Guanacaste and the Nicoya Peninsula Sights

Shopping Nightlife

1. Playa Langosta

This Blue Flag beach is actually two beaches: To the north is an upscale residential area where every foot of beachfront has been built up; the beach here is rather narrow, since the coast is lined with rocks, and the light-gray sand is coarse. To the south, the beach is a pristine, protected annex of Las Baulas National Marine Park, where the occasional leatherback turtle nests at night and beachcombers and surfers roam by day. The dividing point is the San Francisco Estuary, the mouth of which is a knee-high wade at low tide, and a deep river with dangerous currents around high tide. The beach here is wider and less rocky, and it's where surfers find the best surf breaks. If you walk up the river at low tide, you may see snowy egrets, baby blue herons, tail-bobbing spotted sandpipers, and, if your eyes are sharp, tiny white-lored gnatcatchers, endemic to these parts. The rockier parts of the beach are excellent for spotting seabirds, including American oystercatchers, and playing in the tide pools. Amenities are available at Playa Langosta Beach Club. Amenities: food and drink; toilets. Best for: sunset; surfing; walking.