Beaches of Nosara

Playa Guiones | Playa Pelada | Playa Nosara | Ostional

Nosara is a place of stunning natural beauty, tucked into the jungle surrounding three of Costa Rica's finest beaches. The area is teeming with wildlife, and boasts some of the best and most consistent surf in the country. Homes, hotels, restaurants and businesses are spread out over several miles - often hidden amongst the trees and dense vegetation. A large community of international residents has formed here, most of whom are intent on keeping development and over-building to a minimum. Still, Nosara is growing fast.

The Beaches of Nosara area includes the beach-side communities of Playa Guiones and Playa Pelada, as well as the puebla of Nosara. Beach communities border the Ostional Wildlife Refuge, which stretches for 15km from the northern end of Playa Ostional to the southern end of Playa Guiones. Within the refuge, the first two hundred meters of beachfront is protected land - home to hundreds of howler monkeys, iguanas, pizotes, and birds.

Playa Guiones

Playa Guiones is a gorgeous, six kilometer stretch of white sand. Home to most of Nosara's hotels, restaurants and businesses, Guiones is sometimes the only beach vacationing tourists visit. While it would be a shame to miss out on Nosara's other beaches, Guiones is a hard place to want to leave. In additional to its natural beauty, Playa Guiones has a fantastic surf break - popular with both beginner and expert surfers. At low tide Guiones can be explored by bicycle. If you head far enough south, you'll find several large tide pools that make for excellent snorkeling.

               

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Playa Pelada

Playa Pelada is arguably the most beautiful place in Nosara. Pelada is a small, curving white sand beach tucked between Punta Nosara and Punta Guiones. A trail at the northern end of the beach winds up onto the cliffs of Punta Nosara and continues on to the Nosara Rivermouth. At the southern end of the beach, a blowhole can shoot water high into the air when the tide is right. Pelada is a quiet place - great for walks, shell hunting or relaxing with a book. More action can typically be found in front of Olga's Bar where local fishermen, tourists, ex-pats and workers gather daily to watch the sunset or play futbol on the beach.

              

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Playa Nosara is a long, dark sand beach that stretches from Playa Ostional to Punta Nosara and the Nosara Rivermouth, or Boca Nosara. Fishermen and Tico families frequent the Boca Nosara, particularly on weekends. Before it empties into the ocean, the Nosara River forms an estuary backed by lush mangroves, which are filled with birds and other wildlife. The best ways to explore the mangroves and estuary are by kayak, or from the Reserva Biologica Nosara (accessed from the Lagarta Lodge).

Nosara beach itself is most often deserted, with the exception of the occasional fisherman, surfer or Olive Ridley turtle. At low tide, you can easily cross the Nosara River and reach the beach. The views are wonderful, and it is a perfect place to enjoy some alone time.

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Playa Ostional

Playa Ostional, just north of Playa Nosara, is another long and beautiful dark sand beach. While surfers do come here to ride the big and often hollow waves, Ostional is best known as one of Costa Rica's most important turtle nesting sites. During an arribada, Olive Ridley turtles arrive by the thousands to come ashore and lay their eggs. An arribada is most likely to occur between July and December, and usually lasts for about a week. Arribadas cannot be reliably predicted, but most commonly occur during the last quarter phase of the moon or shortly after the new moon. If you have the chance, an arribada at Ostional is an event not to be missed. For more information, contact the ADIO office in Ostional at (506)682-0470.

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