The Central Pacific Coast stretches from Puntarenas to Dominical, just south of Manuel Antonio National Park. It is full of unique sites to see and enjoy. The capital city of San Jose is about an hour’s drive away.
Costa Rica’s Central Pacific has had a significant building boom in recent years. The area’s tourism has grown centered around luxury hotels, marinas, retail complexes, golf courses, and excellent restaurants.
The lifestyle in the Central Pacific is ideal for a vacation or relocation. With simple life in rustic and laid-back communities, you find upscale home developments near golf courses and marinas.
The Central Pacific Tour in Costa Rica has something for everyone:
You can catch some waves on some of Central America’s best surfing beaches, go deep-sea fishing, or pump up some adrenaline zip lining, rappelling, and canyoning.
Do you want to get close to crocodiles? – Take a boat trip on the Rio Tarcoles!
Do you like boat excursions? – Take a day trip to Isla Tortuga, Nicoya Peninsula!
Do you love birdwatching? – Carara National Park is the place to go!
The favorite national park for tourists and Costa Ricans alike is Manuel Antonio, with its abundance of flora and fauna and its famous beaches.
That is why the Central Pacific coast has become a home to many expats and attracts tourists worldwide.
Costa Rican cuisine is recognized for its use of fresh ingredients such as fruit and vegetables and its reasonable portion sizes. The flavor and preparation are much different from other Latin American countries.
Most Costa Rican dishes include rice and beans, or at least one of them. Since every Costa Rican grandmother knows best, Costa Rican cuisine may be described as “comfort food” cooked on a wood-fired stove.
Exotic fruit flourish in the tropical environment, so there’s always something fresh to experiment with in the kitchen.
Our Central Pacific Tour in Costa Rica includes visiting Playa Jacó, about two hours from the Costa Rican capital. Jacó is a vibrant beach town known for its carefree party atmosphere and outstanding water sports.
It makes no difference if you go to Jacó by yourself, with children, or with a large group of adrenaline addicts. Jacó truly has something for everyone, and it has become a popular tourist destination over long weekends or during the busy season.
This lovely village offers surfing, horseback riding, deep-sea fishing, ATV adventures, kayaking, boat cruises, rafting, and other sports.
Los Sueños Resort and Marina is an 1100 acre master-planned community that encompasses a private 600-acre rainforest reserve, 550 luxury residences, including single-family homes, lots, condominiums, and lavish villas; a full-service 200-slip marina, an exclusive beach club, a hotel, a waterfront marina village with restaurants and shops and more. Last but not least, the famous 18-hole championship golf course Iguana invites you to play a round of golf.
Discover the beauty of Los Sueños for yourself!
Playa Hermosa de Jacó, which means “beautiful beach,” is a wild, wavy beach on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. It’s only about a two-hour journey from San José.
Most people come here to ride the relentless, pounding waves.
While surfing is the most popular sport, there are many other outdoor activities to choose from. These activities include canopy zip-lining, scuba diving, horseback riding, and a ride on a nearby Rainforest Aerial Tram.
Despite being only four kilometers from Jacó, Playa Hermosa has a distinct ambiance.
The beaches of Esterillos are known for their lack of tourists, chocolate-colored sand, and excellent surf. While strolling around the beaches, you may never see another person. This tranquil, connected length of the beach is made up of Esterillos Oeste to the west and Esterillos Este to the east, with lots of lodging options.
One of the most consistent and clean breaks for surfers can be found in this section of the Central Pacific in Costa Rica. The waves are terrific all year and regularly break head high. At low tide, the beach expands substantially, producing a blemish-free expanse of dark sand ready for beachcombers to explore.
Playa Bejuco is around 30 kilometers south of Jacó, yet the ambiance is worlds apart from the more well-known spots. A Blue Flag designation, the brown sand beach is pure and clean, a favorite bird nesting spot, and even has some excellent surf on occasion.
