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Looking for the best way to spend your time in Nosara? You’ve come to the right place!
As far as we’re concerned, this is the perfect Costa Rican beach town. It’s small, surfer-friendly, and a little upmarket – oh, yes, and full of fun things to do!
Nosara has definitely become more popular in the past few years, and it appeals to pretty much everyone, from solo surfers to families and couples. So if you’re looking for the best things to do here, we’ve rounded up our top five activities, and there’s something to suit everyone. We had so much fun exploring this charming beach town while living in Costa Rica, and we promise that you won’t get bored here.
Let’s get into it!
Quick Pick: Our Favorite Activity
Don’t have time to read the full article?
Our personal FAVORITE thing to do in Nosara is this ATV tour through the jungle! Take in amazing views, pick fruit from local a farm, and have a thrilling ride. Check all the 5-star reviews and book this tour here!
Tip: Book this tour now and get FREE cancellation up to 24 hours before you go!
- Quick Pick: Our Favorite Activity
- Things to do in Nosara
- 1. Private Costa Rican Lunchtime Cooking Class in Nosara
- 2. Private Full Day Jungle ATV Tour with Lunch at a Coffee Farm
- 3. Small Group Morning ATV Mountain Tour in Nosara
- 4. Morning Waterfall Rappelling in Nosara
- 5. Private Surf Class with a Local Instructor
- Where to Stay in Nosara, Costa Rica
- Pura Vida!
- Why We Book Tours with Viator
- Getting Around Costa Rica
- Don't Forget Travel Insurance!
Things to do in Nosara
1. Private Costa Rican Lunchtime Cooking Class in Nosara
- Price: $65 USD
- Duration: 2 hours
- Time: 11 am
- Highlights: preparing a five-course meal, cooking on a wood-fired stove, instruction from a local chef, private class
- Inclusions: ingredients, equipment, and lunch
- Pickup from: meet at the restaurant
- Rating: 5 Stars (check 58+ reviews here)
- Free cancellation: yes
Taking a cooking class while you’re in Costa Rica is a must and we just love this private lesson in Nosara! It takes place on a family-owned farm with a talented local chef, who will teach you how to cook an authentic 5-course meal on a traditional wood-fired stove, called a “fogon”.
On the menu are yummy dishes like chicken empanadas and fresh ceviche, which I can never get enough of! Vegetarians are catered for, too, as long as you get the hosts know ahead of time.
What we love the most about this tour, though, is the hosts! Esteban is an incredible teacher and he’s happy to give guests a tour of the farm. We recommend taking him up on this because it’s so interesting to learn more about the local area and hear what life is really like on a Costa Rican farm. In fact, we think that this tour is a must for those looking to immerse themselves in Costa Rican culture.
You can book this experience for up to 6 people, and a minimum of 2 guests are required to book. We think that this is a fantastic experience for couples, groups of friends, or families, as kids are welcome to get hands-on with the cooking!
Book this private cooking class now and access FREE cancellation 24 hours before you go!
2. Private Full Day Jungle ATV Tour with Lunch at a Coffee Farm
- Price: $195 USD
- Duration: 6 hours
- Time: between 7 am and 5 pm
- Highlights: swimming in waterfalls and rivers, quad biking over hills and mountains, coffee farm tour, delicious casado lunch, private tour
- Inclusions: ATV and all safety equipment, local guide, visit to an organic coffee and fruit farm, lunch
- Pickup from: self-drive – contact tour company through Viator to arrange pickup
- Rating: 5 Stars (check 20+ reviews here)
- Free cancellation: yes
Nosara is in the Guanacaste province, which is known for its gorgeous beaches, jungles, farms, and rolling hills. So what better way to explore the area than with this exciting ATV ride?
As you zoom along the dirt roads up into the jungle-covered mountains and hills, there will be plenty of time to stop and swim in hidden rivers and waterfalls, which you’ll most likely have all to yourselves! Junior and Abraham are incredible guides with a fantastic sense of adventure, and they’re always happy to chat about life in Nosara. In fact, I recommend getting some local recommendations from them!
There’s also a visit to an organic coffee farm, which is sustainably run by a local family. It’s so interesting to learn about the bean-to-cup process and don’t worry, you’ll get to try plenty! Then, after a yummy lunch with the family, it’s back on the quad bikes to continue exploring and ride off all of that caffeine.
We love that this tour blends a thrilling adventure with a wholesome cultural experience. It showcases the best of what Nosara is all about! A minimum of four people is required to book, but it’s absolutely ideal for groups of friends and families. While kids can’t drive the ATVs, they’ll definitely enjoy the ride!
Check availability and reserve this top-rated tour in advance here.
3. Small Group Morning ATV Mountain Tour in Nosara
- Price: $150 USD
- Duration: 4 hours
- Time: 8 am
- Highlights: exploring the mountains by ATV, visit stunning viewpoints over Guanacaste, picking fruit at a local farm, farm-to-table lunch with a local family
- Inclusions: ATV and safety gear, lunch, farm visit, local guides
- Pickup from: self-drive
- Rating: 5 Stars (check 58+ reviews here)
- Free cancellation: yes
Make the most of the day with this morning ATV tour in the Nosara hills and mountains! We think that this is the perfect ATV tour for solo travelers and couples, as it’s a shared tour so there’s no minimum number of participants needed to book. It’s also a fantastic way to meet and bond with fellow travelers as you explore the area and pick fruit together!
