Nosara’s Beaches are on the Nicoya Peninsula of Guanacaste Province, on the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica. We are approximately 2 1/2 hours drive from Liberia International airport, the last hour being dirt road. Nosara is known for its relative remoteness, with no large hotel chains. The small hotels in Nosara Beach are diverse and unique, each with its own hospitality and atmosphere. Nosaraʼs beach communities make up the Southern end of the Ostional Wildlife refuge, which stretches a total of 15km, and respects a 200 meter wide protected zone of natural tropical forest. The beaches of Nosara are made up of three beaches, Guiones, Pelada and Nosara, and are all part of the protected areas within the Ostional Wildlife Refuge.
Playa Guiones is a six kilometer long stretch of sandy beach and is home to the Gilded Iguana Hotel. In fact most of Nosaraʼs restaurants and hotels are tucked away in the jungle behind this beach. It receives the Blue Flag of Ecology every year as a result of the communityʼs commitment to keeping the beach clean and protected, preserving itʼs natural beauty. The first 200 meters of shoreline is protected zone and is covered in trees and marsh grasses to the dunes or berm. Our hotel guests enjoy a natural beach without the construction of homes and hotels right on the waterfront.
Guiones Beach has consistent beach breaks throughout the year with waves that build in size the further you paddle out. Advanced surfers can paddle out to the outside and enjoy head high to double overhead waves, while less skilled surferʼs can learn on the inside and enjoy a sandy ocean floor to wipeout on. Surfers favour the North end and middle area of this beach, referring to it as “South Beach” or “South End” though it is in fact only the midway point of the beach. Just past the south end of the surf breaks are some great tide pools for the kids to play in, and another mile past the tide pools is a quaint little fishing village with some old Costa Rican holiday homes.
Playa Pelada is the beach to the north of Guiones, with light sand interrupted by several rocky outcrops, where you can walk out and stand in the sea spray, or sit in the hollowed out caves and listen to the mesmerizing echo of the sea. Several fishermen launch from Pelada Beach in small boats called pangas.Playa Nosara is a black sand beach, at the estuary of the Rio Nosara, on the north side of Playa Pelada. The black sand is a result of the surrounding rocks, which are dark colored, ancient volcanic rocks. Some surfers enjoy surfing this break at the river mouth.Playa Ostional is famous as a wildlife refuge for nesting Olive Ridley sea turtles. During the arribadas, or mass egglaying periods, thousands of turtles can be found in a maternal trance, digging their nest. Ostional can only be reached by crossing the Nosara River and the Rio Montaña. This can be easily done in a 4WD car in dry season, but a horse or ATV (quad) is the only way to get there when the river is up in wet season.
The Gilded Iguana Hotel in Nosara is located in the Playa Guiones area. If you arrive at the Liberia International airport, Nosara is about 2 1/2 hours drive. If you arrive at the international airport in San Jose, it is approximately five hours drive. You can rent a car and drive yourself, or we can arrange a taxi to pick you up for $215. If your flight arrives early enough, you can take the short 45 minute direct fight from San Jose to Nosara. To book flights or rentals cars, you can contact Nature Air or Sansa directly, or ask us to arrange it for you.
High-Season is the dry season, from November-April, when we have almost no rain. Many of Nosara’s part-time expat residents live here during this season. This is considered summer here, and the temperatures in the dry season range from the upper 80s to upper 90s (27-35〫Celsius).
The Green Season has sunny days with short afternoon or evening rains from May through August. Many people are starting to prefer the green season here in Nosara as the landscape is lush and green, and the beaches are less crowded. September and October is our proper “rainy season”, when we can experience heavy rainfall for several days straight. The sun does still shine though, even during the rainy season, though you might have to wait out a few days of rain before you get it. For those that are prepared to stick it out, this can be a very peaceful, quiet time in Nosara, not to mention considerably cheaper.
Nosara has become synonymous with yoga as well as surfing over the years, and yoga classes and studios have sprung up all over. The Nosara Yoga Institute is the only one that does full teacher training and is only a 20 minute walk or a short bike ride away. Anyone can take classes here and schedules are made monthly, available online.
Other places to take classes now are the Yoga House and at the Harmony hotel.Nosara Beach is on the Nicoya Peninsula of Guanacaste Province, on the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica. We are approximately 2 1/2 hours drive from Liberia International airport, the last hour being dirt road. Nosara is known for its relative remoteness, with no large hotel chains. The small hotels in Nosara Beach are diverse and unique, each with its own hospitality and atmosphere. Nosaraʼs beach communities make up the Southern end of the Ostional Wildlife refuge, which stretches a total of 15km, and respects a 200 meter wide protected zone of natural tropical forest. The beaches of Nosara are made up of three beaches, Guiones, Pelada and Nosara, and are all part of the protected areas within the Ostional Wildlife Refuge.
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