Playa Bejuco is typical of Costa Rica’s off-the-beaten-path beaches, as it is bordered by agriculture. Much of Playa Bejuco’s terrain is undeveloped, although several development projects are sprouting up.
The town of Bejuco is tiny, but there are several places where you can have traditional Costa Rican food.
Playa Palo Seco is an outstanding virgin beach hidden among the natural beauties of the Parrita area, with somewhat darker sand on the sides and slightly lighter sand in the center and surrounded by lush tropical flora.
The mouth of the Pirris river can be located in the west sector of this beach, while the Palo Seco estuary can be found on its northern bank, providing access to the mangroves. Fishing of Sea Bass, Red Porgy, and Grouper is frequent there.
Palo Seco also has a local school dedicated to rescuing sea turtles by incubating, nurturing, and releasing newborn sea turtles whose mothers have come ashore to lay their eggs.
Quepos is often referred to as the “Gateway to Manuel Antonio National Park.” Manuel Antonio is only a 15-minute drive from the town, and the Quepos Domestic Airport is only a 25-minute drive away.
Quepos offers a wide range of restaurants, pubs, and souvenir stores to choose from. The streets are pedestrian-friendly, featuring a mix of small stores, markets, and cafés. It offers all the facilities of a tourist hotspot while still retaining Costa Rica’s charm and original laid-back vibe.
Quepos is now home to one of the prettiest and most impressive marinas in Costa Rica. Marina Pez Vela opened in 2014, and it currently has about 200 wet slips that can accommodate boats up to 200 feet.
With several charter companies operating out of the marina, you can prepare to hook a winner. Angling enthusiasts can fish inshore or offshore, with the option of fly-fishing as well.
Manuel Antonio is a little beach town with a wide range of lovely places, from lavish luxury complexes to charming jungle hideaway hotels.
Nature enthusiasts, eco-tourists, and adventurers love to visit Manuel Antonio National Park, known for its rich biodiversity, hiking trails, beautiful beaches, and crystal blue waters.
In 2011, the park was listed by Forbes as among the world’s 12 most beautiful national parks.
In Dominical, you may surf, dive, snorkel, beach comb, horseback ride, bicycle, or relax in a hammock.
At Bamboo YogaPlay, you may take a stress-relieving yoga session. Enjoy everything from East Indian curries to Italian spaghetti and pizzas to local Gallo pinto and shots of anise-infused sugarcane liquor at the beach eateries. Enjoy the solitude of the beaches, which are home to pelicans, frigate birds, and brown boobies.
Take the family for a trek to Nauyaca’s double-cascade waterfall. Perhaps you might like a horseback ride along the beach or a hike to a lesser waterfall like Pazo Azul, which has a popular plunge pool for children.
A real gem in our Central Pacific Tour in Costa Rica is the Ballena National Marine Park, a one-of-a-kind nature sanctuary.
Located just offshore along the Central Pacific coast in South Puntarenas, the Ballena National Park protects more than 13,000 acres of ocean and 9 miles of shoreline. Mangrove forests, coral reefs, and untouched beaches make up this area.
The park is named after the Humpback whales, which migrate from August to November (heading north from Antarctica) and December to April (heading south from Alaska) each year. This area was designated as a national park in 1989 to mainly protect the animals, raising their newborns. Even the form of the region from above resembles a whale’s tail fin!
Ojochal is a well-known international residential community. There is a large percentage of foreigners compared to the other towns in Costa Rica. Ojochal is the Culinary Capital, as referred to by many since many expats have opened restaurants offering food from their home countries.
There is a large U.S., Canadian, and French expats population, but you can also find residents from every continent. To name a few, there are Indonesian, Italian, Mexican, French, Thai, Tico, and many other types of restaurants you can enjoy.
The expat community has been thriving for over 25 years. The crime rate is also lower than most other areas since it is a residential community and not a tourist town.
Do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.
