Americas · Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Surf towns and howler monkeys on the Pacific, a digital nomad visa and pura vida as policy.
Costa Rica abolished its army and spent the money on schools and national parks, and a quarter of the country is protected. The Guanacaste coast in the north-west is the dry, sunny side: gold beaches, surf breaks and towns like Nosara where yoga and remote work go together. Further south the forests get wetter and greener, with Manuel Antonio’s monkeys and the Osa Peninsula’s scarlet macaws.
The palm: Coconut palm
Coconut palms line the Guanacaste beaches and the Caribbean coast, oil palm plantations cover the central Pacific, and the rainforest holds dozens of native palms, from walking palms that move on stilt roots to the spiny pejibaye, whose orange fruit is sold boiled at every market.
When to go
Sights
Nosara and Ostional
The surf-and-yoga town and the beach next door where olive ridley turtles arrive by the thousand.
Rincón de la Vieja
A volcano with mud pools, waterfalls and hot springs, an hour from Liberia.
Monteverde cloud forest
Hanging bridges, quetzals and cool nights in the mountains.
Manuel Antonio
A small national park where the jungle meets calm beaches and the monkeys meet your lunch.
Beaches
Playa Guiones, Nosara
Seven kilometres of sand with a gentle beginner wave and nothing built on the beach.
Playa Conchal
Crushed shell sand and calm water near Tamarindo.
Santa Teresa
Sunset surf and beach cafés at the tip of the Nicoya peninsula.
Events
- Feb
Envision Festival
Music, yoga and art in the jungle at Uvita in late February.
- Jan
Fiestas de Palmares
Two weeks of bull riding, concerts and parades in January.
- Sep
Turtle arribadas
Mass nesting at Ostional peaks from August to November around the new moon.
For remote workers
A comfortable month: about €1,800
Costa Rica introduced a digital nomad visa for remote workers earning above a set monthly income, valid for a year and renewable. Nosara, Santa Teresa and Tamarindo have coworkings, yoga schools and a surf-first schedule; Starlink has fixed the connectivity of the quieter beaches. Prices are higher than the rest of Central America.
Compare as a baseFor families
Many Pacific beaches have surf and rip currents; Playa Conchal, Sámara and Manuel Antonio are the calm ones. The wildlife is the draw for children: sloths, monkeys, turtles laying eggs at Ostional and zip lines through the cloud forest. Hospitals in San José and Liberia are good.
Rank for your familyThree things to know
- Fly to Liberia for Guanacaste; roads to Nosara and Santa Teresa need a 4x4 in the wet season.
- December to April is dry and dusty; May to November is green with afternoon rain and fewer visitors.
- Casado at lunch, a plate of rice, beans, plantain and meat, is the best value meal in the country.
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