Costa Rica is on many travelers’ bucket lists, and for good reason. It is one of our absolute favorite destinations, and we plan to return there many times! Our favorite spot is Nosara Costa Rica, a quaint little beach town along the Pacific coast…
Nosara is best known as a surf town, filled with amazing healthy restaurants, surf shops and yoga studios. The entire vibe is very laidback, and the community is focused on sustainability.
“Nosara” is actually the little town inland, where most tourists never step foot. What tourists are generally referring to when they say “Nosara” is Playa Guiones and Playa Pelada, two small beach communities with restaurants, bars, boutique hotels, and home rentals.
The beaches are protected as part of Ostional National Wildlife Refuge. Therefore, there’s no building along the coastline. There’s no large resorts here, only small boutique hotels. And the community prioritizing sustainability, wildlife conservation and living within nature.
Playa Guiones and Playa Pelada are both easily walkable communities, but note that there’s uneven dirt roads in town, so those with mobility challenges may wish to rent a car, ATV, or moped.
How to get to Nosara Costa Rica
To get to Nosara, you can fly into Liberia or San Jose international airports, and then either take a regional flight, rent a car, or take a shuttle. It’s about a 6 hour drive from San Jose or a 3 hour drive from Liberia (our preferred airport).
The drive is pretty straightforward, but the last 30 minutes are on dirt roads. So beware of potholes, especially in the wet season, which runs from May to September. We highly recommend you download the Airalo app, a digital eSIM card for your cell phone to stay connected and to use the Waze app for navigation. It seems to be more reliable in Costa Rica than Google Maps. Pay attention to your app’s directions, as signage is limited.
We have felt very comfortable driving in Costa Rica and have used a couple of different international car rental companies, with easy pick-up and drop-off at the Liberia airport. Some of these companies work out of offices immediately adjacent to the airport, so you take a short shuttle ride to get to the car rental location – super easy!
But if you’d prefer to not drive, there are several shuttle services that will take you directly to Nosara from the airport. These are convenient but should be arranged ahead of time so your driver can meet you at the airport.
Check out our separate blog posts about where to stay and our favorite restaurants in Nosara, as there are so so many great options! They are some of our favorite places in the whole world!!
Although many restaurants have free wifi, your cell phone service may charge international fees so we use Airalo to stay connected and help us find restaurant menus, surf conditions, and weather forecasts.
What to do in Nosara Costa Rica
Nosara is a surf enthusiast’s dream destination: remote, quiet, and consistently has good surf. There are numerous surf board rental shops in Playa Guiones. Our favorite is the Gilded Iguana Surf Club, which offers solo surf lessons, in duos, or in groups. They also have a great place to hangout, with a cool outdoor lounge and juice bar. Or you can hire an independent local guide for private lessons.
Besides surfing, yoga is another popular activity in Nosara Costa Rica with several great studios in Playa Guiones. My favorite is at Harmony Hotel. Another great option is the Bodhi Tree Yoga Resort. Both places offer week-long yoga retreats, yoga teacher training, or drop-in classes. Be sure to arrive 15 min ahead of your class time during the dry season, as they can be very popular. What a great way to start your day in paradise!
Ziplining is another popular Costa Rican activity. We recommend Miss Sky Canopy Tour company. Their half-day ziplining trips meet at Nosara Beach Hotel. After a short ride, you start your adventure, soaring along multiple ziplines, with spectacular views of the jungle below. A great experience for the whole family!
We also recommend that you check out the wildlife sanctuaries in Nosara Costa Rica. Our favorite is International Animal Rescue, which offers an educational program about their wildlife rehabilitation and a tour to see wildlife up-close. SIBU is a little further out of town but offers permanent sanctuary for animals that can’t be returned to the wild. We try to support wildlife conservation whenever possible and hope that you will too!
Our favorite wildlife experience was just up the coast at Playa Ostional during an arribada, where hundreds of Olive Ridley sea turtles nest simultaneously. They come onto the shore during daylight, covering the beach with nests. You must hire a guide to enter this beach, as the animals are protected, but you can then quietly approach a nesting turtle to watch this incredible event up-close! Highly recommend!
What’s your favorite thing to do in Nosara?
Check out our posts about Nosara’s restaurants and our recommendations for places to stay!
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