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North Pacific

Potrero / Flamingo / Conchal

The wide and quiet bay of Potrero Beach is located about 20km north from Tamarindo. The long and sandy beach is ideal for enjoying walks, and you can observe beautiful sunsets from here. In and around the small fishing village Potrero, you find the most important things like restaurants, supermarkets, pharmacies and banks.

There are several interesting points for scuba diving close, among them Las Catalinas islands, where with a little bit of luck eagle rays, manta rays, different kinds of sharks and much more can be observed. Depending on the season, even humpback whales have been spotted in the area. Fishing and horseback riding are other excursions offered on the spot.

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Samara / Islita

Samara is a small town full of good vibes that lies at the foot of mountains which are covered by tropical rainforest. It is located on the Nicoya Peninsula in the province of Guanacaste and offers one of the safest and most attractive beaches on the Pacific Coast. The wide bay is partly enclosed by an offshore reef, thus the water is extremely calm and great for swimming and snorkelling. 

On the list of things to do in Sámara are sport fishing, snorkelling, kayak tours to Chora Island, Stand up Paddle, horseback riding by the beach, Canopy, visits to the Guaitil indigenous community and, of course, swimming in the light blue ocean and enjoying the beach. 20km or about 30mins driving further south of Sámara you can find the beautiful Islita Beach and the amazing hotel “Punta Islita”.

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Tamarindo / Langosta / Mansita

Tamarindo, once a small fishing village, has grown exceptionally during the last decades and nowadays is one of the most visited towns with one of the most attractive beaches in Guanacaste.

The town offers everything you need, from banks to drugstores, grocery stores, restaurants and much more! The golden sandy beach in Tamarindo is 4km long and on each of its sides enclosed by rivers flowing into the pacific ocean. At low tide, you can easily walk to its neighbouring beaches, Playa Grande to the north and Playa Langosta to the south. Playa Grande is a protected area since it is considered to be one of the most important nesting places for the Leatherback Turtles, which arrive between October and March.

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Malpais / Montezuma / Tambor / Sta Teresa

Malpaís and Santa Teresa are characterised by amazing long palm beaches, which provide first-class surfing. Both towns are stretched along the coastline and connected through an unpaved road. People who live here mostly have a slow and relaxed life. Santa Teresa is a small, ancient fisher village, located on the southernmost tip of the Nicoya Peninsula. Some years ago it has become more and more important to the tourism industry, a clientele living the ‘alternative lifestyle’. Nowadays this village offers a lot of small restaurants, bars, and discos. Entertainment is guaranteed.

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Papagayo / Hermosa / Panama

Papagayo Gulf (Gulf of Parakeets in English), including its southern beaches Playa Panamá and Playa Hermosa, is located in the Guanacaste’s northerly shoreline. All sorts of resorts and accommodations for travellers have sprung all around the coast; however, this place is still a secluded sanctuary for those who seek a quiet hideaway. The calm blue-aquamarine waters are great for swimming. The beaches, bordered by a thick tropical canopy, are definitely a source of pride. Alluring topography, astonishing vegetation, and overwhelming sunsets complete what you could call a perfect summer holiday; for as they say quietude and relaxation always go hand in hand on the serene coast of Papagayo Gulf.

Liberia

Liberia, the capital of the province of Guanacaste in the north-west of the country, is located just 80km south of the Nicaraguan border. The city and its surroundings during the last centuries have become more and more important in terms of agriculture and cattle breeding. The centre of Liberia has developed itself to an aspiring small city. Often it is referred to as ¨Ciudad Blanca - The White Town¨ by its inhabitants, due to the white sand used in former times to build the streets and the old colonial houses. In the afternoons, many of its inhabitants gather in the park in front of the modern, white church.

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Rincón de La Vieja

The well-known Rincón de la Vieja area is located in the province of Guanacaste, a bit north of the province capital Liberia. 14´300 hectares of the area are protected by the Guanacaste National Park, being the active volcano of the same name and its manifestations like fumaroles, lagoons and mudholes its main attractions.

