Costa Rica

Jaco Attractions

Beaches:

Playa Herradura

Just north of Jaco, Playa Herradura is a favorite among locals. Dotted with excellent seafood restaurants, the horseshoe-shaped beach offers clean gray sands and calm waters. Herradura is home to Los Suenos Marina, a full-service port packed with charter boats that ply the seas for big game fish, including billfish, marlin, mahi mahi and tuna. The beach is also a jumping off point for snorkeling and dive trips to nearby reefs.  Visitors can kayak or stand up paddleboard out to Herradura Island, which has a small, seldom crowded shore.

Jaco Beach

This popular beach encompasses two miles of pristine sands peppered with smooth pebbles. Both beginner and seasoned surfers enjoy its year-round breaks and accessibility to nearby surf spots like Escondido and Boca Barranca. Roca Loca, or Crazy Rock, is a tricky rock bottom wave located at the southern tip of Jaco, just beyond the cliff along the Costanera Highway. The beach’s southern end is more suitable for beginner surfers; the waves get larger and stronger farther north.

Jaco has its share of riptides, though not as many as neighboring Playa Hermosa. A handful of lifeguard towers are normally manned during the high season months of December-April. After a long day in the sun, visitors can unwind with a cocktail in a beachfront cafe or bar.

Playa Hermosa

Playa Hermosa translates to “beautiful beach,” and is unsurprisingly a place of great aesthetic appeal – its broad gray-sand beach contrasted by pounding white surf. It boasts one of the biggest beach breaks (after Dominical) on the country’s Pacific coast. Just three miles south of Jaco, Playa Hermosa is a favorite spot among surfers, with seven distinct surf points along its six-mile shore.

Much less developed than its northern neighbor, experienced surfers from around the world are attracted to its consistent waves and international surf contests. Hermosa is also part of a wildlife refuge that protects nesting Olive Ridley sea turtles. Females come to shore to lay their eggs between the months of July and December, producing a remarkable spectacle.

Playas Esterillos

The deserted beaches of Playas Esterillos, about 13 miles south of Jaco, are definitely worth exploring. Divided into Esterillos Este, Centro and Oeste – Estilleros East, Central and West – each section offers long stretches of palm-fringed coastline and both right and left beach breaks with long rides.

The waves along Esterillos Centro and Este are strong, and quite similar to those in Playa Hermosa. Esterillos Oeste has a beach break that is especially fun during a big swell. Swimmers should stay closer to the northern end of Esterillos Oeste, where a calm tidal pool offers shelter from the area’s dangerous riptides. All three villages have a handful of hotels, cafes and vacation rentals for travelers of all budgets.

Playa Bejuco

Approximately 19 miles south of Jaco on the way to Quepos, Bejuco is the perfect place to relax and unwind. Isolated and undeveloped, Bejuco’s claim to fame is its raw and untouched beauty. Although strong riptides keep swimmers at bay, Bejuco’s surf is revered within the local community. There are many beach breaks, and fewer surfers competing for them than in Playa Hermosa. Bejuco village has a couple of hotels with restaurants, a mini-supermarket and a small cafe that serves inexpensive and tasty local cuisine.

National Parks, Gardens and Wildlife Refuges:

Carara National Park

Carara National Park is a crucial sanctuary for wildlife in the increasingly developed Pacific Zone.  The park is distinctive because it encompasses both the wet rainforest of the southern Pacific and the dry tropical forest of the northwest. The name “Carara” comes from an indigenous word meaning “river of crocodiles,” and visitors can watch these mammoth reptiles as they sun themselves on the sandy banks. Home to nearly 450 scarlet macaws, Carara is one of the country’s top destinations for viewing these flamboyant birds.

Rainforest Aerial Tram Pacific

Situated on over 200 acres of rainforest, each gondola at the Rainforest Aerial Tram Pacific delivers sweeping views of the Central Pacific. Several combo-excursions are available, including the “Tranopy tour” (a combination aerial tram and canopy tour), and a nature walk through heliconia gardens and a serpentarium. This is followed by a 40-minute gondola ride high above the treetops.

Neofauna Butterfly Farm and Serpentarium

Just ten minutes north of Jaco, this 10,000-square foot facility houses a large butterfly garden, serpentarium and frog garden. Visitors can observe morpho and tiger butterflies as well as many of Costa Rica’s venomous snakes.

Playa Hermosa Wildlife Refuge 

Three miles south of Jaco, Playa Hermosa is an important habitat for nesting Olive Ridley sea turtles. Between the months of July and December, females come ashore to lay their eggs along the same coastline upon which they were born.

Pura Vida Botanical Gardens & Waterfalls

Billed as a visual masterpiece, Pura Vida Botanical Garden is nestled upon 45 acres of tropical rainforest, where millions of flowers, including thousands of orchids, line the paved walking paths. The garden’s 2,000-foot altitude affords beautiful views of the Nicoya Peninsula and Pacific Ocean. The property is also home to one of Costa Rica’s tallest waterfalls, Bijagual. For a unique dining experience, make reservations at the on-site restaurant and enjoy a spectacular sunset view.

Rivers & Waterfalls:

The Tarcoles River 

Celebrated for its population of more than 2,000 American crocodiles, the Tarcoles River forms the northern border of Carara National Park. This unique ecosystem is rich in avifauna, with 120 bird species living within its mangrove estuaries. The Tarcoles boasts one of the planet’s biggest populations of American crocodiles, with an average of 63 crocs per square mile. These prehistoric reptiles can measure more than 12 feet from snout to tail, and are a common sight on safari boat tours. If traveling from San Jose or Puntarenas, be sure to stop at the Tarcoles River Bridge, where groups of 20 or more crocodiles often sun themselves on the river’s edge.

Tour operators specialize in combo ATV/hiking/horseback riding excursions to several of these waterfalls:

Bijagual Waterfall: Towering 600 feet, Bijagual is one of the tallest falls in Costa Rica, located 35 minutes north of Jaco.
Waterfall del Zorro: 35 foot waterfall on the outskirts of Jaco
Waterfall de la Gloria: A gorgeous sight nestled within Playa Hermosa’s hillsides.

Day Trips:

Tortuga Island

Arrange a day trip to Tortuga Island, or Turtle Island, famous for its white-sand beaches and crystal waters. A full-day tour includes roundtrip boat or catamaran transportation from Herradura, bilingual guide, snorkeling or scuba diving, beverages and a BBQ lunch on the beach. Dolphins, turtles and whales are sometimes spotted along the way. 

Manuel Antonio National Park

Home to three species of monkey, including the highly endangered squirrel monkey, Manuel Antonio National Park is known for its picturesque beaches and high concentration of wildlife. The park is about an hour away from Jaco, and ideal for hiking, snorkeling and animal watching.  

Jaco Travel Guide