Carrillo Beach on the Pacific side of Costa Rica has the charm and the looks to keep you coming back for more time and time again.

Only A Handful of Permanent Residents

Carrillo is home to only a handful of permanent residents, but it serves the area as a major embarkation point for sport fishing. There is a two lane boulevard that encompasses the beach where you can park a car, bike or motorcycle if you so choose. Apart from that, there are no other developments near the beach. The neighboring beach community of Samara has more to offer in the way of stores and places to stay.

Accommodations At & Arround Carrillo

Playa Carrillo does, however, have a few lodgings which comprise La Posada Bed & Breakfast, La Tropical Beach Lodge, Hotel Leyenda and El Sueño Tropical. The established town has a couple stores and restaurants as well, but you may care to find other lodgings in the nearby beach town of Samara. Some of the hotels in Samara include Montelaguna Boutique Hotel, Villas Playa Samara Hotel and Hotel Sol Samara, and there are more possibilities in the form of restaurants, bars and other forms of night life.

Scuba Diving & Sport Fishing

This might be the perfect place to sit back and relax in a hammock, read a book or just watch the clouds pass by. If you are up for more, the sea beckons snorkelers and scuba divers. The waters a little further out from Puerto Carrillo are the perfect place to catch a prize. Some of the fish that frequent the ocean here include Wahoo, Mahi, Tuna and Marlin, so it would be a good idea to bring a fishing pole along with a swimsuit, literature, snorkeling gear, bucket, shovel and beach ball.

Getting There

Carrillo Beach is reachable via domestic flights with Nature Air and Sansa Air through the nearby city of Nosara, Costa Rica. If traveling on the ground, Carrillo can be reached from San Jose in five hours and twenty-two minutes. The Juan Santamaria International Airport in Alajuela, Costa Rica is three hours and thirty eight minutes away, and Daniel Oduber Quiros International Airport in Liberia is one hour and fifty six minutes from Carrillo.

Surfing Playa Carrillo Costa Rica

Playa Carrillo is a virgin destination near the town and beach of Samara, but it maintains more consistent and powerful waves than its northern neighbor.

The Domestic Airport, A Boat Ride or a Taxi

Carrillo has a small domestic airport that can be reached much faster than via the highways and back roads. In order to make the trip to Carrillo, you’ll have to charter a plane to the area through one of the domestic airlines of Sansa or Nature Air. That may be the quickest route to the area, but you are likely to want to stay in the neighboring town of Samara. From Samara, hiring a taxi or a boat to take you to Carrillo is not a problem.

Where to Stay

Some of the accommodations that you can find in the area consist of Villas Playa Samara, Hotel Punta Islita, Casas Azul Plata or Hotel Puerto Carrillo, and you’ll find that the area can accommodate most budgets. Some of the resorts offer all-inclusive packages such as Villas Playa Samara, but others are what you might consider as backpacker hostels. There are also surf camps in the area.

Surf Tips

The beach has various break points, and you can easily catch a short ride close to shore. The longer breaks are found further out. The bottom is sandy except for along the edges and at the outer reefs. The waves consistently reach shoulder high, and often will have a small barrel overhead. The beach is lined with palm trees where you can get out of the sun.

Items to bring… fishing pole, swimsuit, literature, snorkeling gear, bucket, shovel, beach ball
Distance from San Jose… 5 hrs 22 mins
Distance from Liberia… 1 hr 56 mins
Hotels nearby… La Posada Bed & Breakfast, La Tropical Beach Lodge, Hotel Leyenda, El Sueño Tropical
Ways to get here… plane, rental car, private shuttle, taxi, scooter, motorcycle
Best Time of Year for Surf… Pretty Consistent Year Round
Bottom… Sandy
Wave Height… 3ft-16ft (depending on swell)