At a glance
- From Santa Teresa
- About 4 hours on the paved road via Paquera and Nicoya, year-round. The coast road (2½–3½ hours) is a dry-season 4x4 route with river crossings
- From the airports
- Liberia airport (LIR): about 2 hours, paved all the way. San José airport (SJO): about 4½ hours. No scheduled flights; the nearest airstrip with them is Nosara
- Swimming
- Calm. A reef off Sámara and rocky headlands at Carrillo take the power out of the waves, so these are the peninsula's easy swimming beaches
- Best for
- Families with young kids and pre-teens; couples who want a low-key beach town; anyone who wants to swim every day
- Facilities
- Sámara: a walkable town with supermarkets, restaurants and tour desks. Carrillo: nothing on the sand; hotels and shops in the village uphill. Hospital in Nicoya, 35 km
- Getting around
- Sámara's centre is walkable, so you can do without a car. Carrillo is 8 km south on a paved road
- Surf
- Small, forgiving waves in Sámara bay make it a good place for a first lesson
Who is Sámara for?
Sámara is the family beach of the Nicoya Peninsula. The bay is long and wide, the reef keeps the water calm, and the town is small enough to walk: beach, supermarket, ice cream and dinner, no car needed. It's a Costa Rican beach town first, with Tico families on the sand at weekends, a language school and a relaxed, unpolished feel.
- Families with young kids and pre-teens get the one thing Santa Teresa can't offer on its doorstep: calm water to play in every day.
- Couples who want low-key and walkable will like it; couples after design hotels and a dinner scene will find more in Santa Teresa or Nosara.
- Multigenerational groups will find the flat, walkable town and the short, paved drive from Liberia airport easy on everyone.
How do you get to Sámara, and how long does it take?
| From | How | Time | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Liberia airport (LIR) | Road via Nicoya | About 2 h | Paved all the way; the easiest airport for Sámara. |
| San José airport (SJO) | Road via the Tempisque bridge and Nicoya | About 4½ h | No scheduled flights to Sámara. |
| Santa Teresa | Paved road via Paquera, Jicaral and Nicoya | About 4 h | Year-round. |
| Santa Teresa | Coast road via Manzanillo, Coyote and Islita | 2½–3½ h | Dry season only, 4x4, unbridged rivers and some beach driving. No gas until Sámara. |
| Nicoya town | Route 150 | 35 km | Paved, with a few one-lane bridges. |
Transfers: Santa Teresa to Sámara and San José airport to Sámara. Landing at Liberia? See Liberia airport to Sámara on our sister site. Drive times to every beach are on our Nicoya Peninsula map.
Why is the water at Sámara and Carrillo so calm?
Most of the peninsula's Pacific beaches take the open ocean head-on, which is why Santa Teresa and Nosara have surf and rip currents. Sámara has a coral reef across the mouth of its bay, so waves break out there and roll in small. Playa Carrillo is tucked between two rocky headlands that shelter it on both sides. The result: water where young kids can splash and adults can actually swim.
Calm isn't the same as risk-free. Keep children within arm's reach, avoid the river mouths, and ask your hotel about conditions on big-swell days.
Which beach suits whom?
| Beach | What it's like | Swimming | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Playa Camaronal | A turtle refuge beach 12 km south of Sámara, with a ranger station | No: river mouth and crocodiles | Turtle lovers, wild-beach walks |
| Playa Carrillo | A palm-lined crescent, nothing built on the sand | Calm, sheltered by headlands | Families, couples, a picnic day |
| Playa Sámara | A long bay in front of the town, Isla Chora offshore | Calm, behind a reef | Young kids, first surf lessons, kayaking |
| Playa Barrigona | White sand and forest, no buildings, about 40 minutes north on dirt roads | No: bigger waves and strong currents | A scenic half day, not a swim |
Insider tip: Save Playa Carrillo for a weekday. At weekends and on holidays, Costa Rican families pack the shade under its palms for picnics, and you'll struggle to park. On a weekday morning it's a different, far quieter beach.
What is there to do in Sámara?
- Kayak or paddle to Isla Chora, a small island reserve at the south end of the bay with a pink-sand beach; a kayak-and-snorkel trip there makes an easy half day.
- Dolphin-watching boat trips out of the bay.
- Horseback rides and dry-forest hikes in the hills behind town.
- Sportfishing from Puerto Carrillo, the fishing port at the south end of Carrillo.
- Turtles at Camaronal, with a guide, in nesting season.
