nosara vs. mal pais
 

My husband and I are traveling to Costa Rica in August. We would like to visit Nosara and/or Mal Pais. We're looking for great beach, surfing, hiking, relaxing etc. We'd really like to visit both towns but understand the drive btw. the two is long. I've traveled around the Osa so i know what Costa Rica roads are like & we're fine with that, just want to minimize long driving hours. We fly into Liberia. Any recommendations???

How long are you going for? If you're there for a week you can easily do both. You will spend the better part of the day driving between the two.

yes, we're there for a week. have you been to both?

Yes. They are both great. There is not much to Nosara though (not that Mal Pais is a bustling metropolis). Nosara is a very small area. Mal Pais If you want to check out both fly into Liberia firday night and drive to Nosara Saturday, then drive allllllll the way down to Mal Pais on Monday and spend most of your time there. Then drive to the Ferry in Paquera take it across and you can drive up to San Jose to fly home.

From Nosara the fastest way to drive there would be to drive all the way down the Nicoya peninsula.

If you want to spend all your time at just one place - Mal Pais IMO.

I'd recommend Malpais, simply for the fact that you're looking for a variety of activities, and I'm thinking of Cabo Blanco reserve at Cabuya, (between Malpais and Montezuma). It's a great, though quite strenuous hike, best undertaken early in the a.m. You'll hike over a ridge to the beach (about 2 hours), refresh yourselves, have a bite of lunch, shower (yes, there are showers), and head back. You'll return about 2:00 p.m. We saw a lot of good wildlife that we've not seen elsewhere (deer and anteaters come to mind).

And of course, you are close to Montezuma, a fun little town. Montezuma Falls also a good outing.

By the way, double check to be sure, but I think Cabo Blanco is closed both Monday and Tuesday.

id say Mal Pais and Nosara are pretty similar, both surf beaches!
Noras actually has 3 beaches, the 'town' is inland!
id go to Montezuma and Mal Pais as shillimac says youve got Cabo Blanco Reserve where the best beaches in that area are and the waterfall in Montezuma:

http://costa-rica.typepad.com/montez...ome/index.html

Thanks for all the info. We will definitely hit up Mal Pais & Montezuma. I've just heard Nosara is great too & very relaxed & great surf. Is it worth spending a few days there??

Nosara is lovely!
but, id say 2 days max, depends on how the surf is i guess!

If surfing and hanging out are what you need then Nosara is a winner. The waves are consistent and enough for two good sessions each day. Also there are nice restaurant options for a week long stay. It would be better if you just stayed in one place getting to know the town better and avoiding the hassle of renting boards again. The hiking was never really an option as we were kept busy by our daily surf and search for food routine. Bring a good book!

thanks for all the info everyone!