North Pacific Coast Feature

Beaches: White sand, black sand; palm-fringed strands; beaches for swimming, partying, surfing, and sunbathing—you can't beat Guanacaste's beaches for sheer variety.

Big wind: From December to May, the trade winds whip across northern Guanacaste with a velocity and consistency that make the Bahía Salinas a world-class sailboarding and kitesurfing destination.

Endangered nature: Guanacaste's varied national parks protect some of Central America's last remaining patches of tropical dry forest, an unusual ecosystem where you might spot magpie jays or howler monkeys in the branches of a gumbo-limbo tree.

Scuba diving: Forget the pretty tropical fish. Sharks, rays, sea turtles, and moray eels are the large-scale attractions for divers on the Guanacaste coast.

Surfing: The waves are usually excellent at more than a dozen North Pacific beaches.