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Surfing
Dominical
noted for having the most consistent waves in Costa Rica and its
surrounding beaches are loaded with great surf spots. These are
the ideal locations to learn to surf. There are a wide variety
of nearby beaches and reefs to choose from in the area. The
waves in the area range from small, easy-to-ride rollers, just
right for beginners, to larger, more challenging waves for the
intermediate to advanced surfer.
A
few of the beaches you can explore include Playa Dominicalito, Playa Hermosa,
Playa Guapil, and the beautiful cave-lined strand at Playa Ventanas. All of
these beaches are perfect examples of tropical, palm-lined beaches, with
incredible scenery, and gentle, well formed waves.
Click
here for Surf Camps info in Dominical.
View
current surf report for Domincal, Costa Rica.
Dominical
located in the central pacific region
of Costa Rica, in the Puntarenas Province, 28 miles south of Quepos. This
tiny beachfront town hosts a church, a school and a few restaurants and
hotels. The accommodations vary with anything from a small room in a
hotel to a large
vacation rental as well as
B&B' s and surf camps.
Playa Dominical is approximately 3 miles long with brown sand rocky shorelines
bordered by lush green forests and rolling hills.
The receding tide often leaves behind amazing natural sand
paintings, along a stretch of beach with unparallel sunsets.
Dominical
Map Locator
Costa Rica Provinces
Directions to Dominical
By Car .
By Bus
By Car From San Jose
The route to Dominical from San Jose, take the Inter-American
Highway south to San Isidro El General. You will go over the Cerro de la Muerte,
the highest point on the inter-American highway – 3200m (10,400 feet); which
tends to get cloudy and rainy in the afternoons. Once you reach San Isidro watch
for a sign indicating the road to Dominical. Turn right. The whole journey takes
between 4 and 5 hours.
By Car From Quepos
The 45 Km between Quepos and Dominical is currently still a dirt road, though it
is well maintained and no problem in a 2 wheel drive. The journey takes around
1½ hours.
By Car From Uvita and the South Coast
The coast road south from Dominical is paved.
By Bus
From San Jose A combination of Bus and Taxi. There is a bus service
(MUSOC) from San Jose to San Isidro that leaves every hour on the half hour
between 5.30 AM and 5.30 PM. It is a direct service and takes about 3 hours. We
suggest you take a taxi to the “MUSOC” bus terminal in San Jose, arriving at
least a half hour before the bus leaves. You can buy tickets in advance only
from the bus station.
Once you arrive in San Isidro, you can either take a taxi or a bus.
A taxi from San Isidro to Dominical should cost around $25 to $30 or c13000–
c15,000.
By bus to Dominical from San Isidro, ask for the bus station for the Dominical
bus.
From Quepos
This 45 km is still dirt road and consequently an expensive taxi route, around
$75 dollars. The bus takes almost 2 hours.
Scuba Diving on Cano Island
Biological Reserve
One of the best diving locations in Costa Rica with visibility of about 20
meters (65 ft.) Here you can view marine life which includes:
White Tipped Reef Shark
Manta
Bluefin Trevally
Snappers
schools of Jacks
Rays
Eels and a lot more
Snorkeling Cano Island
Biological Reserve by boat
Cano Island is located 15 kilometers off the Osa Peninsula. This white sandy
beach island has a well protected inshore reef. One of the best snorkeling areas
around.
You can view marine life including:
Fish
Turtles
Manta Rays
Dolphins
Whales
You depart early from Dominical and travel approximately 90 kilometers north to
the town of Sierpe where you board a covered boat through Mangrove swamps and
past Drake Bay. This is an all day trip starting early in the morning.
Kayaking
Kayaking in the area is most popular in the Mangrove swamps,
from Dominical drive 7 kilometers north over the Costanera road, until you
arrive at the Hatillo Mangrove next to Guapil Beach. In the rich
mangroves will have the opportunity to spot numerous species of wildlife living
in the water and the trees. Dominical sits on the Pacific Ocean
bordered to the north by the Río Hatillo, a fresh water river that runs from the
mountains into the ocean, where it creates a rushing current that you can find
and track as you walk along the beach. Traveling up the river bend, you
will find a variety of birds, like the Bare-throated Tiger-Heron, Little Blue
Heron, Brown Pelican and Royal Tern.
Shading amongst the tree roots you can see White faced Capuchin
monkeys, three- and two-toed sloths, Northern Raccoons or the White-nosed Coati.
The mangroves also are home to various reptiles such as the Green Iguana, Jesus
Christ lizards, the Boa Constrictor, and six different species of crabs. Check
with the hotels above, many of them offer
kayaking tours.
Birdwatching
To observe the Lowland Birds it is best to start out very early
when the birds are just beginning to wake up. Ideal for spotting tanagers,
honeycreepers, toucans, saltators, vireos and others.
On the river is your only chance to observe water birds.
Petrels, jaegers, gulls, and others are likely to be found there, and, with a
little luck, an osprey might make an appearance. In the wet season, you will
observe egrets, herons and ibis.
Forest and the beach, where you can observe shore birds such as whimbrels,
plovers, phalaropes, sandpipers and sanderlings, pelicans and frigatebirds.
Nauyaca Waterfalls
Nauyaca Waterfalls is a Costa Rican owned family company, dedicated for
several years to tour operations. These are horseback riding tours, traveling
through the farm that border with two impressive waterfalls from Río Barucito.
These majestic waterfalls are one of the main attractions of the southern region
in Costa Rica, not only for their natural scenic beauty, which offers the
tourist moments of recreation and fun, but also to participate in different
activities such as horseback riding tours, swimming, climbing, jumping and to
observe much of the beauty of the tropical rainforest, among others.
River Rafting
Whales and Dolphins
There are 5 species of dolphins living in the waters off the southern
Pacific Coast of Costa Rica; Spotted, Spinner, Bottlenose, Common Dolphin.
Whales; 3 Species of Whales: False Killer, Pilot & Humpback
Ultra Light Flights
Sport Fishing
