Costa Rica surf trip planner
Every Costa Rica surf town, compared
16 surf towns across five coastal regions - matched to your level, your budget, and the kind of trip you actually want.
Read the full Costa Rica surf guideGuanacaste
Costa Rica's classic surf coast - dry-season offshores, warm water, and the highest concentration of surf schools in the country.
Classic surf townMid-rangeTamarindo
Guanacaste · Costa Rica
Tamarindo is Costa Rica's most popular surf destination and one of the best places in Central America to learn to s…
Nosara
Guanacaste · Costa Rica
Nosara is one of Costa Rica's most beloved surf destinations, known for its consistent waves, low-key atmosphere, a…
Calm & family-friendlyBudget-friendlySámara
Guanacaste · Costa Rica
Sámara is a calm, family-friendly beach town on the Nicoya Peninsula with one of the most protected bays on Costa R…
Playa Grande
Guanacaste · Costa Rica
Playa Grande sits just across the estuary from Tamarindo, inside Las Baulas National Marine Park, yet it feels like…
Playa Avellanas
Guanacaste · Costa Rica
Playa Avellanas is a beautiful white-sand beach 20 minutes south of Tamarindo, famous among surfers for a stretch o…
Playa Negra
Guanacaste · Costa Rica
Playa Negra is a small, spread-out surf community south of Avellanas, built around one of Costa Rica's most famous …
Nicoya Peninsula
The peninsula's southern tip: consistent Pacific swell, jungle-backed beaches, and surf culture that runs deep.
Bohemian surf villagePremiumSanta Teresa
Nicoya Peninsula · Costa Rica
Santa Teresa sits on the southern tip of the Nicoya Peninsula and has earned a reputation as one of the most beauti…
Mal País
Nicoya Peninsula · Costa Rica
Mal País is the quiet southern end of the Santa Teresa coastline - a former fishing village where the paved road ru…
Montezuma
Nicoya Peninsula · Costa Rica
Montezuma is a small bohemian town on the southeastern tip of the Nicoya Peninsula, better known for its waterfalls…
Central Pacific
The most accessible coast - beginner beaches, national-park wildlife, and powerful breaks all within two hours of San José.
Lively beach townBudget-friendlyJacó
Central Pacific · Costa Rica
Jacó is the closest surf destination to San José, just two hours by car, making it the most accessible beach town o…
Playa Hermosa
Central Pacific · Costa Rica
Just 8 kilometers south of Jacó, Playa Hermosa (Central Pacific) is a dark-sand beach known for its powerful, fast-…
Wildlife & resort comfortPremiumManuel Antonio
Central Pacific · Costa Rica
Manuel Antonio, beside the working port town of Quepos, is Costa Rica's most visited destination for a reason: a na…
South Pacific
Costa Rica at its greenest: whales, waterfalls, empty lineups, and the legendary left at Pavones.
Dominical
South Pacific · Costa Rica
Dominical is a small village on the South Pacific coast of Costa Rica, known for its raw, powerful waves and lush j…
Uvita
South Pacific · Costa Rica
Uvita is the heart of the Costa Ballena - the 'Whale Coast' - where the jungle-covered hills of the South Pacific m…
Pavones
South Pacific · Costa Rica
Pavones, tucked against the Golfo Dulce near the Panama border, is home to one of the longest left-hand point break…
Caribbean
A different country entirely - Afro-Caribbean culture, reef breaks, and a December-to-March swell window.
Coming soon
More destinations on the way
Costa Rica first, done properly. Then: more of Central America and beyond.