Nosara, Costa Rica

Nosara is a tranquil beach community, ideal for a nature lover's or a surfer's vacation. Hotels and private houses are spread apart and hidden into lush tropical greenery.

A center main road in Nosara

Even in the middle of the beach community one feels ensconced in a jungle and a walk through Nosara is shaded for most of the way by trees arching over the road.
The vast and intricate network of roads weaving through the forest can make it a challenge to find the way to a hotel or even to the beach. Quite some traveler passes by without realizing that he's been driving through Nosara. Only a panoply of colorful billboards gives clue to the presence of a lively beach community - the foliage of Nosara hides one of the oldest and most upscale expat communities of Costa Rica, and travelers are treated to a choice of fine restaurants and hotels, along with spa and health services.

The estuary and Nosara Biological Reserve

The residents of Nosara are committed to preserve their natural environment. Almost half of the land in the area is protected forest where no tree may be logged, and a moratorium on hunting animals stretches back for over 20 years.
See also: The History of Nosara

The beaches of Nosara form part of the Ostional Wildlife Reserve, located north of Nosara. Therefore, a 200 m broad strip of beach area is Nosara's protected zone where no construction is allowed.

The Beaches of Nosara:

Nosara has three different beaches, each with its own distinctive charm and activities.

Nosara Playa Guiones

The main beach of Nosara is Playa Guiones, a 6 km expanse of immaculate white sand running in a straight line from Punta Pelada to Punta Guiones in the south.

Playa Guiones ranks among the best surf spots on the Nicoya Peninsula. The beach offers easy access and the surf is consistent with long beach breaks, both lefts and rights.

At the very south of Playa Guiones is Playa Rosada which boasts a rare stretch of pink sand. For most of the time it is deserted and you can wallow in sun-warmed tide pools or take a look underwater with your snorkeling gear.

Nosara Playa Pelada

North of Playa Guiones, past a rocky outcrop, is the shell-strewn beach of Playa Pelada. Watch out for the blow hole in the rocks where you can take a truly natural shower. The spray is at its best during the transition of the tides.
The beach of Playa Pelada is protected by an offshore barrier reef which makes it well suited for swimming.
Towards the northern part of the bay you find tidal pools, and a rocky part with caves, one of them housing a bat colony.

At low tide you can continue north from Playa Pelada past the rocky cliff to get to the estuary of the Rio Nosara. Wading through the river brings you to Playa Nosara, the most remote of the Nosara beaches. The black-sand beach is backed by mangroves and runs into the turtle beach of Ostional.
The waves in front of Playa Nosara are among the tallest in Costa Rica. The surf is for experienced surfers, and swimming is not advisable due to the strong currents.

Playa Garza: see Samara to Nosara

The Village of Nosara

Often confusing for visitors is the fact that the actual village of Nosara is 6 kms inland, alongside the Rio Nosara, while most of the hotels are situated on the beach. See: Map of Nosara

The village of Nosara is still a small traditional Tico town, which apart from grocery stores and typical restaurants, has little to offer for travelers. Right in the middle of the village is the landing strip for daily flights to and from San José.

At the beaches of Nosara the community is predominantly made up of American expatriates.

The history of Nosara and the Nosara Civic Association:

The beaches of Nosara host one of the oldest expatriate communities in Costa Rica. In 1962 an American bought the entire expanse of land along the coastline of Nosara. He initiated "The Nosara Project", a development for 500 residential lots interspersed with commercial sites, green zones, and a golf course. He built roads, established a private water system, and installed electricity. After some years however the project stuttered to a halt for financial reasons.
Individual investors then acquired portions of the land, and property owners organized themselves into the Nosara Civic Association (NCA) which continued to manage the project.

The NCA and its members are working hard to balance development in Nosara with protection of the environment. Their association is unique in Costa Rica and they fought many battles to keep Nosara free from large-scale tourism and pollution.

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