Playa Flamingo, Brasilito and Tamarindo are three of my favorite beaches. Surf, sunset sailing, sport fishing, beach hopping, zip lining, horseback riding, estuary boat rides and so much more are offered on this west coast. They are the more popular tourist haunts and are pretty, safe and clean however, meals are as expensive as eating back in the US. The views are stunning especially if you catch a sunset!
Sunset at Playa Flamingo
The picture above is at Flamingo beach, you can see a local woman selling wares (just below the sunset). The picture below is her. She was kind enough to pose for us. To see more pictures, click here.
Local woman selling necklaces on Flamingo beach
Main Street in Flamingo is charming. All the glamour of a little town with stores selling trinkets, charms and souvenirs. Some are quite fascinating and original. We came upon this beautiful boundary-wall, covered in creepers on Main Street. To see more pictures, click here.
Flamingo street picture
The beaches are awesome and you can rent dirt bikes for an exciting ride through sandy gullies or on the beach. You could also go deep sea fishing or scuba dive with an assortment of tropical fish, marine life and YES, white fin sharks!!! This is a picture of part of Brasilito beach right across from “Tikis Seaside Grille”. To see more pictures, click here.
Brasilito beach
Playa Grande is a major nesting site for leatherback turtles. This beach is located in the Las Baulas National Marine Park. Playa Ventanas is a sandy, mountainous-beach. It is popular for swimming, water sports and views of unique holes in the cliffs.
A person sport-fishing way off-shore in Brasilito
To get here, you fly into Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport (LIR), Liberia (we drove from San José). There are many car rental companies just outside the airport area and they will even have a valet awaiting your arrival for free if booked in advance. The drive to any of the above beach locations is approximately 48-53 miles/78-85 kms typically taking 1¾ hours. The roads are pretty good and the driving is like anywhere else in the world. We felt pretty safe driving around here. There are also public bus services.
You should also consider visiting:
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TIPS:
- Don’t listen to common opinion, Costa Rica is not safe. Always be alert and in tune with your surroundings.
- If you are driving and park in a parking lot, expect some random person to come up to you and ask for money to keep your car safe and he will tell you, it isn’t safe if you don’t pay.
- Try to park in strip malls, or large shopping centers, relatively safe.
- Do not leave anything of value visible in the car.
- Carry plenty of drinking water, buy it at the larger grocery stores.
- Use coral safe sunscreen (mineral based).
- Use Insect repellent.
