Beaches In Costa Rica Are Unparalleled In Reputation and Beauty

Central American beaches have a justifiable reputation for being terrific and many folks describe the beaches in Costa Rica as being simply fantastic. In a world with lots of great beaches, Costa Rica has some of the very best. On two oceans. With clean waters. Tropical waters. White sand. Brown sand. Black sand. Coral beaches.

Few visitors to Costa Rica realize its rich history or how it got its name. A few years after he discovered what is now the U.S., Christopher Columbus returned to the New World. He became so enthralled with the Caribbean beaches he found here that he named his discovery Costa Rica! The name means the rich coast and has stuck for over 500 years. Not to be outdone, the mighty English explored the region as well. Indeed, a few years before he defeated the Spanish Armada and saved England, English sea captain Sir Francis Drake explored Costa Rica's southern Pacific and landed at what is now called Drake Bay, entrance to magnificent Corcovado National Park, described by National Geographic as the most biologically intense place on earth.

Fortunately, Columbus and Drake left a lot of places to discover for yourself. With nearly 800 miles of coastline, you'll find some special place for you. There are popular beaches with beautiful girls and mile-after-mile of virtually deserted beaches for peace and quiet. The Caribbean has a reggie, Bob Marley, feel to it while the Pacific has attraction after attraction close at hand, not to mention places where the magnificent tropical forests nearly come to the beach.

With year-round warm weather, a great tourism infrastructure, and friendly folks who like Americans, Canadians, and Europeans (and everybody else) tourists flock to Costa Rica. They take advantage of warm, clean waters, two fantastic coastlines, and almost limitless attractions close-at-hand. Fishing, surfing, rafting, hiking, ecotourism, swimming, adult nightlife, volcanoes, and tropical mountains are just a few of the attractions.

You could spend years trying to discover the beauty of all the beaches in Costa Rica but, even then that may not be enough time. So, my recommendation for first timers is the Nicoya Peninsula on the north Pacific coast. It is filled with stunning beaches and you will probably have a hard time deciding which is your favorite.

There are two international airports in Costa Rica. Most folks come into the airport in San Jose but more and more people, particularly those who want to go to the Nicoya Peninsula (called the Gold Coast) fly into Liberia International Airport, literally just half an hour from some of the best beaches in the country. Playa Grande is not very far from Montezuma Beach and can easily reached by car from that airport. This is a beautiful beach, very popular with surfers and said to be haunted because it is reputedly an ancient burial ground. You can camp overnight in parts if you dare but do not be offended if you see some people without clothes. It may be haunted but it is still fun.

Trying to name or describe all the fantastic beaches you can visit on a trip to Costa Rica would be impossible. If you are looking for beaches in the days and an active nightlife, there are ever-popular Jaco and upscale Tamarindo.

But it does not matter whether you stay at Tamarindo, Mal Pais, Hermosa, Flamingo, Conchal, Bahia Ballena, Tambor, or wherever you happen to land because there is something special everywhere you go. Some places are easily reached by car or the ubiquitous (and inexpensive) buses but others are, well, still pretty remote. However you get there you will find a bit of paradise in that land named by Christopher Columbus, Costa Rica, the rich coast.