Duration: 4 Days / 3 Nights · Price: From $800 USD per group of 1–4 · Difficulty: Easy
About this tour
Santa Teresa is the beach town everyone tells you about in a lowered voice, as if sharing a secret: a dirt-road surf village on the tip of Costa Rica's Nicoya Peninsula where the Pacific sunsets are so reliably spectacular that the entire town stops to watch them. This 4-day, 3-night beach hopping escape from San José puts you in the middle of it — with your own private transportation, a relaxed itinerary, and three of the peninsula's most beautiful beaches within reach.
Getting there is part of the experience. Your private driver picks you up in San José and rolls onto the Puntarenas–Paquera ferry, where you cross the Gulf of Nicoya with scarlet macaws sometimes crossing overhead and islands drifting past the rail. From Paquera, the road winds south through Cóbano to Santa Teresa, where you check in for three nights with breakfast included.
The days are built around beach hopping at your own pace. Playa Santa Teresa and Playa Carmen deliver the surf-town energy — consistent waves, beachfront cafés, and that long golden-hour light the Nicoya Peninsula is famous for. A day trip east brings you to Montezuma, the bohemian village where jungle meets sea, for the classic Montezuma Waterfall hike: a 20–40 minute river trail through the rainforest ending at a 24-meter cascade with a deep natural swimming pool at its base. Locals leap from the rocks; you are welcome to simply swim and float beneath the falls.
The Nicoya Peninsula is one of the world's five Blue Zones — places where people routinely live past 100 — and a few days here make the reasons obvious: sun, sea, real food, and absolutely no hurry. This is the slow Costa Rica that brochures promise and group tours never quite deliver. Pura Vida, at walking pace.
What's included
- 3 nights accommodation in Santa Teresa with daily breakfast
- Private round-trip transportation from San José, including the Puntarenas–Paquera ferry crossing
- Beach hopping to Playa Santa Teresa, Playa Carmen and Montezuma
- Guided hike to Montezuma Waterfall
- Bilingual local host
- Bottled water during transfers
Not included
- Lunches and dinners (Santa Teresa has outstanding restaurants in every budget)
- Surf lessons and board rental (we can arrange them)
- Optional Tortuga Island boat trip
- Gratuities
- Personal travel insurance
Good to know
- Accommodation tiers (budget, regular, luxury) confirmed at booking — occupancy may adjust the total
- The ferry crossing takes about 70 scenic minutes
- Montezuma Waterfall trail is a 20–40 minute river hike — wear water shoes and bring a swimsuit
- Best surf season is December–April; the waterfall is fullest May–November
- Sunsets on Playa Santa Teresa are a nightly event — do not schedule anything against them
- Free cancellation 72 hours prior