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Palo Verde

Palo Verde belongs to the Tempisque Conservation Area in the northern part of the country.

This is indeed a secluded system of swamp, mangroves, lagoons, marshes, grassland, and forests where many species (at least some good 279 types) of birds including storks, egrets, ibis, anhingas, grebes and spoonbills can be observed.

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Nosara / Azul

Nosara Beach is located on the northwestern side of the Nicoya Peninsula. It offers a very relaxed setting, vibrant plant life and a delightful black-sanded beach. This spot is a favourite for fishermen because two of the longest river in Costa Rica's flow into a lagoon behind Playa Nosara, which makes it a good place for fishing and for exploring up the river by canoe or kayak, enjoying animals and tropical vegetation.

Many types of accommodations are available to fit all budgets and yet keep everyone immersed in Nosara's natural beauty. Surfing and boogie boarding are two of the most popular activities. Actually, there are great surfing opportunities for all levels; the beaches also invite for romantic or meditative walks at sunset.

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Miravalles

The region of Miravalles is located in the province of Guanacaste, some kilometres north of the village of Bagaces. The region is dominated by the stratovolcano Miravalles with a height of 2´028 meters above sea level and nearly completely covered by forest.

The base of the volcano presents a volcanic activity that shows up in the form of gas and vapour emissions, already visible from far away, as well as mud holes. A geothermic project for the generation of energy has been established by the governmental electricity company ICE.

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Salinas / La Cruz

The canton of La Cruz is located in the extreme north-west of the province of Guanacaste and borders Costa Rica´s northern neighbour Nicaragua. From the viewpoint close to the small city La Cruz, stunning sunsets can be observed. The Santa Rosa National Park with its well-known Casona de Santa Rosa, where on March 20, 1856, the filibuster troops under William Walker were beaten off, is part of the most important touristic attractions of the canton.

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What to do in this region?

Sámara

Sámara

Located on the Nicoya Peninsula, Sámara is one of the safest and most attractive Pacific Coast be...
Barra Honda National Park

Barra Honda National Park

The main attraction of this park is an extensive network of limestone caverns. There have been 42...
Ostional Wildlife Refuge

Ostional Wildlife Refuge

The Ostional Wildlife Refuge on the Nicoya Peninsula protects the important nesting beaches for O...
Diriá National Park

Diriá National Park

Initially created as a wildlife refuge in 1991, this area in Guanacaste was declared a national p...
Las Baulas National Park

Las Baulas National Park

This national park along the Guanacaste coast was created to protect endangered giant Leatherback...
Palo Verde National Park

Palo Verde National Park

Palo Verde National Park in Guanacaste comprises over 13´000 hectares (32´123 acres) of marshes, ...
Guanacaste National Park

Guanacaste National Park

The Guanacaste National Park, together with the Santa Rosa National Park, form an 85´000 hectares...
Santa Rosa National Park

Santa Rosa National Park

This national park protects both historical sites and tropical dry forest. In March 1856, the San...
Rincón de la Vieja National Park

Rincón de la Vieja National Park

The Rincón de la Vieja National Park was established in 1973 to protect the flora, fauna and grou...
ARA Tours Testimonials-FeedBack

Feedback

  • Janaina & Dieter, Brazil

    The trip was wonderful! Your help was invaluable and without your choices it would not have been so good! I am very very satisfied and very happy with the choices you made!

    Thank you very much for everything!

    Janaina & Dieter, Brazil
  • Kathrin, Ines, Matthias & Ingo, Germany

    Hello dear Aline, many thanks to you for the great compilation and organization of the trip. We were able to spend eventful, interesting and wonderful days in Costa Rica and will keep them in good memory. A thank you also goes to the ARA Tours team, which was available 24/7 for problems and questions, which were solved and answered quickly and reliably. The punctuality of the transfers offered should also be emphasized. In summary, it was a wonderful holiday.

    Kind regards

    Kathrin, Ines, Matthias & Ingo, Germany
  • Carina & Thomas, Germany

    Hello dear Aline,
    Now we have arrived back at San Jose Airport after a great trip. Everything worked out great and the tour was just perfectly planned and organized. Thank you very much. We take a lot of positive memories with us.
    Best regards.

