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 Nicoya Peninsula 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:
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 Nicoya Peninsula but you’re not sure which beaches are found in the region, you’re in the right place. Our article below covers 23 beaches that stretch out along Costa Rica’s Nicoya Peninsula, some popular and others remote, including Playa Buena Vista, Playa Cabuja, Playa Cangrejal, Playa Carmen, Playa Carrillo, Playa Cuevas, Playa Curu, Playa de los Artistas, Playa Garza, Playa Guiones, Playa Hermosa, Playa Las Manchas, Playa Los Suecos, Playa Mal Pais, Playa Montezuma, Playa Ostional, Playa Pelada, Playa Quesera, Playa Quizales, Playa Samara, Playa Santa Teresa, Playa Tambor, and Playa Tropical.
If you’re destined for a different region of Costa Rica (not the Nicoya Peninsula), don’t miss our related blog posts:
We created the above map to showcase where each Nicoya Peninsula beach is located. Included on the map are the following sites:
Playa Buena Vista (marked by a sun icon)
Playa Cabuya (marked by a sun icon)
Playa Cangrejal (marked by a sun icon)
Playa Carmen (marked by a sun icon)
Playa Carrillo (marked by a sun icon)
Playa Cuevas (marked by a sun icon)
Playa Curu (marked by a sun icon)
Playa Playa de los Artistas (marked by a sun icon)
Playa Garza (marked by a sun icon)
Playa Guiones (marked by a sun icon)
Playa Hermosa (marked by a sun icon)
Playa Las Manchas (marked by a sun icon)
Playa Los Suecos (marked by a sun icon)
Playa Mal Pais (marked by a sun icon)
Playa Montezuma (marked by a sun icon)
Playa Ostional (marked by a sun icon)
Playa Pelada (marked by a sun icon)
Playa Quesera (marked by a sun icon)
Playa Quizales (marked by a sun icon)
Playa Samara (marked by a sun icon)
Playa Santa Teresa (marked by a sun icon)
Playa Tambor (marked by a sun icon)
Playa Tropical (marked by a sun icon)
Playa Buena Vista (NP)
Playa Buena Vista is located in the Nicoya Peninsula region of Costa Rica. It sits west of the coastal community of Samara, Costa Rica.
Playa Cabuya (NP)
Playa Cabuya is located in the Nicoya Peninsula region of Costa Rica. It sits south of the coastal community of Montezuma, Costa Rica.
Playa Cangrejal (NP)
Playa Cangrejal is located in the Nicoya Peninsula region of Costa Rica. It sits west of the coastal community of Samara, Costa Rica. To learn more about Playa Cangrejal, including beach details, development, safety, access, parking, and more, see our related blog post: Photos of Playa Cangrejal Costa Rica (Nicoya Peninsula) From Our Own Personal Collection.
Playa Carmen (NP)
Playa Carmen is located in the Nicoya Peninsula region of Costa Rica. It sits between the coastal communities of Mal Pais, Costa Rica, and Santa Teresa, Costa Rica, and connects with the south end of Playa Santa Teresa.
Playa Carrillo (NP)
Playa Carrillo is located in the Nicoya Peninsula region of Costa Rica. It sits east of the coastal community of Samara, Costa Rica.
Playa Cuevas (NP)
Playa Cuevas (also known as Playa Los Suecos) is located in the Nicoya Peninsula region of Costa Rica. It sits south of the coastal community of Mal Pais, Costa Rica.
Playa Curu (NP)
Playa Curu is located in the Nicoya Peninsula region of Costa Rica. It is the main beach within the boundary of the Curu National Wildlife Refuge. You must pay the refuge entrance fee to access this beach. To learn more about Playa Curu, including beach details, development, safety, access, parking, and more, see our related blog post: Photos of Playa Curu Costa Rica (Nicoya Peninsula) From Our Own Personal Collection.
Playa de los Artistas (NP)
Playa de los Artistas is located in the Nicoya Peninsula region of Costa Rica. It sits south of the coastal community of Montezuma, Costa Rica.
