About Jaco Beach, Costa Rica

Jaco Beach Costa Rica is the closest beach to San Jose, located between two of the most important beautiful countrie park reservations it´s only about 90 minutes on a paved road through lush mountains.

Costa Ricans as well as backpackers, surfers, single travelers and beach party crowds come to Jaco Beach's hotels and resorts to enjoy the exciting things Jaco, Costa Rica has to offer in nightlife. Playa Jaco, Costa Rica is considered one of the most developed coastal towns in Costa Rica.

The main street is where you will find most of the bars and restaurants. Food for every taste can be found in the many bistros.

Jaco beach has amazing things to offer:
The number one attraction is the surf and surfers love the consistent beach break here and in neighboring Playa Hermosa, the active village is full of life at all hours of the day and night, there are souvenir shops, local clothing and artisan shops, ice-cream stands, close to 100 restaurants and bars, four casinos and several discotheques where you can dance until the dawn...

For families, there is even a miniature-golf course, petting zoo and newly developed playground where you can have a blast!

You can rent a car for very reasonable prices and the fact that there are buses that come and go almost every hour, make this town a very popular destination for Costa Ricans and tourists alike.

A major point of attraction of the Jaco Beach is the Carara Biological Reserve: It is a protected area made up of dry forest and rainforest, where you can observe varied species of flora and fauna.

The things to do at Jaco Costa Rica are abundant, an important reason why Jaco tourism is very popular both inside and outside our country.

During the day you can enjoy the beach, one of Costa Rica marinas near Jaco (the biggest in Central America), and the diversity of tours, activities and national parks and reserves nearby. During the night, clubs open for dancing, dining and drinking for 24 hour beach fun you can find at Playa Jaco Costa Rica.

During Christmas and the Easter Week the area surrounding Playa Jaco gets crowded with energetic young people looking forward to having fun. At night you can mingle with the locals and other visitors at a disco, or just walk on the streets and meander in and out of beach clubs, restaurants or nice art galleries and gift shops. Jaco Beach Costa Rica attractions are varied and seem to never end. In the middle of town you’ll walk on the main street which runs parallel to the coastline.

There are about ten streets that intersect the main street and run west to the shoreline. Surfers, sunbathers and swimmers all find their tastes met at Jaco Beach.

Also, if you want to explore the area, there are plenty of beautiful beaches in the vicinity, so it’s just a matter of grabbing the car, the beach wear and going!

Explore the top Costa Rica entertainment, Jaco Beach area primarily appeals to surfers for the constant waves. Here you will find a variety of surf shops and the town gets bright and active when the yearly surf tournaments come along.

Many North American tourists that have visited the country on a trip decided to stay and started their own businesses here. The shops in this town provide clothing, souvenirs, surfing equipment, and bicycle rentals, anything you may need!
There are also real estate offices, pharmacies and internet cafes all over the place.

Ex-pats, residents and travelers have many services available in Jaco Beach: from nice tourism offices, entertainment venues and beach night clubs; Jaco has fun discos, restaurants and much, much more to enjoy Jaco nightlife.

Jaco Beach, Costa Rica has different professionals offer their services here as well, such as lawyers, doctors and dentists. Some of the bars resemble sports bars back in the U.S., providing TV’s with different sports showing all day long. You will also find foosball games, pinball machines and pool tables to entertain yourself with after beach hours.

If you want to win, or spend a few bucks, then you may want to try out the casinos in the area…

Then, after a busy weekend the community comes together and assists in keeping the beach clean.

The town’s coastline extends for 2 miles (3 kilometers) surrounded by lush tropical vegetation.

Besides surfing you can go horseback riding with a guide, go on a sports fishing trip or rent an ATV and play around the beach with it or go a canopy tour you will never forget!

Great surfing, beaches galore and a climate perfect for laziness, plus great night life!

The main reasons for visting Jaco:

Beaches:
The playa is a bit over 3km in length from one end to the other. It makes a nice walk and if your legs give up on you, the local taxis will be more then happy to help you out. You can also rent cars and bikes. For reading, keep your eyes open and look for Jacó News, a monthly English language publication. The surf is best in the rainy season from May to November, but depending on what you crave in size of waves; Jacó really can offer an all year surfing experience.

Sights of Jacó
Jacó is really the kind of place where doers go. Not to much to see locally. Things you can do are rent kayaks, go deep sea fishing or take a sunset cruise. Horse riding is also very popular and most hotels can arrange that for you. The latest craze to emerge in Jaco is paragliding and you can even go with a boat-plane to private beaches.

Places to go when in Jacó
You can go with local tours to Carara National Park, La Catarata (waterfalls) and Tarcoles crocodile tours. You should also plan for a visit to playa Hermosa south of Jacó where you can take the canopy tour. Some places to sleep in Jacó are, Jacó Fiesta, Club del Mar, Copacabana, Best Western Jacó Beach Resort and Apartotel Gaviotas.

Eating
As Jacó is a quite big beach and a lot of tourism, you'll find a lot of places serving food. Visit Bananas, Chatty Cathy's, Emily's to the north. La Fragata with pasta and fish. La Hacienda with mid priced snacks and La Ostra with fish as a specialty.

Bars & Nightclubs
They come and go on almost a day to day basis. Two of the best are Central and Los Tucanes. Shopping as what you expect on a tourist beach and if you run out of money, then visit Banco Nacional in the centre of town.

Surfing:
Surfing here is great. Peole come from all over the U.S. to surf Costa Rica's waves. Jaco offers good waves and not a load of people waiting to catch them ALL the time.

Monkeys:
Who doesn't love monkeys! They are everywhere. Their calls echo from the jungle into your room to wake you up!

Locals:
The people in Jaco are extremely friendly and always willing to try and communicate with you. Most people speak a little bit of English but if not, they are smiling anyway! They are excited to have you in their country.

Waterfalls:
There are some secret waterfalls that locals can tell you about. You hike up some dry riverbeds and end up at a splendid site! Cool off by swimming in the pools at the bottom or for the adventurous, JUMP!

Finally, a warning
Jacó has a bit too strong surf to be a good place for small kids. Big waves, rip tides and under currents can be dangerous for someone young or unaccustomed to the sea. And as always, when dealing the sea, be careful. The tide in Costa Rica changes the sea level many meters and can pull anyone out into the open sea.