- A day in Nicoya, 35 km inland, for the colonial church and the Blue Zone towns; see visiting the Nicoya Blue Zone.
Where should you stay in Sámara and Carrillo?
Choose Sámara town if you want to walk everywhere, or Carrillo for quiet and views. By traveler:
- Families with young kids: somewhere you can walk to the sand, like the beachfront Samara Tree House Inn or Villas Kalimba, whose villas have full kitchens and a pool a few steps from the beach. In Carrillo, Hotel Leyenda, above Puerto Carrillo, has a kids' water playground and family suites.
- Families and groups on a budget: Samara Pacific Lodge near the centre, with family rooms and a pool, or a rental house in town.
- Couples: a small hotel or rental in Carrillo's hillside village, or Hotel Punta Islita, a secluded resort farther down the coast; see the Coyote coast and Punta Islita.
How does Sámara compare with Santa Teresa?
| Santa Teresa & Malpaís | Sámara & Carrillo | |
|---|---|---|
| Feel | International surf and wellness town, boutique hotels, nightlife | Relaxed Costa Rican beach town |
| Swimming | Rips on the open beaches; tide pools at low tide; calm Gulf beaches 45 minutes away | Calm, reef- and headland-protected, right in front of town |
| Best for | Couples, families with teens | Families with young kids, easygoing couples |
| Getting around | One long beach road; taxis or ATVs | Walkable centre |
| Getting there | 30-minute flight to Cóbano (ACO), or 5–6 hours from SJO by road and ferry | About 2 hours from Liberia airport (LIR), paved |
Families can do both: a few nights in Sámara for easy swimming, then Santa Teresa for older kids who want waves. See Santa Teresa with kids and our itineraries.
When is the best time to visit Sámara?
December to April is dry and sunny, with the easiest roads, and it's the busiest time, especially around Christmas, New Year and Easter week. From May, the green season brings afternoon rain and lower prices, with a drier spell in July and August. September and October are the wettest months. The paved route from Liberia stays open year-round; it's the coast road from Santa Teresa that the rain closes. More in the best time to visit.
Can you learn to surf in Sámara?
Yes, and it's one of the gentlest places on the coast to try. The reef keeps the waves small, and lessons are easy to find in town. It's a good first lesson for kids and nervous adults. For more, see surfing on the peninsula.
Frequently asked questions
Is Sámara good for swimming?
Yes. It's one of the calmest beaches on Nicoya's Pacific coast, because a coral reef offshore breaks the swell before it reaches the bay. It's still the ocean, so watch children closely, swim near other people and stay away from river mouths, but Sámara and Playa Carrillo are where the peninsula's families come to swim.
How far is Sámara from Santa Teresa?
About 4 hours on the paved road, which loops up the Gulf side through Paquera and Jicaral, then across through Nicoya. The coast road is shorter, 2½ to 3½ hours, but it's dirt, crosses unbridged rivers and is only for a 4x4 in the dry season. See Santa Teresa to Sámara.
Which airport is closest to Sámara?
Liberia airport (LIR), about 2 hours away on paved roads. From San José airport (SJO) it's about 4½ hours. Sámara's old airstrip has no scheduled flights; the nearest scheduled service is into Nosara.
Sámara or Nosara for a family?
Sámara if your kids are young and you want calm water and a town you can walk. Nosara if you want a quieter, more upscale stay with a kids club and yoga, and you're happy to swim by the lifeguards rather than in a calm bay. They're close enough to visit one from the other on a day out. See our Nosara guide.
Is Playa Carrillo better than Sámara?
They're different. Carrillo is quieter and more beautiful: a palm-lined crescent with nothing built on the sand and shade to park under. Sámara has the town, the restaurants and the activities. Stay in one and spend a day at the other; they're 8 km apart.
Can you see turtles near Sámara?
Yes. Playa Camaronal, 12 km south, is a wildlife refuge where leatherback, olive ridley and hawksbill turtles nest, with a ranger station on the beach. For the mass arribadas, go north to Ostional, beyond Nosara. For a night visit to a nesting beach, go with a local guide.
Is Sámara a good place for a first surf lesson?
Yes. The same reef that calms the bay keeps the waves small and forgiving, which suits kids and first-timers. Lessons are easy to find in town. If your teens are already surfing, Nosara or Santa Teresa have more consistent waves.
Can you do Sámara as a day trip from Santa Teresa?
Not really. At about 4 hours each way on the paved road, it's a travel day, not a day trip. Plan Sámara as its own stop, for three nights or more, at the start or end of your trip, with Santa Teresa as the other beach.