• Playa GuionesA long beach break, consistent, and not the sheltered swim. Forest sits behind the sand. Little shade at noon. On a small day, stay inside.
  • Ostional Wildlife RefugeThe refuge is north, on a slow road. Olive ridleys arrive in a mass, mostly at night, and only with a local guide. Leave your own light off.
  • Playa PeladaThe sheltered swim just north: reef, shell, and pools, with a cave at the end when the tide is out. Noon sun is direct. Go early or late.
  • Nosara Biological ReserveForest trails off the beach. Go in the morning, ask when they open that day, and stay on the marked path. The howlers are the early hour.
  • Turtle arribadaA mass nesting is a night event in the rainy months, and it is not guaranteed. You go only with the refuge guide. A daytime walk will not show it.
  • Pelada and Playa Nosara surfOn a north swell and a rising tide, a right breaks over the reef on Pelada's north side. It is not every day, and low tide is too shallow. Farther north, Playa Nosara has reef lefts and peaks for people who already surf. First lessons stay at Guiones.
  • Nosara river mouthEstuary water, birds, and a current where the river meets the sea. Not a swim, and not a beach bar. Walk the edge and keep your distance.
  • Pelada sunsetA beach sit, not a boat. The cove faces west. Come early enough that there is still sand to sit on, and stay off the rocks as it gets dark.
  • Beach yogaDrop-in classes meet on the sand most mornings. You do not need a retreat week. If the surf is the plan, do the class first, then the water.
  • Howler canopyThe forest behind the beach, at first light. They call then and go quiet once the day heats. Look up, walk slowly, and stay on the path.

For breaks and seasons, see best surf spots in Costa Rica. For studios and retreats, see yoga in Costa Rica.

The landscape is beach, tropical dry forest, and river mouths. You are likely to see olive ridley turtles, howler monkeys, white-faced capuchins, coatis and scarlet macaws. The plants around them are dry forest, mangrove at the river mouth and beach almond on Guiones.

Around Playa Nosara, howlers are in the forest behind Guiones at first light. Olive ridleys come ashore at night, and only in season, with a guide. You will not see them on the sand at noon.

Ostional's community association, ADIO, runs the legal arribada egg program and guards the nesting beach.

In Playa Nosara, nesting beaches need low lights and a guide who follows the rules. On the trails, stay on the marked path.

The climate is tropical dry forest. It is hot and breezy. It is dry from December to April, greener from May to November. Nosara rises from sea level to 20 m (65 ft).

In the greener months the morning is still usable, and the rain tends to wait until afternoon. The countrywide calendar is in the best time to visit Costa Rica.

The nearest airport is Daniel Oduber in Liberia. Juan Santamaría in Alajuela is the other option. From the Central Valley the road crosses mountains, so the drive takes longer than the map says.

The last stretch is slow, and often dirt. Leave while you still have daylight. Buses, shuttles, and rental cars are compared in getting around Costa Rica.