This region is home to an important part of Costa Rica’s natural and cultural heritage, and a large number of protected areas such as aquatic, mountainous, terrestrial and coastal ecosystems. Along the coast of Guanacaste we find abundant white sand beaches, bathed by the warm blue waters of the Pacific Ocean. The incomparable beauty of its landscapes and its fertile nature have made Guanacaste one of the most popular places for local and international tourism.
Tradition and culture
In Guanacaste, music is considered a manifestation of folk art, as well as a natural skill. To complement the music, the typical dances of Guanacaste have been preserved over time as oral traditions and represent what was the social and cultural life of the province. The typical dance of Costa Rica.
Chorotega ceramics: coming from the areas of Guaitil de Santa Cruz, San Vicente and Las Pozas de Nicoya, three main communities in which ceramics with Chorotega motifs constitute the most important and recognized craft activity and economic support for the most part of families. They make pottery with the traditional and ancestral techniques of the indigenous Chorotegas, who lived in this part of the country.
Guanacaste food in Costa Rica is the one that shows the most influence of the maize culture, or Mesoamerican. Many of its dishes are based on corn and retain a strong gastronomic tradition.
Guanacaste best attractions
Volcanoes
Rincón de La Vieja National Park
The Rincón de la Vieja National Park has an area of 14,083 hectares and is a volcanic massif of 9 cones and a lagoon called La Jilgueros. The massif has two distinct sectors: Las Pailas and Santa María.
Rincón de la Vieja is the largest and most active volcano in Guanacaste. With 1,916 meters high and 15 km wide, the giant is known as the Coloso di Guanacaste. The massive 600,000-year-old geological wonder has at least 32 rivers flowing along its sides, waterfalls and beautiful trails.
Miravalles Volcano
Miravalles volcano is the highest volcano in the Guanacaste mountain range and, likewise, a protected area that is home to humid rainforests, paramos, premontane forest and tropical dry forest, as well as a wide variety of wildlife .
Miravalles is also the energy engine of Guanacaste, thanks to the use of its geothermal energy for the production of electricity. In this area there are several centers of thermal pools and you can visit fountains where the volcanic muds rise to the surface.
The unmissable beaches of Guanacaste
Tamarindo
It is an area known for its beautiful beaches but also for the mangrove area or the Tamarindo estuary, characterized by the typical vegetation of the area (savannah oaks, tamarind and coconut palms, among others). Within the tourist offer of the area it is possible to find a wide variety of restaurants with a wide choice of international cuisine, and hotels for all budgets and a very active nightlife. It is also one of the most popular surfing beaches.
Playa Tamarindo has been awarded for many years with the Blue Flag Ecological Award, which recognizes its commitment to the environment, offering a clean and safe place for its visitors.
Tamarindo together with Playa Grande and Ventanas create the bay of Tamarindo. It is a beautiful beach that also has rocky areas and an island at the southern end. It has lush vegetation: savannah oaks, tamarinds and coconut trees.
This beach is ideal for relaxing, hiking and horseback riding, sports fishing and scuba diving, visiting the mangrove swamp and watching the nesting of Baula turtles. From this bay and towards the south lies the most important coastal sector for surfing in Costa Rica.
Papagayo Peninsula
The Papagayo Peninsula is a strip of whimsical geology that emerges offshore from the center of the Gulf of Papagayo. It is home to dozens of virgin beaches, paradisiacal landscapes and lush tropical vegetation on its shores. Caves, cliffs, forests and mangroves complete its rich coastal landscape.
These natural virtues, combined with its proximity to the International Airport (LIR) and the presence of splendid luxury hotels, have made Papagayo one of the country’s tourist stars and a recurring destination for international celebrities, who find here luxury, relaxation and total privacy.
Papagayo offers many unspoiled places to visit and many activities to keep you and the family busy, from here it is easy to visit the Catalina and Bat Islands and have a great adventure diving into the fantastic caves and volcanic rock formations, horseback riding on the beach, sunset cruises and romantic dinners are some of the things you can do in this exclusive area.
Sport fishing lovers from all over the world have come to fish in the Gulf of Papagayo thanks to the numerous types of fish that migrate across the gulf: sailfish, marlin (blue, black and striped), Dorado, Wahoo and Jacks, fin (catch & release).
Playa Samara
Playa Samara is an approximately 4km long bay with white sand, gentle waves and a mangrove area. It is recognized as one of the safest and most beautiful beaches in Costa Rica. On its horizon is Isla Chora, just in front of Punta Indio, and you can see an area of coral reefs. This beach also has the Ecological Blue Flag award for its commitment to the environment. In addition, at its beautiful beach, the village of Samara offers various attractions and water activities such as surfing, fishing, snorkeling and diving, whale and dolphin watching, kayaking among others.
Playa Nosara & Guiones
These beautiful beaches are characterized by their extension and their light sand as well as by strong waves. The beach of Nosara, has a length of 3 kilometers and has a beautiful mangrove formed in the Nosara River. One of the most important tourist attractions in the area is Punta Nosara, formed by a set of rocks where the waves break. Both Guiones Beach and Nosara Beach have a good tourist offer that will allow you to go horseback riding and boat trips across the estuary. Its strong waves make this beach an ideal place for surfing, and thanks to its beautiful landscape it has become the home of yoga and spiritual tourism.