Set apart from the rest of the country, this region of Costa Rica offers tourists some of the most gorgeous white sand coconut tree lined beaches that one has ever seen. One of the lushest regions in Costa Rica, which offers tourists unlimited activities to enjoy from some outstanding diving opportunities to awesome surf breaks, superb sportfishing and an excellent chance to get up close and personal with nature.
The Caribbean is the smallest region in this guide, and the one that feels least like the Pacific. Rain does not follow the Guanacaste calendar. The culture in Puerto Viejo and Manzanillo is Afro-Caribbean, and Limón is a working port, not a beach resort. People come for the reef, the road south of Puerto Viejo, and a coastline that is still mostly forest.
Visit the Caribbean in September, October, February, or March, flying into San José (SJO) and driving down through Limón. Those are the more reliable dry windows around Puerto Viejo. The rest of the year can be clear in the morning and wet by afternoon. Pack for rain in every month.
Allow about four hours by shuttle or car from Juan Santamaría (SJO) through Limón to Puerto Viejo. Manzanillo is another half hour past town. Limón has a small airport, but most visitors still land in San José. Tortuguero is a boat trip through the canals, not a stop on the Puerto Viejo road.
Puerto Viejo is the base: food, surf, and the bus. The beaches south of town, through Cocles and Punta Uva, are why people rent for a week rather than a night. Manzanillo is the end of the road, inside the Gandoca-Manzanillo refuge. It is the right last night if you want quiet, and the wrong place if you want a scene. Limón is where you change buses or boats toward Tortuguero. Few visitors sleep there, and the city does not pretend to be a resort. There is no marina strip and no gold coast. Plan on rain.
The market is local and thin. A house in Puerto Viejo can rent to surfers when the swell is right and sit quiet when the rain takes the month. Manzanillo has almost no inventory, and what exists backs onto a refuge, so the building rules matter more than the view. Limón is a city market, priced for residents, not for a vacation rental. Set this coast next to Guanacaste and the Pacific will show more listings and more comparable sales. The Caribbean will show you a place that has not been rebuilt as a resort. Look at what is actually offered on Costa Rica MLS before you treat a high-season week as income.
Legendary among surfing aficionados of the world, who come for it's original surf town charm.
A tranquil town on a scenic, coastal road. A small laid back fishing village inside a Wildlife Refuge.
Outstanding diving, surf breaks, superb sportfishing and famous for watching nesting sea turtles.
