Santa Teresa Guide: Santa Teresa and Mal País, checked by people who know the coast

Santa Teresa north, Nicoya Peninsula

Playa Santa Teresa

Playa Santa Teresa is the long sand beach running north from Playa Carmen, and it's the reason most people come: consistent waves, a wide beach for walking and some of the best sunsets on…

Guide

Santa Teresa, Costa Rica: the complete guide

Santa Teresa is a surf town on the southwestern tip of Costa Rica's Nicoya Peninsula, strung along a coast road with Mal País to the south and Playa Hermosa to the north.

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Playa Carmen, Santa Teresa

Playa Carmen

Playa Carmen is the beach at the main intersection where the road from Cóbano reaches the coast, between Santa Teresa to the north and Mal País to the south.

Montezuma and Cabuya, Southern tip of the peninsula

Cabo Blanco Absolute Natural Reserve

Cabo Blanco Absolute Natural Reserve covers the forested southern tip of the Nicoya Peninsula, a short drive south of Mal País.

Montezuma and Cabuya, Gulf of Nicoya

Isla Tortuga

Isla Tortuga is a pair of small, forested islands in the Gulf of Nicoya with a white-sand beach and calm, clear water.

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Photo: Fishermen at sunset, Playa Santa Teresa by Christopher Crouzet, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

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Mal País vs Santa Teresa vs Playa Hermosa: which to choose

Choose north Santa Teresa if you want to walk to restaurants, bars and surf; Playa Carmen and south Santa Teresa for a central, practical base; Mal País for quiet, rocky coves and sunsets; and Playa Hermosa for space, gentle waves and family time. They're all on the same coast road, so you can visit the others easily.

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