Yup, that’s right, after exploring the gorgeous jungle trails and snapping photos at the area’s best viewpoints, you’ll head to a local family farm where the nicest hosts will show you around. We loved being able to pick fresh fruit – the oranges were especially amazing!
Then, we sat down together as a group to enjoy an amazing farm-to-table meal. It was one of the best meals we’ve ever had in Costa Rica and all of it was grown right there on the farm – how cool is that? The coffee was fantastic, too, and we would recommend bringing some cash as that way you can buy a bag of fresh roasted coffee to take home. There’s no pressure to do this, though, but it’s just so good.
This tour is such a great way to explore the Guanacaste region and we highly recommend it! Thanks to its competitive price, it usually fills up ahead of time during peak season, so take advantage of the free cancellation policy and be sure to book in advance!
Check out the dozens of 5-star reviews and secure your spot now, before it sells out!
Why We Book Tours with Viator
Viator is a trusted online booking system for tours around the world! We almost always book our tours using Viator for a couple of reasons:
- Free cancellation on most tours – Most of the tours on Viator allow you to cancel and get a full refund up to 24 hours in advance. This is handy in case plans change, or if booking an outdoor activity, the weather forecast is looking grim.
- Reserve now and pay later – You can secure your spot on some of the most popular tours well in advance and not pay until closer to the day of the tour.
- Lowest price guarantee – If you happen to find the same tour at a lower price elsewhere, Viator will refund you the price difference.
- Pay in your chosen currency – Avoid costly international transaction fees by choosing to pay in your home currency.
- Peace of mind – When booking with tour operators you find in person on the street or in small booking offices, you are often promised one thing and given another. This online platform holds tour operators accountable with a written description of inclusions as well as the opportunity for customers to leave reviews.
Check out the Viator website here! Or, for more info, read our detailed review about Viator here.
4. Morning Waterfall Rappelling in Nosara
- Price: $90 USD
- Duration: 3 hours
- Time: 7 am
- Highlights: guided jungle hike, rappelling down the Mala Noche waterfall
- Inclusions: hotel pickup and drop-off, guide, safety equipment, bottled water and fruit snacks
- Pickup from: Nosara
- Rating: 5 Stars (check the reviews here)
- Free cancellation: yes
For nature lovers and active travelers like us, this waterfall rappelling tour is a must-do in Nosara! It kicks off with a morning hike through the jungle. Even though I don’t always love an early start, I really appreciated the fact that this tour kicked off so early because it allowed us to beat the heat!
Hiking through the jungle was a fantastic opportunity to spot monkeys, iguanas, and tropical birds, and things only got better when we arrived at the Mala Noche Waterfall! It’s a gorgeous waterfall and rappelling down it was so much fun, especially because we got to go swimming at the bottom. Nothing beats cooling off in a waterfall pool on a hot day in Costa Rica, believe me.
Group sizes for this tour are small, with a maximum size of 10, which is ideal! No experience is needed to rappel down the waterfall and we had so much fun swimming with everyone afterwards. Even our guides joined in the fun!
This tour is perfect for couples, groups of friends, or even families with older children. Kids as young as 10 are welcome to participate, and you need a minimum of two people to book. Just make sure to book in advance, as places are limited!
Secure your spot on this adventurous tour now, with FREE cancellation options!
5. Private Surf Class with a Local Instructor
- Price: $70 – $90 USD per person
- Duration: 1 hour
- Time: between 6 am and 6 pm
- Highlights: surfing instruction geared to personal ability level and preferences, expert coaches
- Inclusions: board rental, private instructor
- Pickup from: self-drive
- Rating: 5 Stars (check the reviews here)
- Free cancellation: yes
Nosara was actually a hidden surf spot once upon a time. It’s pretty popular now, but the surf scene is still going strong! So we highly recommend learning to surf or brushing up on your skills in order to get the most out of your time here. This 1-hour private class has fantastic local instructors who really know their stuff, and you won’t have to share them with anyone else!
The instructors will tailor the class to you and take you to the right surf break for your ability level. This class is not just for beginners, it’s also for those who might be a little rusty, or for intermediate surfers who simply want to sharpen their skills. After all, becoming an advanced surfer doesn’t happen overnight.
Surfing can be intimidating but this class really meets you where you’re at and develops your skills and confidence. This surf school is so welcoming and truly is for anyone who wants to give it a go, so I definitely suggest grabbing a board and hitting Costa Rica’s famous waves.
Check availability and book this private surfing lesson here!