    Carina & Thomas, Germany
  • Yvonne, Switzerland

    The Costa Rica trip together with my family is already behind us - it was wonderful!!! Everything went smoothly from A to Z, we had a wonderful time, no incidents and wonderful experiences.
    We all enjoyed it very much; the nature is enormous, but also the warm-hearted people, the cleanliness, the food - we are very enthusiastic!
    At this point I would like to thank you very much for your support in the preparation, for all the bookings, clarifications and enquiries!!!
    We visited the waterfall in La Fortuna and had a great view of the Arenal. In Monteverde we did a Hanging Bridges and Zipline tour and in Nosara a surf course. In Finca Rosa Bianca we did the coffee tour, it was all great, fun and interesting 😊. All in all, we saw lots of animals, always ate well, enjoyed the beaches....even in rainy weather 😊. Often we were even glad that it was overcast, otherwise it would have been almost toouuu hot for us.
    So THANK YOU again so much for everything!!!!

    Yvonne, Switzerland
  • Christina, Switzerland

    Many thanks for the extensive support (before, during and after the trip) and the professional handling of our concerns. With your support we had a smooth and unforgettable vacation in Costa Rica! Our favorite hotels: Hotel Plaza Yara and the Poas Volcano Lodge - a dream!
    All the best
    Christina

    Christina, Switzerland
  • Jeanne, Bernd & Bill, USA

    Yay! I´m glad we are back on track. Thank you again for helping us with all these changes.
    I´m glad we choose ARA-you are amazing! Thanks for all your help! It made it a very memorable visit!

    Jeanne, Bernd & Bill, USA
  • Janka, The Netherlands

    Hi Eli & ARA Team,
    We have spoken to the guest and they are super enthusiastic about their Costa Rica roundtrip! Everything was well organized, nice hotels, nice mix of activities & beach and they have big compliments for you guys!!
    Many thanks for all the good work!! The guest highly appreciate it!!
    They had lunch nearby in Ara Ambigua Lodge, and they loved this place. Friendly staff and good food!
    Do you work with this accommodation? If so, we would love hear 😊
    Once again, heads off for this amazing trip!
    With warm regards

    Janka, The Netherlands
  • Thomas, Deborah, Eva & Paula, Switzerland

    Dear Priska
    Happily I write some words to you in English, so you can easily forward them also to Ara Tours, please. Thank you all, we spent a magic time in Costa Rica! Baumeler's and Ara Tours organisation and logistics were perfect, everything worked out even better than we expected. The tours were brilliant, we really enjoyed everything very very much!
    All the accomodation was absolutely wonderful... the setting, the quality, the food, with happy helpful friendly staff everywhere. It was a wonderful way to experience this beautiful country the way we did, on a private tour with personal guide and drivers. We saw and learnt sooo much - it would have been impossible to do so on our own.
    Especially we praise our brilliant guide Fernando Perez, we benefited so much from his truly wide knowledge and deep love for his Country which he passed on in lovely encouraging way. We even became friends and we will meet in Switzerland coming September! Also our driver Carlos Sandi was great, not only as a driver but also as a compagnion, animal spotter and photographer. Thank you!
    So.... now we just enjoy our last day...
    Sunny greetings, pura vida

    Thomas, Deborah, Eva & Paula, Switzerland
  • Yvonne & Andrea, Switzerland

    Hello all
    Unfortunately, our wonderful trip is already over and everyday life has caught up with us again. We would like to thank you very much for everything. The trip was planned exactly according to our wishes and we have seen so many beautiful places.
    Thank you Stefanie!
    We have felt completely comfortable and top cared for by you. Via Whats App we got immediate answers to our questions, with the car everything worked out great. In all locations we were treated very warmly and nicely. It was just so indescribably beautiful, we will dream of the beautiful experiences for a long time. In any case, we will warmly recommend you and hope for a next time. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
    Best regards.

