Things to Do in Santa Teresa

Santa Teresa sits at the southern tip of the Nicoya Peninsula, so two very different coasts are within an hour: the open Pacific in front of town, with its surf and sunsets, and the calm Gulf of Nicoya on the other side, with waterfalls, islands and swimming bays. Here's everything at a glance, then the details.

Hike Cabo Blanco, Costa Rica's first reserve

Cabo Blanco, at the very tip of the peninsula, was Costa Rica's first protected area, created in 1963 thanks to Nicolas Wessberg and Karen Mogensen, and it inspired the country's national park system. Most of it is closed to visitors; the part you can walk is forest with monkeys and birds, and a trail down to a wild beach.

• Open: Wednesday to Sunday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Closed Mondays and Tuesdays.
• Getting there: about an hour from Santa Teresa via Cóbano, Montezuma and Cabuya. The only public entrance is the ranger station south of Cabuya, not the Malpaís side.
• Trails: the Sendero Danés is an easier 1.5 km loop near the entrance, good with kids. The Sendero Sueco runs about 4.5 km each way to Playa Cabo Blanco, roughly 4 hours round trip with some steep climbs; start by noon at the latest, and expect mud in the rainy season.
• Bring: water, snacks, good shoes and sun protection; the beach at the end of the Sueco trail drops off quickly, so it.s better for wading than swimming. Arrive at 8 a.m. for the most wildlife.

Pair it with Cabuya, the fishing village by the entrance, whose little cemetery island you can walk to at low tide. More on our parks and reserves page and Playa Cabuya.

Swim below the Montezuma waterfalls

Just outside Montezuma, 35 to 40 minutes from Santa Teresa, the river drops over three waterfalls. The lower one is the tallest, about 24 m (80 ft), with a big swimming pool at its base. You reach it in about 20 minutes, walking up the river from the trailhead on the main road just south of the village, wading and scrambling over slippery rocks, so wear water shoes. The upper falls, with a smaller pool, can be reached by a steep trail or through the Sun Trails canopy park above town.

Stay for lunch in the village and an hour on the beach. See the Montezuma guide and Playa Grande de Montezuma, a long, quiet beach a walk north of town.

Snorkel at Isla Tortuga

Isla Tortuga is the calm-water day out: a white-sand beach and clear water in the Gulf of Nicoya, where the sea is usually flat enough for anyone to swim. Full-day boat tours pick you up in Santa Teresa or Malpaís and run about 7 hours, with snorkel gear, lunch on the island and time on the beach; kayaks cost extra. There's also a sunset and bioluminescence version. The island has become busier over the years, so go on a weekday if you can. See Isla Tortuga.

Explore the tide pools at low tide

At low tide the rock shelves south of town turn into pools full of fish, crabs and sea slugs. The Malpaís tide pools at Mar Azul (turn toward the sea at Indigo Yoga) have some deep enough to snorkel; in Santa Teresa, the El Peñón tide pool is the swimming spot. Go at low tide, in water shoes, and watch for sea urchins. Farther south, the cove at Playa Los Suecos is good for snorkeling when the sea is clear.

See monkeys and swim at Curú

Curú is a private wildlife refuge on the Gulf side, run by the same family for generations, with mangroves, forest trails and a white-sand bay with only gentle waves. You'll often see howler and capuchin monkeys and deer. It's on the main road 6 km from Paquera, about 1 hour 10 minutes from Santa Teresa, so it also makes a good stop on the way to or from the ferry. Day visits run from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. (cards only at the entrance), and some of the longer trails are dry-season only. The refuge also runs horseback rides to Playa Quesera. See Curú and Tambor and Curú.

Ride a horse on the beach or in the hills

Horseback riding is one of the easiest ways to see the coast with kids. Local operators run guided rides, Star Mountain Jungle Lodge rides in its own forest reserve next to Cabo Blanco, and Curú rides to Playa Quesera. Ask your hotel which stable it uses, and ride in the cooler morning or late afternoon.

Go sportfishing (catch and release)

Charter boats leave from the coast around Santa Teresa, Malpaís, Montezuma and Tambor for half- and full-day trips. Sport anglers in Costa Rica release the sailfish they catch; ask for catch-and-release on anything you won't eat, and ask the captain about life jackets in children's sizes before you book with kids.

Take a yoga class or book a spa day

Santa Teresa has a wellness scene well beyond its size. Drop-in yoga classes are easy to find in town, and several hotels are built around it: Horizon Yoga Hotel has a yoga deck with an ocean view, Nantipa's Numu Wellness runs daily yoga, Pilates, breathwork and treatments, and Tropico Latino has a spa on the beach. For a trip built around wellness, see Santa Teresa vs Nosara.

Watch the sunset

The coast here faces west, and the sunsets are the best on the peninsula. Every beach in front of town works: Playa Carmen and Santa Teresa are the busier spots, and Playa Hermosa is wider and quieter. For an almost private sunset, drive 20 minutes north to Manzanillo, a small fishing village with no hotels. The sun sets between about 5:15 p.m. in November and 6 p.m. in July, so bring a flashlight for the walk back.

Day trips from Santa Teresa

• Montezuma (35–40 min): the waterfalls, the village and the beach. Montezuma guide.
• Tambor and Playa Muertos (about 45 min): a wide, calm bay, and from Pochote a short boat ride across the river to a snorkeling beach. Playa Tambor, Playa Pochote.
• Cabuya and Cabo Blanco (about 1 h): the reserve and the cemetery island at low tide.
• Curú (about 1 h 10): wildlife and a gentle bay; handy on the way to the Paquera ferry.
• Coyote and the coast north (dry season only, 4x4): remote beaches reached on dirt roads with river crossings. Coyote to Islita.

Not day trips: Sámara (4 to 4½ hours), Nosara (4½ to 5 hours), the Ostional turtle beach (about 5 hours) and the Barra Honda caves (3 to 3½ hours, last entry 1 p.m., minimum age 12). Save them for a second base; see the Nicoya Peninsula map and our itineraries.

And yes, a first surf lesson

Santa Teresa is famous for its surf, and a lesson together is a great morning even if you never stand up again. Take it at Playa Hermosa, the area's beginner beach, rather than Playa Carmen, which is a break for experienced surfers. Surf shops and many hotels book lessons and rent boards. More in our first surf lesson guide.