At the beach at Jaco, you'll usually find a friendly mix of local ticos and tourists whose mission it is to enjoy the friendly surf and sun as much as they can! Like most beaches in Costa Rica, the surface can change from the seasonal weather patterns and tides. In the high season from December to April, it is usually all sandy, and during the rest of the year, it can have smooth pebbles mixed on the surface, but the bottom is always basically sandy. Unlike other beaches, like nearby Hermosa, under "normal" conditions of light waves, there are usually no dangerous currents.

Main street in the town of Jaco is only a few blocks from the beach. People usually stroll in and out of the main part of town in their beach clothing allowing for a complete and very comfortable tropical setting. Sunbathing is enjoyed by many while others enjoy the shade from Palm trees boardering the sandy beach.

Restaurants & Bars

Where would the vacationer be without good food and tropical drinks. Now we are not stating that all trips revolve around excellent cuisine but it sure helps. Fresh seafood is always available including shrimp, many types of fish, squid, clams, scalops, and more. If you have not had a cold beer with a serving of Ceviche (raw fish or shrimp in lime juice) on a hot day then you just have not truely experienced some of Costa Rica's finest bocas (snacks or h'orderves).

Jaco is one of the most popular Costa Rican beaches. Located in the North of the Puntarenas province along the country’s central Pacific Coast less than 2 hours from San Jose, Jaco has the reputation of being a ‘party beach’ with an excellent nightlife. However, the fun here is casual and relaxed, and the people here are nice and friendly. Catering mostly to a huge number of foreign tourists who want to enjoy a more tranquil lifestyle, Jaco has a nice clean beach that is especially popular in the summer.

In Jaco you will find accommodations to suit every budget, as well as good food, plenty of restaurants and a number of local sodas and stores. There are also plenty of tour operators in town that arrange everything from horseback rides on the beach, to some excellent off shore sport fishing and sea kayaking.

One of this town’s major attractions is the fantastic surfing here as the waves are consistently big and the breaks are very good. A yearly international surf contest is also held in the nearby Playa Hermosa that attracts a huge number of surfers from all over the globe to this beach.

Easily accessible by all, Playa Jaco is about 3 km long and is best reached by catching an International fight to San Jose and then driving out here. The areas to the north and south of Jaco are some of the most picturesque and cleanest, with stunningly gorgeous panoramic ocean views.

You need to be careful about swimming here, as riptides are quite common along the beach shore.