    Yvonne & Andrea, Switzerland
  • Anita, Switzerland

    We have arrived safely in Switzerland and have already returned to work.
    It was a wonderful trip you put together for us.
    Your excellent service, as well as the 24 hour support service from ARA Tours, was truly outstanding.
    I have already recommended you several times and would book with you again and again. Thank you very much and keep me informed if there are any interesting offers.
    Best wishes.

    Anita, Switzerland
  • Lukas & Isabelle, Switzerland

    Hello Pedro, our time in CR is coming to an end and we wanted to say "thank you very much for organizing a phenomenal week". Everything has been well organized and we have seen many beauties of nature. Thanks!

    Lukas & Isabelle, Switzerland
  • Reinout & Yvonne, The Netherlands

    Thanks Jenny for the clear answer. We will make an appointment via the link you gave us.
    Today we visited National Parc Cabo Blanco. What an amazing park, so quiet for tourists, so full of animals, really lovely and therefore together with Monte Verde, Cahuita and Corcovado the park today, Cabo Blanco, scores high in our ranking of most beautiful parks of CR.These parks give us reason, together with the Pura Vida in CR, to come back soon. We'll keep in contact.

    Reinout & Yvonne, The Netherlands
  • Dominik, Germany

    Good day Jennifer
    As we have already told Simone, the stay at Lapa Rios is extremely enriching, thanks to the well planned planting and the untouched environment we see a lot of animals. Contrary to the plans before the stay, we do not want to visit more animals in captivity at the end. We will have a look at the few hours before we leave.
    We thank you and your team very much for the excellent advice and the permanent support! We can only recommend Ara Tours.
    Best regards.

    Dominik, Germany
  • Daniel, Jana & Theo, Germany

    A big thank to you, you saved our vacation!
    Communication already worked very well in Germany. The help from you, especially through Aline, should be mentioned here. This was fantastic from the first WhatsApp message to the last. We already know Costa Rica, so we knew what we wanted and what not. Ara Tours was an important point of contact for us. We are very grateful to Aline precisely because our actual travel agent cancelled our trip 36 hours before departure. She immediately organized everything for us. Whether the hotel in beautiful Punta Leona, the tours to the national parks, even the shuttle service with the great driver Guillerno Ortega has to be mentioned here. We are very grateful to you, dear Aline, but also to the entire Ara Tours team. You too made our almost 3-week trip to Costa Rica unforgettable again. We would love to come back and of course we will book through Ara Tours again.

    Daniel, Jana & Theo, Germany
  • Alexander & family, Switzerland

    Thank you, everything really worked out great. Super organization and at any time quick info / help / support from you!
    We liked it very much. The conclusion in Quepos was crowning. We liked the beach in the National Park Manuel Antonio very much. We would have liked to stay longer, but we take home many wonderful, unforgettable impressions. PURA VIDA!
    Many thanks to you Aline! We will gladly recommend you to others.

    Alexander & family, Switzerland
  • Neumann Family, Germany

    - The route was super planned, first on the beach time to arrive and then only from Monteverde with excursions inland etc. and at the end again beach - perfect!
    - Support from Ara Tours was VERY good!!! Through Whatsapp reachability the service was great, very quick answers / very flexible, good suggestions etc. Also with the doctor Ara Tours helped with translations by phone - that was really very, very good!
    - The home stay day was an absolute highlight - very authentic - so we got to know the locals REAL, the family was super friendly and very open and have talked about everything. Not at all touristy perceived.

    Neumann Family, Germany
  • Marine & Bruno, France

    Hello
    We would like to thank you personally for this beautiful trip that you organised for us and for the follow-up that you did throughout the stay. A big thank you also to Jennifer d'Ara tours! Thank you again and have a great week!

    Marine & Bruno, France
  • Walter, Switzerland

    We really appreciated your (almost) daily updates from Costa Rica on Covid and related issues. That was a highlight compared to other incoming agents worldwide! We thank you for your effort and wish you that you manage the coming time well and stay healthy.

    Walter, Switzerland
  • Ronald, Germany

    Our great compliments for keeping us informed every day on the developments. We wish you all the best and keep yourself and families in good health and mood during this unprecedented period!

