All activities / Surfing / Nosara
Surfing in NosaraCR
A small Pacific beach town on Costa Rica's Nicoya Peninsula, accessible by dirt road. Home to consistent surf, year-round sun, and one of the world's most established destinations for yoga teacher training and long-stay retreat.
Why here
Playa Guiones is the kind of beach break that made Nosara a surf town in the first place: sandy bottom, forgiving waves, and enough consistency that a week here builds real progress instead of luck. The town has grown up around that consistency, so beginner-friendly schools sit a short walk from the point, and board rental is as easy as ordering a coffee. It also works for the traveler upgrading from white water to green: the days you don't want a lesson, you can still find a shoulder-high peak with room to think between sets. Add a wellness-town infrastructure built by decades of yoga tourism, and Nosara is an easy add for anyone already planning a Costa Rica surf-and-reset trip.
Best months
December through April is the dry season: offshore mornings, glassy conditions, and the most reliable learning window of the year. Green season (May to November) brings bigger, more powerful south swells that reward intermediate and advanced surfers but come with afternoon rain and a less forgiving lineup for first-timers. Water stays warm year-round, no wetsuit needed.
Getting there & around
Fly into Liberia (LIR) and drive about two hours south, or take a short domestic flight from San Jose to the Nosara airstrip (NOB). The last stretch of road into town is unpaved and can be rough in green season; most lodges arrange 4x4 transfers. Lessons and board rentals are walk-up in town, no advance booking required outside peak dry-season weeks.
Skill levels: beginner, intermediate, advanced
Schools & guides (2)
Nosara CR Surf School
SchoolA local, community-rooted school right on Playa Guiones. Coaches teach students to read the ocean rather than just pop up and go, and lessons scale from first-timers to surfers refining turns. Small group sizes keep instruction personal, and all boards and gear are included.
The Gilded Iguana Surf Club
SchoolBased at the north end of Guiones with ISA-certified instructors offering private, semi-private, and group lessons. Part of a longer-running Nosara hospitality operation, so it pairs easily with a broader stay in town rather than a bolt-on activity.