Costa Rica Guide
The Central Pacific and southern Nicoya
Jacó
Less than three hours from San José, Jacó sits in a hot coastal plain behind the broad Playa Jacó, the closest beach to the capital. An established seaside attraction, the resort draws a mix of surfers, package tourists, Ticos on holiday, sports fishermen and retired North American baby-boomers along with a less savoury selection of drug dealers and prostitutes. When covered in mist and backed by a spectacular Pacific sunset, the beach's wide, chocolate-coloured sands look quite attractive. You can swim at the long, spacious sandy beach although the water isn't the cleanest and you do have to watch out for riptides.
Jacó straggles along Avenida Pastor Diaz, a three-kilometre road lined with shops, restaurants and hotels. Turning off from this main drag, a few streets lead to the sea but never quite make it, petering out in attractive palm groves or the beach. On high-season weekends the main road becomes busy with traffic; bear this in mind if your hotel backs onto it.
The combination of beach-crazed weekending Josefinos and surfers – neither known for their sobriety or quietness – often transforms Jacó into too much of a party beach for many travellers. Jacó's nightlife is predictably hedonistic and sleazy, with young holidaymakers jostling for bar space with prostitutes and their clientele. That said, it can be eerily quiet in the low season, with only a few ecstatic Canadians, recently liberated from the northern winter, scooting about on motorbikes.
Jacó also makes a good base for the many surfing beaches nearby (most of them better than Jacó). Little Playa Herradura, 7km north, is a calm beach that is popular with Ticos but is now dominated by the lavish Los Sueños Marriot Ocean and Golf Resort, a North American-style monstrosity complete with five-star hotel, marina, golf course, gated communities, plush shops and restaurants. Just south of town, you'll find several wild, sparsely populated beaches including Playa Hermosa, with a long stretch of darkish sand and a tempting break for surfers. About 25km further south stretches the long Playa Esterillos. You can easily reach the southern beaches from Jacó by car or by getting on a Quepos-bound bus and asking to be let off at the relevant stop. In the case of Esterillos, you'll have to walk just under a kilometre from the main road to the beach.
Jacó activities
Surfers can rent boards at a number of competing places in Jacó; the staff at Walter ( 
643-1056) can match you with the right board and offer rentals for $10 a day and two-and-a-half-hour lessons for $40. Drop into Chuck's W.O.W Surf, at the southern end of town, for their excellent free "surf treasure map": board hire here is pricier at $15–20 a day and a two-and-a-half-hour lesson will set you back $65. Several locals offer lessons, including the experienced Gustavo Castillo ( 643-3574 or 829-4697). F Adventures ( 643-2532 or 886-4146, 
info@fadventures.com) can organize kiteboarding or paragliding sessions, while Herradura Bay Watersports ( 637-8425) can take you out parasailing. For a less extreme water workout, Kayak Jacó & Costa Rica Outriggers ( 643-1233, 
www.kayakjaco.com ) run two-hour kayaking excursion for $45 that can include snorkelling and fishing if you'd like.
A number of operators offer tours throughout the area, including to the nearby Parque Nacional Carara and to Isla Damas, a small mangrove-dominated island where you can spot plenty of monkeys. King Tours ( 643-2441, www.kingtours.com ) after numerous excursions, including rafting trips on the Río Savegre ($100) and day-trips to Isla Tortuga ($100); their speciality is sports-fishing, with some of the best half- and full-day expeditions on the coast – a half day for four people starts at $500.
The canopy craze is alive and well here, with Waterfalls Canopy Tour ($55; 643-3322, www.waterfallscanopy.com ) offering a zip-line rush that includes a rappel, suspension bridges and Tarzan swing. For something more sedate, the Rainforest Aerial Tram (Tues– Sun 6.30am–4pm; $55 for two-hour tour; 257-5961, www.rfat.com ), 3km northeast of Jacó, lets you can view the rainforest canopy and a twelve-metre-high waterfall from the surrounds of a slow-moving gondola. The price includes access to nature trails and a medicinal herb garden. The half-day horseback-riding tours offered by Horse Tours at Hacienda Agujas ($55; 643-2218) use well-cared-for horses and explore a private farm near Carara National Park, beaches, waterfalls, rolling hills and primary forest.
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