Do this in Costa Rica
The tours worth booking, and when to go so you're back in time for sunset.
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On the Pacific coast, the best day has a simple shape: something big in the morning, shade in the afternoon, and the beach by 5. These are the tours and activities worth planning around, with the time slot to ask for so you never miss the sunset.
On the water
The classic. You'll sail up the coast, stop to snorkel and swim, and turn back as the sky starts to change. Ask for the afternoon departure, not the morning one, and sit on the trampoline net at the front.
Tamarindo, Sámara and Playa Guiones in Nosara all have soft, sandy-bottomed breaks that are great for first-timers. Go early, before the wind picks up, and book two lessons instead of one. The second day is when it clicks.
Paddle across Sámara's calm bay to Isla Chora, the small island at the south end, then snorkel off its beach. It's the gentlest water on this coast, which makes it a good pick for kids or nervous swimmers.
The Tamarindo estuary is part of Las Baulas National Marine Park, and a slow boat through the mangroves is the easiest way to see crocodiles, herons and, if you're lucky, howler monkeys. It's an easy add on a travel day.
Inland
Hike past bubbling mud pots and steaming vents, then soak in hot springs before the drive back. Most tours combine the hike with tubing, a waterfall or a zipline. It's a long day, so put it on your first or last day, when you're near Liberia anyway.
There are zipline courses near most beach towns. Pick one with a good safety record and a longer final line, and go in the morning when it's cooler.
At sunset
Rides in Nosara and Sámara go along the sand at golden hour. Ask for the late afternoon slot and how the horses are cared for. A good outfitter is happy to tell you.
Ostional, just north of Nosara, is one of the few beaches in the world where olive ridley turtles come ashore to nest in huge numbers, in events called arribadas. Visits are only allowed with a certified local guide, and the timing follows the turtles and the moon, so book with a guide in Nosara and let them pick the night.
How to plan your days
- Morning: surf, hike or zip, before the heat and the wind.
- Afternoon: shade, a long lunch at a soda, a nap.
- 4:30 PM: head to the beach or the boat.
- Sunset: between about 5:15 and 6:00 PM, all year.