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) making it an excellent destination for eager beach vacationers.
If you’re planning a trip to Guanacaste, picking what to do is crucial to having the time of your life in Costa Rica. So in this post, we’re going to narrow down the best things to do in Guanacast including our favorites. We have lived in this province for 8 years and have done a lot of activities!
*Updated June 2020*
Map
The Guanacaste province is huge and has beaches, volcanoes and dry and tropical rainforest. It also includes small inland towns like Nuevo Arenal, Cañas and Tilaran.
The map below has all the places mentioned in the post as well as some of our favorite beaches.
Planning Your Visit to Guanacaste
Most people who visit Guanacaste pick one place as a home base which is perfectly fine. It’s easy to plan and you have many options for activities. Popular beach towns for home bases are Tamarindo, Flamingo, Brasilito, Playas del Coco, Samara and Nosara.
Guanacaste is also home to the most amount of all-inclusive and boutique resorts in Costa Rica. For a luxury stay, check out Westin Conchal, Dreams Las Mareas, JW Marriott Guanacaste, Planet Hollywood, Four Seasons, Secrets, Occidental Papagayo, Riu Guanacaste and W Costa Rica. There are also small luxury boutique hotels like Borinquen, Andaz Papagayo, Los Altos de Eros, Casa Chameleon Las Catalinas, Hotel Villas Playa Samara, Azura Beach Resort and Gilded Iguana.
Fly into Liberia International Airport as that is the hub for Guanacaste. It is about a 25 minute drive to the Papagayo Peninsula, 1 hour to Tamarindo/Conchal and 2 hours to Samara. From San Jose International Airport, it is about a 3 hour drive to Liberia.
For more details, plan the perfect vacation to Guanacaste, Costa Rica in this link.
Sample Itineraries
As we have lived in this province for 8 years, we’ve planned many trips for friends and families.
Most of them we would stay 4 days in Guanacaste and 3-4 days in another destination. But we’ve had many friends who stayed with us for an entire week and did day trips. Here are some ideas.
- Playas del Coco homebase: Day 1, land at airport, drive to your hotel and rest. Day 2, snorkeling, beach hopping and fishing. 3rd day, walk around town, visit beaches by car, shopping. Day 4, Day trip to Rincon de la Vieja National Park/Rio Celeste for hiking. 5th day, Visit Tamarindo and take a surf lesson. Day 6, Ziplining. Day 7, Fly out
- Tamarindo homebase: Day 1, land at airport, drive to hotel, rest. Day 2, snorkeling, boating. 3rd day, Check out town, visit Langosta beach, shop. Day 4, Rio Celeste hike. 5th day, Conchal beach. Day 6, fly out.
- Nuevo Arenal: Day 1, land at airport, drive to hotel. Day 2-5, spend at hotel in Nuevo Arenal for birdwatching and activities on Lake Arenal. Day 6, move onto a beach town or to La Fortuna.
For more ideas, check our 5 day Guanacaste itinerary.
Things to do in Guanacaste: Surfing
With 200 kilometers (124 miles) of coastline, this province has some of the best surfing in the Central America. And with so many surfing beaches, there are waves for everyone of all levels.
For beginners and first timers, the best spots are Tamarindo, Avellanas, Samara and Playa Grande for classes. Nosara is also an excellent place for beginners and intermediates. For those wanting to improve or get more into surfing, there are many week long camps.
For the hardcore surfers, skip the beaches and jump on a boat to Witch’s Rock. It’s one of the best spots in 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!
When there isn’t a swell, it’s great for advanced beginners/intermediates.
Visit Different Beaches
You HAVE to see more than one beach during your trip. There are so many beautiful beaches in Guanacaste, it’s an absolute must to spend at least one full day visiting different beaches. It’s also the best free thing to do in Guanacaste!
We also like to hop in our 4×4, find a random beach on Google Maps and explore. This is the best free thing to do in Guanacaste!
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 10% off your ziplining tour at Diamante Eco Adventure Park here!
Day Trip to a National Park
There are several excellent national parks in Guanacaste for hiking. The best ones 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 four UNESCO World Heritage sites in Costa Rica is the Guanacaste National Park!
These national parks are 40 minutes to 3 hours driving one way. There are also many wildlife refuges and private reserves such as the Camaronal National Wildlife Refuge by Samara.
Some people also do day trips to Arenal Volcano National Park,. It’s quite far (4 hours one way) but if you want to see the rainforest and volcano, this is an excellent option.
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. 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. During this period of time, tens of thousands of turtles lay their eggs all day long! This type of natural phenomenon is called an arribada, observed in 7 places in the world.
It’s right next to Nosara and about a 1.5 hour drive from Tamarindo.
Scuba dive/snorkel/snuba
Scuba diving is one of the must do things in Guanacaste for ocean lovers. The Gulf of Papagayo has great diving with amazing spots such as Bat Islands (Islas Murcielagos) 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 launch points for scuba diving in Guanacaste.
Likewise, the Catalinas Islands off of Playa Flamingo are great for scuba diving and this is where I did my PADI open water certification.
And if you don’t have your certification, you do a discovery dive or go snorkeling!
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. 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 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. Sunset tours are super fun since you sail back under the setting sun.
For a more exclusive experience, book a private boating tour. Our friend Marcy runs private boat tours in Coco.
You can also go on an open sailing tours which are really nice. Some good ones are Antares in Tamarindo, Panache and Lazy Lizard in Potrero, Serendipity in Flamingo, 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, Rio Perdido, Borinquen and Buena Vista have their own.
For our favorites, Rio Perdido, Borinquen and Guachipelin are some of our favorites. Borinquen and Rio Perdido are also excellent places to stay for a night or two in the mountains of Rincon de la Vieja.
Our Favorite Guanacaste Tours
- Guachipelin combo tour
- Buena Vista combo tour
- Catarata La Leona in Curubande de Liberia
- Kayaking and snorkeling Isla Chorro (Playa Samara)
- Hacienda El Viejo cultural, rum and wildlife watching tour
- Tamarindo estuary boat ride
- ATV in Tamarindo
- Rio Perdido hot springs
- Snorkeling and fishing from Flamingo
- Discovery scuba dive from Flamingo
- Snorkeling, fishing, beach hoping and surfing in Gulf of Papagayo
- Scenic helicopter tours with Adventure Air Costa Rica
- Miravalles volcano walk
- Hiking Rincon de la Vieja National Park
- Ostional turtle viewing
- Rio Celeste hike
Sherry Moore says
Hi, My husband and I are going to Costa Rica in March 2020. We’re renting a house at Potereo near Penca Beach. Have you heard of a tour company called Tour Guanacaste, office in Puerto Potrero Guanacaste, Santa Cruz, Tempate, 50304 Playa Potrero. We’re thinking of booking several private tours with them and would appreciate your opinion. Do you know if there is a company offering snuba in this area? Thank you so much! We’ve been reading your website/emails and appreciate all the information you provide!
Sammi says
Hi Sherry, I haven’t to be honest but I’ve seen their ads on Instagram and Facebook lately, they look to be new but not sure.
We did snuba with Scuba Caribe at the Riu Guanacaste resort but I think there is a company in Flamingo/Tamarindo that’s called Scuba and Snuba of Costa Rica that does it.
Lisa says
Hi we are planning a trip end of May and want to explore. We are staying at secrets papagayo. What are some the trips that are close to where we are? We would love to see the turtles but not sure if its prime season for that. and we would like to do some short hikes. Thank you
Sammi says
Hi Lisa, you can check our Things to do in Guanacaste post for ideas.
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 País, 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?
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.
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.
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!
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!