Playa Grande, Costa Rica ’s North Pacific

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The beautiful and famous Playa Grande is an important part of Las Baulas National Marine Park, with its pristine coastline and clear blue sea is one of the best beaches on the coast of Guanacaste. Located in the northern region of the Nicoya Peninsula in the province of Guanacaste, Playa Grande is home to the Sea Turtle Baula that is in danger and that comes every year to lay their eggs on the beach.

Playa Grande was incorporated within the national park in the 90s and is open to the public only during the day when the sea turtle arrives to lay their eggs. During the night police patrol the park to secure ant to protect the turtles and their eggs, especially from hunters and tourists too excited and that constitute a threat of the eggs of the giant turtles that are considered aphrodisiacs and a real delight for many people. The season of incubation of the turtles is from October to May and definitely is an interesting to look. If you are in this area around this time, you have to go to this place because you will see thousands of turtles arriving in the dark to lay their eggs on the beach.

Another popular reason to visit Playa Grande is because there are excellent conditions for surfing, which are on the main beach. Playa Grande is a more calm beach than for example Playa Tamarindo, because it has small and gentle waves, despite of that the surfing is equally good. In fact, according to many surfers the surf breaks and the waves are sufficiently robust to qualify among the best points of surfing in the country. The north part of the beach is great for swimming if you’re not a fan of surfing.

Because this beach is part of a protected area, no hotel has rooms overlooking the beach, however, there are close to Playa Grande a good number of hotels that are quite economic. By law is not allowed get around the beach at night especially during the nesting season and is also not allowed any kind of light on the beach. The reason is because the light scares turtles. There is only one hotel nears the beach is that which was built prior to the establishment of the National Marine Park Las Baulas. In fact the owner of this hotel had a very important role in the creation of the park. Playa Grande is a wonderful place to enjoy the wonderful beauty of nature. The tourist also can rent equipment as surfboards, kayaks and snorkeling horses.

Possibly the only problem with Playa Grande is that it is not easy access to the beach. Tamarindo is the nearest beach and it is located a couple of miles from Playa Grande. Because there is no direct way to get to Playa Grande, the visitor has to cross the statuary between Playa Grande and Playa Tamarindo. The shortest way to get there is to fly to Liberia International Airport and from there travel to the beach.