Calm beaches
and family plans

How to use this guide

This selection is for families with children, or for anyone who wants to swim without fighting the waves. The best base is Sámara: Playa Sámara has relatively calm water thanks to an offshore reef, and both the Isla Chora kayak and snorkel trip and the Dolphin watching and snorkel outing leave from its southern end. Playa Carrillo, five minutes away on Route 160, is an undeveloped cove with palm trees, good for a morning.

With two or three days in Sámara, split them like this: a beach day between Sámara and Carrillo, a morning on the water kayaking or dolphin watching (that trip takes about 4 hours) and an afternoon at Playa Pelada, in Nosara, for the tide pools, the blowhole and the sunset. If you want to swim at Playa Pelada, ask locally about the day's conditions. If money is tight, choose just one of the two trips: they start at $57 and $58 per person.

If you arrive on the peninsula by the Paquera ferry, the south works as a second base. Playa Tambor has very calm water, and Curú Wildlife Refuge, between Paquera and Tambor, combines short trails, mangrove and a cove with gentle waves, with monkeys, deer and coatis: enough for a day with children. The Mal País tide pools lie south of Santa Teresa, far from the rest, and are only worth the trip at low tide; if the tide does not suit your day, skip them.

Tips

• Crocodiles have been seen at Playa Tambor: do not swim near river mouths.
• Bring water shoes for the pools: Mal País has urchins, and near Cangrejal in Sámara there are moray eels and pufferfish. At Mal País, park where you can see the car and leave no valuables.
• At Playa Carrillo you park along Route 160 and there are almost no facilities: bring water and food.
• Curú opens daily from 7:00 to 16:00 and charges $17 for adults and $9 for children 3 to 11; the trail to Playa Quesera requires a reservation.
• Dolphins are seen all year; for whales, go from January to March or July to October.