Fodor's Costa Rica 2013 (Full-color Travel Guide) by Fodor's

Author:Fodor's
Language: eng
Format: mobi
ISBN: 9780876371657
Publisher: Random House, Inc.
Published: 2012-10-02T04:00:00+00:00

SÁMARA

36 km/23 miles southwest of Nicoya, 26 km/16 miles south of Nosara.

This is the perfect hangout beach, with plenty of shade, bars, and seafront restaurants to take refuge in from the sun. Playa Sámara has miles of palm-shaded beach, safe swimming water, and an abundance of budget accommodations and seafront restaurants. This makes it especially popular with budget travelers, both Tico and foreign.

Sámara’s wide sweep of light gray sand is framed by two forest-covered hills jutting out on either side. The waves break out on a reef that lines the entrance of the cove, several hundred yards offshore, which keeps the water calm enough for safe swimming but leaves enough surf to have fun in. The reef holds plenty of marine attractions for diving and snorkeling excursions. Isla Chora, at the south end of the bay, provides a sheltered area that is especially popular for kayakers and snorkelers—it even has a tiny beach at lower tides. This can be a lively place on weekends, with bars on the beaches and handicraft vendors set up on the main drag. Take care on a sandy roadway running through the coconut palms and Indian almond trees that line the beach, so be sure to look both ways when you move between the surf and Margaritaville.

Sámara isn’t the cleanest of beaches (no Blue Flag), and those seeking solitude should head to the beach’s western or eastern ends. Though it lacks the rip currents that make many Costa Rican beaches dangerous, Sámara is not the best beach for swimming from September to December, when daily rains flush plenty of things you wouldn’t want to swim with into the sea.

Getting Here and Around

The drive from Nicoya to Sámara is one of the most scenic in Costa Rica, passing through rolling hills and green vistas before descending to the wide, south-facing bay hemmed by palm-lined sand. The road is paved all the way and takes about an hour. TIP Potholes are spreading, so drivers need to keep their eyes on the road instead of the beautiful views. A rough beach road from Nosara is passable in dry season (it’s more direct, but takes just as long); do not attempt this road when it rains. To get from Nosara to Sámara via the paved road, drive south, 5 km (3 miles) past Garza. At the T in the road, ignore the road toward Sámara (the beach road) and take the road to the left, toward Nicoya. This will take you uphill to merge with the main Nicoya–Sámara highway. Sámara-bound buses leave Nicoya from a stop 300 meters (1,000 feet) east of the central park. They depart almost hourly from 5 am to 3 pm (there’s no bus at 7 am) and then at 4:30, 6:30, 8, and 9:45 pm. Carrillo Tours (next door to Palí supermarket , 2656–0606) runs a daily shuttle van from the Liberia airport or Tamarindo to Sámara for $45 per person, two-person minimum.

Essentials

Bank/ATM

Banco Nacional.

50 m west of catholic church | 50205 | 2656–0089.

Hospital

Clinica.

1 km/½ mile west of Sámara in Cangreja | 50205 | 2656–0166.

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