Costa Rica
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People on rocks beside breaking waves at sunset in Santa Teresa.

Costa Rica · Nosara & Santa Teresa

Restricted, closed or seasonal

Access rules, tides and closing days worth checking before you set out.

5 places4 closed or restricted, flagged

  1. Olive ridley arribadas at Ostional1

    Photo: Panegyrics of Granovetter, CC BY-SA 2.0

    WildlifeRestricted access

    Olive ridley arribadas at Ostional

    Ostional village, north of Nosara39.1 km from the centre

    Entry
    $13.56
    Hours
    5:00–21:00
    Booking
    Not stated

    Mass nesting of olive ridley turtles: once or twice a month, all year, between 15,000 and 200,000 females come ashore along about 800 m of beach.

    During arribadas you may only enter with an accredited local guide (AGLO or ADIO), paid separately. Flash, bonfires, pets, vehicles and horses are banned on the beach. Dates cannot be predicted exactly: check with the guides a few days ahead.

    Source: SINAC – Refugio Nacional de Vida Silvestre Ostional · 2026 · +2

    Practical details and sources
    Entry
    Entry: $13.56 for non-residents (SINAC, 2026); the guide is extra, about $25 per person according to a 2025 guide.
    Hours
    Monday to Sunday, 5:00–21:00 (SINAC).
    Booking
    Ostional Local Guides Association: 2682-0428 / 6252-7412; ADIO: 2682-1229 / 6108-1681 (SINAC).

    Tip: SINAC says arribadas happen all year; a 2025 guide places tours mainly from May to November. The river crossing between Nosara and Ostional can be impassable after heavy rain. Do not wear reflective clothing.

    Nearby: ATVs and horses on Ostional beach (1.5 km) · Playa Nosara (2.2 km) · Nosara biological reserve trails (4.1 km)

    Sources: SINAC – Refugio Nacional de Vida Silvestre Ostional · Wikipedia – Ostional Wildlife Refuge · Two Weeks in Costa Rica – Nosara trip planning

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  2. 2

    NatureClosed or prohibited

    ATVs and horses on Ostional beach

    Ostional National Wildlife Refuge40.6 km from the centre

    Entry
    Not stated
    Hours
    Not stated
    Booking
    Not stated

    Riding Ostional beach on an ATV, motorbike or horse, common on other peninsula beaches, is not allowed inside the refuge.

    Banned by SINAC: motor vehicles (including motorbikes and ATVs) and horseback tours damage the sand and endanger nests. Visit the beach on foot with a guide, and ride horses in Nosara outside the refuge.

    Source: SINAC – Refugio Nacional de Vida Silvestre Ostional · 2026

    Cannot be saved: it is closed or prohibited.

    Practical details and sources

    Nearby: Olive ridley arribadas at Ostional (1.5 km) · Playa Nosara (3.8 km) · Nosara biological reserve trails (5.6 km)

    Sources: SINAC – Refugio Nacional de Vida Silvestre Ostional

  3. Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve3

    Photo: Hans Hillewaert, CC BY-SA 3.0

    NatureRestricted access

    Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve

    Past Cabuya, 15 min south of Montezuma and ~1 h from Santa Teresa41.8 km from the centre

    Entry
    $12
    Hours
    Not stated
    Booking
    Not stated

    The country’s first protected area (1963), at the tip of the peninsula, with the Sueco trail to a beach reachable only on foot or by boat.

    Closed Monday and Tuesday to reduce the impact on wildlife; open Wednesday to Sunday, 8:00–16:00. On those days, visit the Montezuma waterfalls or Cabuya island instead.

    Source: Two Weeks in Costa Rica – Cabo Blanco Nature Reserve · 2025 · +2

    Practical details and sources
    Entry
    $12 adults and $5 children 6–12; free under 6 (July 2025).
    Time needed
    Sueco trail: 10 km round trip, about 2 hours each way. Danés trail: 2 km.

    Tip: Start the Sueco trail by about 11:00 to be out before closing.

    Nearby: Cabuya Island cemetery (4.6 km) · Mal País tide pools (7.6 km) · Playa Carmen (8.5 km)

    Sources: Two Weeks in Costa Rica – Cabo Blanco Nature Reserve · Wikipedia – Cabo Blanco Absolute Natural Reserve · Costa Rica Vibes – Cabo Blanco Reserve

  4. 4

    CultureRestricted access

    Cabuya Island cemetery

    Cabuya, south of Montezuma42.1 km from the centre

    Entry
    Free
    Hours
    Not stated
    Booking
    Not stated

    An islet off the fishing village of Cabuya that holds the local cemetery; you cross on foot over the rocks at low tide.

    Reachable on foot only at low tide; at high tide the path is covered and you can be cut off. Check a tide chart and, if timing does not fit, visit Cabo Blanco, a few minutes away.

    Source: Two Weeks in Costa Rica – Montezuma · 2025

    Practical details and sources

    Tip: It is a working cemetery: walk respectfully.

    Nearby: Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve (4.6 km) · Montezuma Waterfalls (6.4 km) · Montezuma village and beach (7 km)

    Sources: Two Weeks in Costa Rica – Montezuma

  5. 5

    WildlifeSeasonal

    Camaronal Wildlife Refuge

    Between Playa Carrillo and Islita, Nandayure8.2 km from the centre

    Entry
    Not stated
    Hours
    Not stated
    Booking
    Not stated

    A beach protected since 1994 where leatherback, olive ridley and hawksbill turtles nest; in November 2006 it recorded its first arribada in 15 years.

    Nesting depends on each species’ season and no hours are published in official sources: ask at the ranger station before going at night. For a surer turtle experience, go to Ostional.

    Source: Wikipedia – Camaronal Wildlife Refuge · 2026

    Practical details and sources

    Nearby: Islita (4.1 km) · Playa Carrillo (7.2 km) · Playa Sámara (8.7 km)

    Sources: Wikipedia – Camaronal Wildlife Refuge

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