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Location: between Hermosa and Ario Beaches in Puntarenas, Costa Rica.
GPS Coordenates: 9.683697,-85.201871 (9°41’01.24″N, 85°12’06.72″W)
Canton: Puntarenas, district: Cóbano
Zone postal code: 60111.
Manzanillo beach is a beautiful white-sand beach that makes its way to the turquoise waters and moderate waves of the Pacific, famous for its stunning sunsets. It form some low tide pools where you can swim, cool off or do some snorkeling and admire the exotic marine life.
Getting to Manzanillo Beach in Puntarenas
From San José go to Puntarenas and then take the Ferri to Tambor or Paquera. (Tambor Ferri is the largest and most comfortable, we recommend you get to Puntarenas an hour before the ferry leaves). Go through Tambor to Cobano. In Cobano cross the village and after about 8 miles, and just before the beach, there is a junction, turn right onto Manzanillo Beach, passing through Carmen and Santa Teresa towns. This route requires a total of five hours from San Jose.
From Daniel Oduber Quiros International Airport (LIR), drive south through Nosara, Samara and Coyote, cross the Bongo river and continue through Ario to Manzanillo Beach. Between Ario and Manzanillo you can continue through a stretch of beach. Make sure the tide is low and only use a 4×4 vehicle for this route. It is a very scenic trip as you go down the coast (this route exemplifies rural Costa Rica and is very beautiful). Or you can reach the junction that leads to Ario Beach and go through the mountains, this way takes longer, but it’s the official road and its use is not dependent on the tides.
By bus
Take a local bus from San Jose – Malpais – Montezuma, which takes about 5 hours (Transportes Rodriguez, 2642-0219).
By plane:
You can also take a flight from the Juan Santamaria Airport to the Tambor Airport, either with Sansa Airlines or Nature Air every day. From here you can rent a car and drive, or take a bus or taxi to Cobano and then to Manzanillo beach, passing through Carmen and Santa Teresa towns, which is about 40 minutes.
