want to do this tour. Thanks for your help!
Sammi says
Hi Amy! Guachipelin is about 1 hour from Hermosa so you can book a tour if you don’t have a car or you can drive if you rent a car. Let me know if you have other questions!
Janna says
My boyfriend and I will be there at the end of February. How far in advance do you think we should book tours (with transportation) for Rincon de la Vieja and Palo Alto? Thanks!
Sammi says
Hi Lisa, there are no ziplining tours inside Rincon de la Vieja National Park, you can only hike there. There are some lodges and hotels that have adventure tours on their property very close to Rincon de la Vieja such as Hacienda Guachipelin combo adventure tour, Buena Vista combo adventure tour and Borinquen. All of them have a ziplining tour with other activities (horseback riding, hot springs, etc.) but I do recommend booking them beforehand because it can get super busy during high season. Or you need to show up at least 30 minutes before the tour starts to see if you can get a spot since they have limited spots on their ziplining tours. But if they don’t have space, you’ll have to wait until the next available tour with space which is why I recommend booking it to reserve your spot.
Lisa patterson says
Can you book ziplining or canopy tour onsite in Rincon de la vieja national park?
Heather says
Hi Sammi!
My husband and I are planning a trip to CR in a few weeks (beginning of October). We are a little nervous to be going during the rainy season, and have heard that the Pacific coast can be harder to access and some places even shut down during this time of the year. Is Guanacaste okay to visit at the beginning of October?
We are very adventurous kind of DIY travelers who don’t usually do tours. We want to see the rainforest and love any chance to see wildlife, especially in their natural habitat. Is there anywhere you can recommend to us? Thanks!
Sammi says
Hi Heather! Guanacaste is fine in October, it doesn’t rain quite as much there as it does in other places like the CEntral Valley and since it’s the coast, it’s still very hot. The typical rainy season day is sunny in the morning and rainy in the afternoons at night. The only advice I would strongly emphasize are doing all the activities as early in the morning as possible and not driving at night. You can read more tips here: https://mytanfeet.com/costa-rica-travel-tips/tips-traveling-costa-rica-rainy-season/
For wildlife Guanacaste doesn’t have quite as much (they do have but not easily seen) as the Caribbean or South Pacific. Manuel Antonio is one of the best places to see animals in the wild since the national park is very small. The Arenal area is very nice too but you should hire a guide since the Arenal area is so big and widespread, it’s difficult to see wildlife unless you have a trained eye. Manuel Antonio you can see a lot easier on your own since the park is tiny. You can read more about the best places in CR here: https://mytanfeet.com/costa-rica-travel-tips/best-places-in-costa-rica/
Charlotte says
Hi could you send me the same tour info(askedby Charlie),guided by Marcy
We are excited to explore this beautiful place and all it has to offer
Sammi says
Hi Charlotte just sent you an email
Charlie says
Can you send me recommended tour companies for the guachipelin combo tour? Do I contact Marcy ahead of our trip or can we find him easily in Coco? Love the site, videos, blog…looks like you two are having fun:)
Sammi says
Hi Charlie! Absolutely! Can you send us an email? I can help you book the Guachipelin and Marcy boat tour 🙂
John says
Guanacaste is one of the most beautiful places in the world! Zip lining and sky adventures are top things to do there. Great pictures!
Sammi says
Thank you John!
Annika says
Looks like Costa Rica is quite beautiful, isn’t it. I’ll consider this on my list, besides, I haven’t been to Costa Rica before. I love the ambience of this natural attractions. Thanks for giving me this idea. Hope you’d enjoy this itinerary.
Sammi says
Hope you can visit one day! Thanks for commenting!