    Ronald, Germany
  • Kathrin, Germany

    You are really super! It is impressive how you manage the crisis with your super flow of information and the great reversal. Hats off!

    Kathrin, Germany
  • Michael, Germany

    Hello, we were on a round trip in Costa Rica from 27.11., which was booked through BigXtra and organised by them. We would like to take this opportunity to thank you very much. The tour was simply amazing! The support by Carlos was just great. We have done many trips before, but this one was an unforgettable experience thanks to Carlos. Carlos speaks very good German and was able to sensitively introduce us to Costa Rica, its incomparable nature and its great, friendly inhabitants. Pura Vida became for us a term for the attitude towards life in Costa Rica. Please say hello to Carlos from us and once again a huge thank you to him in the name of the whole group of 8. We wish him only the best for his future.

    Michael, Germany
  • Evelyne, Switzerland

    Wie just did a 4 week trip in Costa Rica which was organised from ARA tours and we really liked it - well done Ara Tours! We also had a guide - his name is Enrique. His German is really good and he knows a lot about Costa Rica and he showed us a lot of animals. We had a wonderful time with hime - thank you so much Enrique!

    Evelyne, Switzerland
  • Tanja, Germany

    perfect tour perfect tour guide pablo, everything very well organised 👍👍👍👍🇨🇷🇨🇨🇷 were thrilled

    Tanja, Germany
  • Ines, Germany

    Many thanks and great praise to our tour guide Mauricio and our bus driver Adrian! We felt very comfortable during the 2 weeks in Costa Rica. The wide-ranging knowledge of Mauricio and the super driving skills of Adrian were particularly admirable. Thanks to the eagle eyes of both of them, we had the opportunity to observe a variety of animals in Costa Rica. Thank you for everything!

    Ines, Germany
  • Sabine, Germany

    I can only recommend ARA Tours. Thanks again to Nicole for the great planning of the tour and the support. Our tour guide Peter Käser was simply incredible (a walking encyclopaedia) and always had an answer to all my questions about the flora and fauna and the history of CR. Our driver Julio carried my father on his hands, for which I am very grateful. CR is also worth a trip for wheelchair users at any time (with ARA Tours, of course).

    Sabine, Germany
  • Thieme Family, Germany

    We would like to thank you once again for organizing our trip [...] through the beautiful country of Costa Rica. Our special thanks go to our tour guide Enrique, who with his extensive knowledge of flora and fauna about his country brought it very close to us and made us want to come even a second time. We were very glad and happy to travel with him, as he was also very committed to our problems on site, in addition to his competent function as a tour guide.

    Thieme Family, Germany
  • Antonia-Maria & Boris, Austria

    Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your sensational effort! I do not know such a competent tour guide as with you really from nowhere else... and we have already traveled a lot... 🙏🏻🍀

    Antonia-Maria & Boris, Austria
  • Katja, Germany

    I wanted to thank you again for the great Costa Rica trip. We flew back home very happy and with many great impressions. A compliment for the super organisation. Everything worked out perfectly (except for the handover of the rental car, which was force majeure...). So thank you again and I have already recommended you to friends:-)!

    Katja, Germany
  • Denise & Alain, Switzerland

    Thank you very much for your email and the tickets. We really appreciate how quickly and efficiently you deal with our requests each time!

    Denise & Alain, Switzerland
  • Philippe, Switzerland

    Hello Christine Thank you very much for this information. The support is super👍 many thanks Gruss

    Philippe, Switzerland
  • Marianne & Stefan Gräub, Switzerland

    Otherwise, the planned trip was a complete success. Everything went well and the visits you organised were all very interesting. The visits you organised were all very interesting and gave us a great insight into the respective topics. The fact that the Ticos are very friendly and always ready to help was fully confirmed.

    Marianne & Stefan Gräub, Switzerland

    Contact Information

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    Address

    Apdo 799 – 1007
    San José, Costa Rica

    Licenced by the Costa Rican Tourist Board: Lic ICT OT 294

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