Top Reasons to Go

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

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

Endangered nature: Guanacaste's varied national parks protect some of Central America's last remaining patches of tropical dry forest, a distinctive 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 here.

Surfing: Offshore winds, warm water, and hollow barrels make for epic waves at more than a dozen Guanacaste beaches.