Also known as the "Gold Coast" for its abundant sunshine, the North Pacific is a top Costa Rica travel destination offering some of the most beautiful and pristine beaches in the entire country. Championship golf courses, luxury resorts, superb sport fishing, and world-class surfing breaks are among the top attractions of this Costa Rica vacation area. The region, with its abundance of water sports and wildlife viewing is also perfect for family vacations and ecotourism travel. In fact, the area boasts one of the most environmentally and family friendly beaches in Costa Rica.

Playa Flamingo

The top Costa Rica vacation destination on the Gold Coast, Playa Flamingo has pristine white sand, crystal-clear blue waters, and some of the best sport fishing on the planet. This is where you want to be if you want to land the larger marlin and swordfish. Adventure travelers are able to scuba dive with white-fin sharks, while others come to snorkel in the clear blue waters and relax on the pristine white sands. Playa Flamingo offers a large selection of luxury hotels, eco resorts and vacation houses and is located near Santa Rosa National Park and the Palo Verde natural reserve.


Playa Ocotal

Snorkeling is one of those water sports that most anyone can enjoy, and Playa Ocotal with its calm and famously clear waters is a top snorkeling spot for those traveling on Costa Rica's Gold Coast. Diving tours to the Catalina island's bring the added treat of viewing huge schools of giant manta rays. One of the most quiet and pristine beaches on the Pacific North Coast, Ocotal offers a mist that is rich in health enhancing negative ions. Combined with the sunshine and inviting waters, you've got the ingredients for a perfect day at the beach. Pura Vida!

Playa del Coco

The largest village in the Guanacaste province, Playa del Coco is frequented by locals who surf at Ollie’s Point and Witches Rock and scuba dive in the clear blue waters.  Many Costa Rica vacationers enjoy the good roads, plentiful shops, restaurants, bars, discos, casinos and affordable accommodations. Sport fishing and sailing are also very good here.

Playa Hermosa

Two Costa Rica beaches share the name of Playa Hermosa – the surfing haven in the Puntarenas area, and this beautiful beach on the Gold Coast, winner of the of Costa Rica "Bandera Azul" award for its high environmental standards and excellent safety facilities. The perfect Costa Rica family vacation beach, this Playa Hermosa offers something for everyone. Diving, sport fishing and catamaran excursions along the Hermosa coast are some of the most popular activities. Other popular activities include the wildlife viewing boat tours through the mangroves and horseback riding.


Playa Negra

Featured in Endless Summer ll and home to a world-famous surf break, this dark sand beach can be accessed with four wheel drive from Tamarindo. A white sand beach lies just 100 yards south, providing family fun in the way of swimming and boogie-boarding. 


Playa Conchal

One of the most exotic beaches on Costa Rica's Gold Coast with its forest and howler monkeys. Conchal is also a top snorkeling spot on the Gold Coast thanks to the water clarity, a fantastic array of tropical fish and comfortable water temperatures. Scuba diving is also very good, as is sport fishing. One of the best golf courses in Central America, the ‘Garra de Leon’ Golf Course is just a few steps away from the beach.

Playa Avallena 

Golf and surf sums up this Costa Rica vacation beach. Known by locals as "Little Hawaii", Playa Avallena with its offshore swells reaching as high as 18 feet and eight breaks (left and right), presents fantastic surfing opportunities to world-class surfers. Nearby, Hacienda Pinilla Beach Resort offers some of the best golfing in Central America at a Mike Young designed 18-hole championship golf course. Horseback riding and unwinding at the beach bar can be the perfect ending to your day.

Tamarindo

One of the top Costa Rica vacation destinations, Tamarindo is a well-developed tourist town. Accommodations are available for every vacation budget. This is where surfing is good and sport fishing is great. Record marlin, tuna and sailfish catches have been landed in the Tamarindo area. Tamarindo offers a multitude of activities and attractions from first-class beaches, and near-perfect surfing and great windsurfing conditions. You will find the many ways to have fun in the water by snorkeling and diving to sailing and kayaking. Easily accessible, this is a popular home base for visits to Marino Las Baulas National Park.

Playa Grande

Part of Costa Rica's famous Marino Las Baulas National Park, this beach serves as a nursery to endangered Leatherback Sea Turtles that come ashore to lay their eggs. Quieter than Tamarindo, the surf here is equally good and consistent, making it a favorite Costa Rica beach destination for many expert surfers.
 
Nicoya de Peninsula

Some of the best surfing on Costa Rica's Pacific Coast, one of Costa Rica's most beautiful 18-hole golf courses (Tambor), wildlife abundant nature reserves and unforgettable sunsets are a few of the reasons Nicoya de Peninsula is a top Costa Rica vacation destination. Separated from the mainland of Costa Rica by the Gulf of Nicoya and the Tempisque estuary, the Peninsula extends from the arid Guanacaste lowlands 85 miles to the south where the landscape becomes greener and the climate moister. It's easy to find deserted beaches, friendly villages, as well as world-class hotels and resorts and just about any water sport you can imagine. Home to many of Costa Rica cowboys, there are also some fine horseback riding stables.

Barra Honda National Park  

The main attraction of this park has become the more than 40 limestone caverns. Some over 780 feet, these caves provide a special place for spelunkers, who descend the verticle entrances by means of climbing gear and rapelling down into the caverns. Tour guides have protected these caverns well, making them a favorite of responsible spelunkers. These Costa Rica caves are open throughout the dry season. Hiking is another option where you can explore the tropical dry forest and view wildlife including howler monkeys, deer, raccoons, anteaters and countless other species.


Travel Tips

Liberia, the capital of Costa Rica's Guanacaste province, offers a convenient gateway for Costa Rica tourists to the sunny Gold Coast beaches thanks to an international airport and several rental car agencies. The small city is located a short distance inland from Tamarindo.

The favorite Costa Rica vacation region of the "Gold Coast" has a dry season from November through part of May when the rainfalls begin. The rain steadily increases through the months that follow until from September to November, the peninsula is transformed into a lush rainforest. Temperatures during the rainy season, can drop to 71°F (22ºC) and in the dry season, temperatures can reach 97°F (36ºC). When making your Costa Rica travel plans, plan for the weather and as always, but especially in this popular tourist destination, book well in advance.

Activities:

•    Golfing
•    Sportfishing
•    Surfing
•    Canopy Tours
•    Hot Springs
•    Wildlife Fun/Sightseeing
•    Snorkeling
•    Scuba Diving