Latin American beaches have a justifiable great reputation and many visitors describe the Costa Rica beaches in glowing terms of their Costa Rica vacation. Costa Rica has some of the finest anywhere and offers something few other places can match. Great beaches on Pacific and Atlantic oceans so close together that either coast can be reached in just a few hours for vacationers. Clean waters. Uncrowded sandy beaches.

Christopher Columbus was the first Old World adventurer to discover the tropical waters off the Costa Rica eastern coast. He was so enthralled he named his discovery Costa Rica meaning the Rich Coast. He was mistakenly confident that the land was filled with gold but the name stuck, even as its true treasures, incredible diversity and fullness of life, were discovered.

Despite so many years passing there is still a lot for visitors to discover on the Atlantic side of this little country. This coast is much more undeveloped and has a very different ambiance from the Pacific. Think Bob Marley.

For many nature lovers, no Costa Rica vacation is complete without experiencing one of the country’s Seven Wonders, Tortuguero National Park. Tortuguero is the largest nesting area for the green sea turtle in the western hemisphere. When Columbus landed, these ancient creatures, dating back millions of years before the first dinosaur, nested here in unfathomable numbers and surely provided fresh meat for his crew. For centuries, beaches here were some of the world’s largest hunting grounds for these gentle animals. That changed in 1961 when it was transformed into the world’s premier reserve and leading center for turtle monitoring and research. In addition to green sea turtles, three of the other six remaining endangered marine turtle species come ashore to nest. You will find a growing number of tours and lodges which service an increasing number of vacationers, eco tourists. Wildlife is very abundant and the waters provide great fishing.

Limon is south of Tortuguero and most vacationers go through it to reach remote Tortuguero and Barra Honda beaches north or to turn south to a number of small beach communities and mile upon mile of beautiful beaches. Limon should be thought of as merely a jumping off point to head north or south because it is not a popular destination. However, for the wonderful beaches sailed by Columbus, Puerto Viejo awaits. It boasts the world famous La Salsa Brava wave, a difficult large wave that tests the best surfers on the planet, particularly when at its largest between November and April. Less experienced surfers go a bit farther south to Playa Cocles.

Continuing south you will find endless Costa Rica beaches. World-renowned surfing. Excellent swimming beaches. Snorkeling, scuba diving, horseback rides, fishing, hiking, walking the same sands passed by Columbus.

If you continue heading south, the Gandoco-Manzanillo Wildlife Reserve awaits nearly at the Panama border. This is where Columbus landed and named Costa Rica. Here he found, and you will, too, crystal clear tropical waters perfect for swimming. But, unlike him you will be able to rent equipment and go scuba diving (even get PADI certified) at Costa Rica’s largest coral reef. The rare and recently discovered freshwater Tucuxi Porpoise lives only here. Vacationers can see sea turtles nesting and fishermen often find tarpon and snook. Lots of them. In the sea just offshore, in the many lagoons and rivers. Very little fishing pressure. But when they are here, lots of fish!

Tags: Surfing

Share This