Playa Calzon de Pobre: The Beautiful Poor Man’s Beach

The Gulf of Papagayo is full of stunning hidden beaches and is the only place in Costa Rica that offers such spectacular beach hopping. Although the main beaches in the Gulf: Playas del Coco, Hermosa and Panama are not the most beautiful, they’re all right next to some incredible beaches. And one of those is Playa Calzon de Pobre.

If the name doesn’t catch your attention (it means poor man’s underwear), then the beach will. If you’re looking for a beautiful locals only beach in Guanacaste, Costa Rica, then you must put this one your list.

Find out how to get to this hidden little beach in our post.

Location

Playa Calzon de Pobre map

Playa Calzon de Pobre is in the Gulf of Papagayo near Playas del Coco. It is 6 kilometers (3.6 miles) and a 20 minute drive from Playas del Coco.

How to get to Playa Calzon de Pobre

You can get to this beach by water or land.

Driving

If you are coming from Playas del Coco, get on the road that goes to Hermosa and Panama. About 200 meters after you turn left from the intersection, you will see an opening in the gate on your left. Pull into there and a guard will stop you.

Let him know you are going to the beach and he will take you name and car info down. This is private property but all beaches in Costa Rica are public so they have to let you through. Nobody has built anything on this land (yet).

You will see a path going down to the right, follow that and go down the hill. You will come upon a small parking lot shortly after the curve but make sure you stop on the way! There are a lot of beautiful view points of Coco and Hermosa.

Parking

Park at the this parking lot and you will see a fence on your right. Walk down that path to get to Calzon de Pobre. It’s a bit of a steep walk down the hill but only takes about 10 minutes to get to the beach.

4×4 required?

In dry season, no but you need to go really slow because there are a lot of pot holes and it’s a bit steep. In the raininest months of October and November, a 4×4/4wd is highly recommended because it gets muddy with even bigger pot holes.

Boating/Walking

Don’t have a car? You can also go by boat on a private boating tour from Playas del Coco!

If you don’t have a car and don’t want to take a boat tour, you can walk from Coco/Hermosa. It’s going to be quite a hike in the heat though! You can also take a taxi and have them drop you off at the gate.

If you drive, go in a high car. The first time we went was in a sedan and we couldn’t make it up the hill during rainy season. Once you past the gate, the road is unpaved, hilly and has lots of pot holes.

The Beach

You will be surprised when you see Calzon de Pobre. First, it’s beautiful with tan sand and crystal clear waters, completely different than Coco and Hermosa!

It’s a fairly small beach but there’s nothing on it. No hotels, no nothing. Just trees and monkeys.

You can see Monkey Head Rock and the Four Seasons across the bay.

Snorkeling and Swimming

Waves are really calm and this beach is not bad for snorkeling. Both ends of the beach have an outcropping of rocks where you can snorkel and see little fish. This beach is great for swimming, it’s almost like a pool!

We love this beach and if you want, you can go back up the hill and keep walking down to the left to visit Playa Penca, another gorgeous beach. This one is a bit bigger but has whiter sand. It’s equally as beautiful. Generally, more people visit Penca than Calzon de Pobre so there’s a good chance you can have this beach all to yourself!

It’s amazing how dark Coco beach is but right around the corner is this charming little beach with clear turquoise water. This is one of the reasons why this area is our favorite beach area in Costa Rica. The Gulf is made up of so many gorgeous white sand beaches like this one!

Tips for Visiting

There isn’t anything at this beach so make sure to bring sunscreen, towels, water, food and snacks.

If you go on a weekday in the morning, you will most likely have it to yourself. The only time we saw it crowded was during the holidays (New Years, Christmas and Easter). On Sundays, it can get more crowded since locals like to go there on the weekend.

Read about other hidden beaches below!

Playa Mina: White sand, “hidden” beach near Conchal

Playa Cabuyal: White sand beach north of Gulf of Papagayo, not very popular

Iguanita: Dark sand beach in Gulf of Papagayo, 4×4 only

Buena: Similar beach to Calzon de Pobre, in between Playa Hermosa and Panama

Playa Carrillo: Nice crescent beach near Samara

Playa Linda: Beautiful long, tan sand beach near Dominical with surfing waves