Manzanillo, Santa Teresa

• Manzanillo
• Map of Manzanillo
  until Playa Coyote
• North of Manzanillo:
  Rio Bongo

The beach of Manzanillo is shaded by stocky palms and old almendro trees bending far out over the sand. Bathing is possible at mid to hight tide. During low tide you should take care of rocks underwater.

Manzanillo Beach

At low tide you can walk over the rocks to a large lagoon which is protected by a rocky reef. It's the perfect place for snorkeling. The light underwater is best during morning hours.

The best place for swimming is on Playa Ario, a 10-min hike north across the Rio Manzanillo.

Fisher boats on the beach

Although Manzanillo is only a 15 min drive away from buzzling Santa Teresa, the tranquil beach community here isn't yet too much troubled by tourism. It has the relaxed ambience of a small Costa Rican pueblo with only a few cabinas, vacation rentals and a nature lodge hidden in the hills. The small bars and restaurants serve traditional, though delicious, Tico fare with a focus on seafood.
Rampant development, as in Santa Teresa, has so far spared Manzanillo as there isn't enough water for large scale projects and still no phone lines.

The sandcastle contest in Manzanillo

A big party on the beach in Manzanillo is the annual sandcastle contest taking place each year in March. Groups of people stake their claims in the early morning and spend the entire day building pieces of sand arts. Late in the day, when the tide comes up the sea will take most of the creations back to the ocean. The party goes on however with lots of beer, music and party until late in the night.

Unfortunately the initial low-key fun event has transformed into a popular, commercial fiesta drawing people from the entire area and even from San Jose. And each year there are less people actually building sandcastles.