Mal Pais, Costa Rica

Malpais is a tranquil community, loosely spread out along five kilometers of road that begins at "El Cruce", the intersection where the road from Cobano ends at Playa Carmen.

Old tagged road sign of Malpais /Santa Teresa.
Nowadays replaced by hideous giant billboards

On Playa Carmen Mal Pais merges with Santa Teresa where you find shops, tourist facilities, and a vibrant surf scene, while at its southern end Malpais borders the Cabo Blanco Nature Reserve.
Many people refer to the entire area as Mal Pais so when you hear of Mal Pais being one of the top surf destinations in Costa Rica, it is in fact the surf beaches of Santa Teresa and Playa Carmen.
See » Surf in Malpais and Santa Teresa

Surf in Mal Pais

Mal Pais is the more peaceful part of the combined villages of Santa Teresa and Malpais. While in recent years Santa Teresa has seen a boom in development, Mal Pais has retained its quiet, laid-back atmosphere with large patches of unspoiled nature. The coast of Mal Pais is in many places rocky, with bizarre volcanic formations creating a fascinating scenery. Old jungle forest grows down to the shore where rocky outcroppings alternate with sandy pockets of beach, some made up entirely of tiny seashells.

Rock formations on the beach of Mal Pais

At the southern end of Mal Pais is the small fishermen port from where boat and fishing tours go around the tip of the Nicoya Peninsula. The maritime sanctuary of Cabo Blanco protects many aquatic species, and from a boat you can watch dolphins, manta rays, sea turtles, and whales. Tours can be arranged by any hotel in Mal Pais or Santa Teresa. See: Malpais Underwater

Playa Suecos near the Cabo Blanco Reserve

Although Malpais directly borders the Cabo Blanco Nature Reserve there is no entrance to the park from this side. See: From Mal Pais to Cabo Blanco

To explore the neighbourhood of Cabo Blanco take a canopy tour on the edge of the nature reserve, or go on a horse tour.
See: Activities in Mal Pais and Santa Teresa

Also bordering the national park is one of Mal Pais' most scenic beaches: Playa Suecos is also called "secret beach" although it isn't a secret anymore. The small white-sand cove is surrounded by a rocky outcrop and known as one of the best snorkeling spots in Mal Pais.

Enjoying solitude on the beach of Mal Pais

While Mal Pais does not offer any shops and tourist services there are lovely hotels and vacation rentals that range from luxury to rustic, often overlooking scenic beaches where the surf crashes over jagged rocks.

Map of Mal Pais with Hotels

From Malpais to the Cabo Blanco Nature Reserve

Mal Pais road to Cabuya

From the village center of Mal Pais, there is a scenic 8 km road across the mountains to Cabo Blanco. The first 2 kms pass through a river valley with lush jungle covering steep slopes on both sides. Then the road steepens to go climb up into the rolling hills of the Cabo Blanco backlands. There are no houses on the 7 km of road until you reach Cabuya and you have to cross two rivers. For most of the year this road is in a very bad shape. Before heading off, ask for current road conditions. The alternate way to get from Mal Pais to Cabo Blanco is via Cobano and Montezuma.

The Cabo Blanco Nature Reserve is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and a round-trip hike takes approx 4 hours.

Mondays and Tuesdays the Cabo Blanco Reserve is closed.

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