Where to Stay in Nosara, Costa Rica
Before you decide where to stay in Nosara, let’s clear one thing up. You want to stay near Playa Guiones, not in Nosara. The town of Nosara is not near the beach and is also not where all the best restaurants and shops are. They are all in a small downtown area near the beach. These are a few of our favorite places to stay:
The Gilded Iguana – $$$
Suppose you’re a luxury traveler. Luckily for you, there are a lot of hotels in this price range in Nosara. The Gilded Iguana is really one of the best if you want a resort-style stay close to the beach with luxury amenities.
All the rooms here include balconies and patios as well as seating areas. You can enjoy entertainment, take a yoga class, or sign up for a spa package all without needing to leave the resort. A one-night stay begins at $420 USD. You can book it on Booking.com here!
The Sunset Shack – $$
Your options are much better for those with a little more to spend. My top choice is The Sunset Shack for around the $200 USD a night price range. The hotel is perfectly located, close to the beach, and has a pool.
All the rooms have air-conditioning and in-room WiFi. You can also treat yourself to a relaxing time at the hotel’s on-site spa if you need it after a day of hitting the waves at the nearby surf break. Reserve your room here on Booking.com.
Selina Nosara – $
For budget travelers, stay at Selina Nosara. Although this hostel pushes into the medium-priced category, it’s worth spending the extra money. The hostel has a beautiful pool and tons of free activities every day. This is without a doubt the nicest hostel I have ever seen!
A one-night stay at Selina Nosara begins in the range of $50-100 USD per night depending on when you visit. You can book this hostel on Booking.com or on Hostelworld.
Read our blog about the best hotels in Nosara for more detailed info!
Getting Around Costa Rica
How you choose to get around Costa Rica is one of the biggest decisions you’ll make when planning your holiday here! How you do it depends on your budget, travel style, and comfort level.
Renting a Car
Without a doubt, the number one way to explore Costa Rica is in a rental car. We book rental cars on the Discover Cars website as we have had good experiences with them in the past.
One of the things you need to watch for when renting a car in Costa Rica is the mandatory insurance that the government requires you to have. There are a lot of very cheap rentals that don’t include this mandatory insurance (TPL) in the original booking price, but there are also ones that do. To avoid additional surprise charges when you pick up your rental car, be sure to rent a car that includes the mandatory insurance when you book.
Thankfully, on Discover Cars it’s easy to tell apart the companies that include the mandatory insurance and those that don’t. The trick is you can’t pick any car on their website. In the picture below, you can see this rental car, with pick up in Jaco, includes the TPL. That means the mandatory insurance is included in the price. Any cover you get above that is extra.
Of course, I still suggest getting the full coverage offered by Discover Cars, which covers you even more.
You can browse cars on Discover Cars here.
Book Shuttles
If renting a car isn’t in your budget, you don’t feel comfortable driving in Costa Rica, or you just don’t like driving, shuttles are the next best option. There are hundreds of shuttle routes available all over the country, and they are very affordable.
Shuttles in Costa Rica are specifically for tourists and often include pick up and drop off at your selected hotels and airports. The drivers also speak some English, and the vehicles have air conditioning. You’ll also be guaranteed a seat when you book a shuttle (which isn’t the case with the public bus system.)
To get the best price, use the website Bookaway. They compare all the offers and prices of shuttle companies in Costa Rica so you get the best price! Honestly, we have saved so much money using Bookaway!
You can search for shuttles online on Bookaway here.
Public Bus
Lastly, you can use the public bus system. On short journeys, such as from San Jose to La Fortuna or Uvita to Manuel Antonio, this system is great. However, the longer the journey the more hassle and time spent on a bus. It’s undoubtedly best to save the public bus in Costa Rica for short and straightforward trips!
The public buses are definitely the cheapest way to get around Costa Rica, but they are not always very reliable and schedules often change without notice and delays are to be expected. The buses can also be very crowded and hot – so just be prepared!
It’s also good to speak some Spanish if you plan on riding the public bus since most drivers and ticket booth operators don’t speak English.
Don’t Forget Travel Insurance!
If you’re looking to save money on travel insurance, we currently use and recommend SafetyWing. We’ve been using their coverage since 2018 and they’ve had our backs when we needed emergency flights and got sick overseas.
SafetyWing is one of the cheapest providers out there and covers everything from medical costs to lost luggage, travel delays, and emergency flights. A huge difference we’ve found between them and other companies is that they let you take out a policy AFTER leaving your home country. We’ve also found it handy that it’s a monthly payment rather than a lump sum, and you can get a refund for unused time.
SafetyWing has helped us out in some scary situations before and their affordable coverage has given us peace of mind.
Pura Vida!
While there are even more things to do in Nosara, Costa Rica – these are easily the top 5! Between the beautiful beaches, lush jungles, and amazing food, you’ll find never be bored while visiting here.
I hope you found this guide helpful as you plan your travels. Be sure to check out our other Costa Rica blogs if you’re traveling further in this stunning country. We’ve lived here for quite some time and traveled all over, so we know the best spots to check out and the top activities. Here are a few related blogs to get you started:
5 BEST Night Tours in Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica
4 BEST Sunset Cruises in Tamarindo + What to KNOW Before You Book
7 Day Costa Rica Itinerary: How to Spend One Week in Costa Rica!