Jaco / Costa Rica

In a country famous for strikingly beautiful beaches, Jaco is rather lackluster. To make matters worse, Jaco’s waters are generally unsafe for swimmers—the waves are large, and dangerous riptides are frequent. But Jaco’s all about the breaks, not the beach. Besides Jaco Beach itself, more of Costa Rica’s best surfing beaches are adjacent:

Playa Hermosa: Jaco’s most hardcore surfers head to Playa Hermosa, about six miles south of Jaco, to take advantage of its consistently large waves. Playa Hermosa also holds an international surf convention each year.
Playa Herradura: Less than four miles north of Jaco, mellow Playa Herradura is fast becoming a top surfing beach in its own right, especially for those eager to escape Jaco’s boisterousness.

And Jaco is indeed boisterous. Discos, nightclubs, casinos, and dive bars populate Jaco’s streets (try Disco La Central, La Hacienda, Beatle Bar, or The Jungle). Fortunately, there’s plenty to see and do in Jaco that doesn’t involve buckets of Imperials. For sport fisherman, the party is out at sea. The beaches north and south of town are much more scenic, and safer for swimmers.

Eco-tourists enjoy horseback treks, canopy tours, and hiking through the bordering jungles. The best destination is the Carara Biological Reserve nine miles north, a vital nesting ground for scarlet macaws. Because the macaws migrate daily, it’s best to hike the reserve’s hour-long trail at sunrise or sunset, when they’re most active.