Guanacaste Packages/Deals & Travel Agents Near Me

Costa Rica's Guanacaste province is features five-star hotels, all-inclusive resorts and large condominium projects. Expansion of the Daniel Oduber International Airport in the capital city of Liberia has helped fuel this phenomenon.

Some of Costa Rica's most beautiful and expansive beaches are located in Guanacaste, and many of them have black volcanic sand. The contrast of these ebony-sand beaches with sparkling blue waves crashing on them, bordered by verdant forest, is striking. Some of them, such as Tamarindo, are favorites of the surfing crowd.

The forests that abound in Guanacaste are dry tropical forests as opposed to tropical rain forests found in the rest of the country. The weather is drier than the rest of the country and subject to drought. Along with cattle ranches, the province has a large cowboy population.

The city of Nicoya, located in the middle of the Nicoya Peninsula, is considered a center of arts and crafts for the Province of Guanacaste.

Must See or Do

Sights—The Church of San Blas; Puente de la Amistad de Taiwan, a gift from Taiwan that is also the largest bridge in the country; Iglesia la Ermita de Nuestro Senor de la Agonia.

Museums—The Museo de Guanacaste to learn about the arts and culture of the province; the Museo del Sabanero to immerse yourself in the cowboy culture of Guanacaste.

Memorable Meals—Beachside burgers and sandwiches at Father Rooster; fresh seafood and excellent fruit smoothies at Lola's.

Late Night—Dancing to house music at El Garito; live bands throwing back to the 1950s and 1960s at ZI Lounge.

Walks—A stroll through the park at Playas del Coco.

Geography

History

Guanacaste has the distinction as the only province to voluntarily join Costa Rica after Central America's liberation from Spain on 15 September 1821, a date celebrated as Independence Day in all Central American countries. In 1825, the citizens of Guanacaste voted to leave Nicaragua and join Costa Rica.

To commemorate that act, the government declared the national tree of Costa Rica to be the guanacaste tree, a large spreading tree that grows primarily in Guanacaste. The seed pod resembles a human ear, and the name given to the tree is taken from the indigenous name guana (tree) and caste (ear).