Why Guanacaste?
Discover Guanacaste, the most beautiful province in Costa Rica.
Imagine a place where there are miles and miles of beaches, next to an ocean filled with fish, plains with thousands of pure white Brahma cattle, volcanoes, mountains, rain forests, pristine National Parks and people who are genuinely interested in your comfort and happiness. You just described Guanacaste Province in beautiful Costa Rica.
At one time Guanacaste was part of Nicaragua. In 1824 Costa Rica welcomed Guanacaste as a Province.
Guanacaste is 10,140 square kilometers and has 281,312 inhabitants.
Motto – “De la patria por nuestra voluntad” …Part of the Costa Rican homeland by choice and free will.
Guanacaste possesses the most beautiful beaches in Costa Rica. The warmth and beauty of its coast are incomparable. Like in very few places, the sun, sand and sea harbor the wildlife in Junquillal Bay.
The coral sands of the Junquillal Wildlife Refuge are located 21 miles from Liberia on the Interamerican Highway towards La Cruz (north).
The wildlife refuge is located 16 miles from the principal entrance of the Santa Rosa National Park and 3 miles from the Cuajiniquil fishing community, a famous place for sport fishing.
Caujiniquil Beach is known for its cool but tranquil waters. This beach and generous town that surrounds it welcomes all visitors. The fishermen of this area offer travelers delicious seafood dishes like octopus, grilled fish, seafood cocktails and various shellfish dishes.
Naranjo Beach is located 7 miles from the offices at Santa Rosa National Park. This beach is ideal for surfing. Here the famous Witches Rock juts out into the waters showing one of the most ancient rock formations in Costa Rica.
Nancite Beach is considered the most important nesting ground in Latin America for the Parrot Turtle (Tortuga Lora). This beach is constantly visited during the nesting and hatching period from July to November by national and international scientific investigators.
It is a fantastic experience to observe the colors of the turtle shells. Access to this beach is restricted during the nesting and hatching of the turtles. The beaches can be completely covered by turtles during this time. If you wish to visit Nancite Beach you need to apply for a permit from the Ecotourism office located in Santa Rosa National Park. Today 1,250 acres are reserved for the Juaquillal Wildlife Refuge in order to protect and conserve the biological resources of the dry tropical forest.
Incomparable Coast – Regeneration zone, dry tropical forest, marshes and coastal zones. Green parrot and Carey turtles nest. You can observe whales at the end of the year.
Flora and Fauna – The most common birds are parrots, urracas and gorriones. In the forests abound trees like cenisano, guanacaste, carao, papaturro and cornizuelo.
Guanacaste Beaches that have won awards- Bahia Junquillal (LaCruz), Manzanillo, Monte del Barco, Arenilla, Panama, Buena, Hermosa, Ocatal, Pan de Azucar, Penca, Flamingo, Conchal, Grande, Tamarindo, Punta El Madero, Langosta, Junquillal (Santa Cruz) Ostional, Pelada de Nosara, Guiones de Nosara, Carrillo, Punta Islita, Santa Teresa, Mal Pais, Quitzales, Isla Tortuga, Pochote.
Being Costa Rica’s sunniest region the North Pacific Zone includes a vast variety of activities and attractions. An amazing selection of beaches, many with excellent surf breaks, offer world class sport fishing and skin diving. But it isn’t only surf, sun and sand that can be found here. There is also endangered wilderness, volcanoes, historic towns and ranches and the country’s most popular mountain retreat, as well as world renowned windsurfing.
Guanacaste occupies the largest part of the North Pacific Zone, with its lowlands, sparsely inhabited regions, massive mountains, breathtaking cloud forests as well as Costa Rica’s finest national parks. Most species of Costa Rica’s wildlife and birds are found in Guanacaste.