Written by Nikki Solano

Nikki is the CEO of Pura Vida! eh? Inc. (Costa Rica Discounts), and the author of the guidebooks Moon Costa Rica (2019, 2021, 2023, and 2025 editions) and Moon Best of Costa Rica (2022 edition) from Moon Travel Guides. Together with her Costa Rican husband, Ricky, she operates the Costa Rica Travel Blog, created the online community DIY Costa Rica, built the Costa Rica Destination Tool, oversees the brand-new (summer 2023) Costa Rica Travel Shop, and designed the Costa Rica Trip Planning 101 E-Course. Also, Nikki wrote the Costa Rica cover feature for Wanderlust Magazine's sustainability-focused Travel Green List issue, showcased Costa Rica destinations and experiences on Rick Steves' Monday Night Travel show and podcast/radio show, and served as the Costa Rica Destination Editor for Essentialist, a luxury travel brand. Want to show your appreciation for her free article below? Thank Nikki here. ❤️️

Some of the information below is an excerpt from our Costa Rica beach guide. If you haven’t yet decided to visit Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast and you’re open to visiting beaches in any region of Costa Rica, let the beaches in our countrywide beach guide direct you where to go:

80+ Costa Rica Beaches (In Photos) And Where To Find Them

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Costa Rica’s Caribbean beaches

One of the most time-consuming parts of Costa Rica vacation planning is deciding on a beach destination, and with a total of 1,228 kilometers of coastline to choose from, the task isn’t an easy one. If you have no idea where you want to go in Costa Rica, our Costa Rica Destination Tool can help you with that; you can use it (as many times as you want) to narrow down 66 Costa Rica destinations according to nearly 150 criteria in less than 1 minute. Alternatively, if you’ve already decided to visit Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast but you’re not sure which beaches are found in the region, you’re in the right place. Our article below covers 11 beaches that stretch out along Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast, some popular and others remote, including Playa Arrecife, Playa Blanca, Playa Chiquita, Playa Cocles, Playa Grande, Playa Manzanillo, Playa Negra (#1), Playa Negra (#2), Playa Puerto Viejo, Playa Punta Uva, and Playa Tortuguero.

If you’re destined for a different region of Costa Rica (not the Caribbean coast), don’t miss our related blog posts:

Nicoya Peninsula Beaches In Costa Rica
Northern Pacific / Guanacaste Beaches In Costa Rica
Central Pacific Beaches In Costa Rica
Osa Peninsula Beaches In Costa Rica

Caribbean beaches map

We created the above map to showcase where each Caribbean beach is located. Included on the map are the following sites:

• Playa Arrecife (marked by a sun icon)
• Playa Blanca (marked by a sun icon)
• Playa Chiquita (marked by a sun icon)
• Playa Cocles (marked by a sun icon)
• Playa Grande (marked by a sun icon)
• Playa Manzanillo (marked by a sun icon)
• Playa Negra (#1) (marked by a sun icon)
• Playa Negra (#2) (marked by a sun icon)
• Playa Puerto Viejo (marked by a sun icon)
• Playa Punta Uva (marked by a sun icon)
• Playa Tortuguero (marked by a sun icon)

Playa Arrecife (CB)

Playa Arrecife is located in the Caribbean region of Costa Rica. It sits east of the coastal community of Punta Uva, Costa Rica. To learn more about Playa Arrecife, including beach details, development, safety, access, parking, and more, see our related blog post: Photos of Playa Arrecife Costa Rica (Caribbean) From Our Own Personal Collection.

Playa Blanca (CB)

Playa Blanca is located in the Caribbean region of Costa Rica. It fronts the coastal community of Cahuita, Costa Rica, and falls within the boundary of the Cahuita National Park. You must pay the national park entrance fee to access this beach.

Playa Chiquita (CB)

Playa Chiquita is located in the Caribbean region of Costa Rica. It sits west of the coastal community of Punta Uva, Costa Rica. To learn more about Playa Chiquita, including beach details, development, safety, access, parking, and more, see our related blog post: Photos of Playa Chiquita Costa Rica (Caribbean) From Our Own Personal Collection.

Playa Cocles (CB)

Playa Cocles is located in the Caribbean region of Costa Rica. It sits east of the coastal community of Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, Costa Rica.

Playa Grande (CB)

Playa Grande (also known as Playa Manzanillo) is located in the Caribbean region of Costa Rica. It fronts the coastal community of Manzanillo, Costa Rica. To learn more about Playa Manzanillo, including beach details, development, safety, access, parking, and more, see our related blog post: Photos of Playa Manzanillo Costa Rica (Caribbean) From Our Own Personal Collection.

Playa Manzanillo (CB)

Playa Manzanillo (also known as Playa Grande) is located in the Caribbean region of Costa Rica. It fronts the coastal community of Manzanillo, Costa Rica. To learn more about Playa Manzanillo, including beach details, development, safety, access, parking, and more, see our related blog post: Photos of Playa Manzanillo Costa Rica (Caribbean) From Our Own Personal Collection.

Playa Negra (CB)

Playa Negra is located in the Caribbean region of Costa Rica. It sits west of the coastal community of Cahuita, Costa Rica.

Playa Negra (CB)

Playa Negra is located in the Caribbean region of Costa Rica. It sits west of the coastal community of Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, Costa Rica.

Playa Puerto Viejo (CB)

Playa Puerto Viejo is located in the Caribbean region of Costa Rica. It fronts the coastal community of Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, Costa Rica. To learn more about Playa Puerto Viejo, including beach details, development, safety, access, parking, and more, see our related blog post: Photos of Playa Puerto Viejo Costa Rica (Caribbean) From Our Own Personal Collection.

Playa Punta Uva (CB)

Playa Punta Uva is located in the Caribbean region of Costa Rica. It fronts the coastal community of Punta Uva, Costa Rica.

Playa Tortuguero (CB)

Playa Tortuguero is located in the Caribbean region of Costa Rica. It fronts the coastal community of Tortuguero, Costa Rica.

QUESTION TO COMMENT ON: Which of the Caribbean beaches described above is your favorite?

Pura vida!

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