About 8km south of Puntarenas is Playa San Isidro, the first ‘real’ beach on the central Pacific coast. It's quite often empty, and preferred by Puntarenas beachcombers wanting a more chilled-out beach day, and by surfers who come to surf one of the longest waves in Costa Rica at the southern end of the beach. The beach runs parallel to Transversal 202.
Playa San Isidro
Central Pacific Coast
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
25.35 MILES
The exquisitely misty 310-hectare Reserva Santa Elena offers a completely different cloud forest experience from Monteverde. Cutting through the veiled…
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Catarata Manantial de Agua Viva
18.21 MILES
This 200m-high waterfall is claimed to be the highest in the country. From the entrance, it’s a steep 3km (45-minute) hike down into the valley (an hour…
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28.25 MILES
In front of the Church of San Rafael, this park was a normal plaza until the 1960s, when a gardener named Evangelisto Blanco became inspired to shave the…
Reserva Biológica Bosque Nuboso Monteverde
23 MILES
This beautiful cloud forest reserve came into being in 1972, when the Quaker community (which had already set aside a third of its property for…
Refugio Nacional de Vida Silvestre Curú
18.02 MILES
Situated at the eastern end of the peninsula, this tiny 84-hectare wildlife refuge holds a great variety of landscapes, including dry tropical forest,…
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27.41 MILES
Here's your chance to see a waterfall crashing down a cliff, straight onto the rocks and into the ocean. El Chorro Waterfall is the pièce de résistance of…
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15.14 MILES
If you’re driving from Puntarenas or San José, pull over by the Río Tárcoles bridge, also known as Crocodile Bridge running over the Tárcoles River where…
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28.32 MILES
About 6km north of town, Playa Grande is the best surf beach in the area. It's a 3km-plus stretch of waves and sand, which never gets too crowded as it…
Nearby Central Pacific Coast attractions
1.12 MILES
The pair of beaches known as Playa Doña Ana are relatively undeveloped and have an isolated and unhurried feel. They are popular among Ticos on day trips…
5.52 MILES
This retro marine park has seen better days, but it will certainly keep the kids entertained for a while. There's an aquarium showcasing many tropical…
3. Museo Histórico Marino de la Ciudad de Puntarenas
5.97 MILES
This dusty museum describes the once-proud history of Puntarenas through audiovisual presentations, old photos and artifacts. At the time of research it…
5.99 MILES
Casa de la Cultura has an art gallery with occasional exhibits as well as a performance space offering seasonal cultural events. Outside there's a…
6 MILES
Quite possibly the most beautiful building in Puntarenas, Casa Fait is a purple-and-cream clapboard 1920s colonial building, with ornate iron balconies…
6.05 MILES
This beachside, pedestrian boulevard stretches along the southern edge of town. Cruise ships make visits to the eastern end of the road, and a variety of…
6.13 MILES
Built in place of the previous Municipal Palace that burned down, this rather unusual 1970s structure with jutting upper floors, designed by architect…
8. Refugio Nacional de Fauna Silvestre Peñas Blancas
11.32 MILES
This 24 sq km refuge, not to be confused with the Nicaraguan border crossing of the same name, runs along the steep southern arm of the Cordillera de…