Playa Garza (NP)
Playa Garza is located in the Nicoya Peninsula region of Costa Rica. It sits south of the coastal community of Guiones, Costa Rica. To learn more about Playa Garza, including beach details, development, safety, access, parking, and more, see our related blog post: Photos of Playa Garza Costa Rica (Nicoya Peninsula) From Our Own Personal Collection.
Playa Guiones (NP)
Playa Guiones is located in the Nicoya Peninsula region of Costa Rica. It fronts the coastal community of Guiones, Costa Rica (a subset of the inland community of Nosara, Costa Rica).
Playa Hermosa (NP)
Playa Hermosa is located in the Nicoya Peninsula region of Costa Rica. It sits north of the coastal community of Santa Teresa, Costa Rica.
Playa Las Manchas (NP)
Playa Las Manchas is located in the Nicoya Peninsula region of Costa Rica. It sits south of the coastal community of Montezuma, Costa Rica. To learn more about Playa Las Manchas, including beach details, development, safety, access, parking, and more, see our related blog post: Photos of Playa Las Manchas Costa Rica (Nicoya Peninsula) From Our Own Personal Collection.
Playa Los Suecos (NP)
Playa Los Suecos (also known as Playa Cuevas) is located in the Nicoya Peninsula region of Costa Rica. It sits south of the coastal community of Mal Pais, Costa Rica.
Playa Mal Pais (NP)
Playa Mal Pais is located in the Nicoya Peninsula region of Costa Rica. It fronts the coastal community of Mal Pais, Costa Rica.
Playa Montezuma (NP)
Playa Montezuma is located in the Nicoya Peninsula region of Costa Rica. It fronts the coastal community of Montezuma, Costa Rica.
Playa Ostional (NP)
Playa Ostional is located in the Nicoya Peninsula region of Costa Rica. It fronts the coastal community of Ostional, Costa Rica, and falls within the boundary of the Ostional Wildlife Refuge. Payment of a refuge entrance fee is not required to access this beach unless your visit is part of an authorized turtle nesting/turtle observation tour.
Playa Pelada (NP)
Playa Pelada is located in the Nicoya Peninsula region of Costa Rica. It sits north of the coastal community of Guiones, Costa Rica.
Playa Quesera (NP)
Playa Quesera is located in the Nicoya Peninsula region of Costa Rica. It sits east of the inland community of Paquera, Costa Rica, and falls within the boundary of the Curu National Wildlife Refuge. You must pay the refuge entrance fee to access this beach. To learn more about Playa Quesera, including beach details, development, safety, access, parking, and more, see our related blog post: Photos of Playa Quesera Costa Rica (Nicoya Peninsula) From Our Own Personal Collection.
Playa Quizales (NP)
Playa Quizales is located in the Nicoya Peninsula region of Costa Rica. It sits south of the coastal community of Tambor, Costa Rica.
Playa Samara (NP)
Playa Samara is located in the Nicoya Peninsula region of Costa Rica. It fronts the coastal community of Samara, Costa Rica. To learn more about Playa Samara, including beach details, development, safety, access, parking, and more, see our related blog post: Photos of Playa Samara Costa Rica (Nicoya Peninsula) From Our Own Personal Collection.
Playa Santa Teresa (NP)
Playa Santa Teresa is located in the Nicoya Peninsula region of Costa Rica. It fronts the coastal community of Santa Teresa, Costa Rica. To learn more about Playa Santa Teresa, including beach details, development, safety, access, parking, and more, see our related blog post: Photos of Playa Santa Teresa Costa Rica (Nicoya Peninsula) From Our Own Personal Collection.
Playa Tambor (NP)
Playa Tambor is located in the Nicoya Peninsula region of Costa Rica. It fronts the coastal community of Tambor, Costa Rica.
Do you have questions about beaches on the Nicoya Peninsula, want to know which beach is the best for you to visit based on the experiences you’re looking to have, or need help incorporating a visit to one of the beaches described above into your vacation? No problem! When you’re ready, make an appointment here to communicate with me (Nikki) privately and we can discuss these and other topics to get your questions answered fast and your Costa Rica trip poised for success. Pura vida, amigos! 🙂
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Summary
Article Name
Nicoya Peninsula Beaches In Costa Rica
Description
Want to visit one of the Nicoya Peninsula beaches in Costa Rica? Don't miss these noteworthy beaches!
