Santa Teresa

Playa Santa Teresa has been steadily growing in popularity for the last two decades, and little resembles the sleepy seaside village of days past. Today, the vibrant community of foreigners and locals attracts hordes of young travelers and surfers in addition to yoga, wellness, and outdoor thrill-seekers.

Surfer’s mecca

Its consistent swells and copious availability of lodging catering to all budgets draw throngs of tourists, especially during the high season from December to April and June through August. The town’s daily sunset ritual involves just about everybody spilling out of the hotels, restaurants, and bars to sit in the warm sand stretching the coastline and marvel in unison at nature’s dramatic sunset display while surfers ride the waves on the horizon.

If hordes of tanned and barefoot vacationers living it up, isn’t your idea of a good time? You can still enjoy the area’s beautiful beaches and the plethora of adventure opportunities by staying in Malpais only a kilometer or two south.   

What to do in Santa Teresa

True to Costa Rica’s reputation, adventure abounds everywhere you go. The young at heart are thoroughly entertained by the menu of solo and tour options available in the area. To name a few, there are canopy and zipline tours, waterfall hikes, ATV rentals, sport fishing, kayaking, horseback riding, snorkeling and scuba diving, hiking neighboring nature reserves, and day tours to nearby islands and beaches.