Jacó Surf Guide
A popular and beautiful town in Nayarit, Sayulita is a go-to for surfers from all over the Americas.
Quick Facts
Relatively accessible surf spot from the capital
Lots of options for different surf levels
Can get quite peaky and messy
Surfable almost 365 days a year
Introduction to Jacó
Jacó has been called the capital of surf in Costa Rica and it’s on our list of the Best Surf Towns in Costa Rica. This is because of its proximity to San Jose and how accessible it is, but these certainly aren’t the best waves in Costa Rica. There are tons of beginner waves, some nearby advanced waves, and it made our list because there's plenty to do. In our opinion, the town is best seen as a place to learn to surf. If you’re looking for better waves for more advanced surfers, you can head just south to Playa Hermosa. The waves are relatively empty, it’s a huge beach, and there are plenty of schools and rentals to be found. It works best during high tide. Another plus is you’ll find a ton of used surfboards for sale here if you’re looking to pick up a board. Seriously, there’s a surf shop on every block.
Jacó Surf Season
Like all of Costa Rica, the seasons here are really a wet and dry season. Wet season is the North American summer, and dry season is the North American winter. The wet season is generally best for surfers as the southern swell channels open up. However, the dry season still provides plenty of waves. The wet season will give some closeout days especially in the afternoon, and there will be far less people. During the dry season you’ll find much mellower waves, making it more beginner-friendly.
Where to Surf in Jacó
Jacó is a bit of a hub of surf spots in the area. Here we’ll talk about the main break at Playa Jacó, but you can scroll down to find info on some of the other (super) nearby spots. Playa Jacó is generally best for beginners as it provides a lot of whitewater on the inside and a sandy bottom. In the wet season, you can get some pretty solid punchy waves up at the north end.
Crowds - Fairly, but a huge beach
Surfer Level - Beginners/Intermediates
Ideal Swell - S/SW
Ideal Wind - N/NE
Break Type - Beach
Consistency - 90%
Be Aware: Not much!
Surf Camps, Classes, and Lessons in Jacó
If you’re just looking for rentals, head to the beach and look around. There are stands up and down the beach offering board rentals. If you want classes or a surf camp, we have you covered!
School of the World - With almost 20 years of working in the area, School of the World is a solid option for a surf camp in Jacó. One thing we like is that they offer a 7 Day Double Surf Camp. This means you get two 120-minute surf lessons a day, which is relatively rare for surf camps. They also have other offerings like a Photography and Surf Camp in Jacó.
Damo - Damo is the rare surf camp that has 5 full stars on Google with about 50 reviews. For real, it’s a solid choice for beginners. They include yoga and meditation, some food, hiking, and tons of equipment to use. For all of their offerings, the prices are extremely reasonable as well. They offer 3 day surf camps, 5 day camps, and 7 day camps.
Surf Inn Hermosa - As the name suggests, this place is located just outside Jacó in nearby Playa Hermosa. It’s a bit more chill as you’re out of the city of Jacó. They have beachfront properties right in Playa Hermosa with high speed internet, A/C, and kitchens. They also can help organize transport! They offer 7 day camps for beginners, and camps for intermediates/advanced surfers as well.
Vida Asana - Located less than a mile from the beach, Vida Asana is a little tropical retreat. It’s an eco-friendly place that offers yoga, mindfulness, and surfing. They offer 6 day surf and yoga retreats, and you can also just stay here if you wish! If you’re looking for an overall wellness vibe, this is your place.
Jacó Surf School - If you just want classes, Jacó Surf School is where you should look. They have rentals and lessons, and can also set you up with housing if you need in a surf-camp style.
From the Store
Nearby Surf Spots
Playa Escondida
About 20 minutes north of Jacó, this reef break has some solid wedges on the right day. It needs the right SW swell to get working, and should only be surfed at higher tides because of the reef.
Crowds - Quiet
Surfer Level - Intermediate
Ideal Swell - SW
Ideal Wind - E/NE, Low
Break Type - Reef
Consistency - 50%
Be Aware: Super shallow reef, especially at low tide
Roca Loca
This break is actually just at the south end of the bay. It needs a good size swell to really work, but is a solid fast wave for advanced surfers when it’s firing.
Crowds - Relatively quiet
Surfer Level - Advanced
Ideal Swell - SW
Ideal Wind - E/NE
Break Type - Point
Consistency - 50%
Be Aware: Rock reef
El Gato
Pretty similar to Roca Loca, toward the south end. Popular with locals, and tons of rocks underneath. Left-hander that’s punchy and relatively short.
Crowds - Somewhat
Surfer Level - Advanced
Ideal Swell - S/SW
Ideal Wind - E/NE
Break Type - Rock reef
Consistency - 70%
Be Aware: Rocks and reef
Playa Hermosa
Simply the best intermediate+ wave in the area. A World Surfing Reserve site, and super consistent. One of my favorite places I’ve ever surfed personally.
Crowds - Some
Surfer Level - Intermediate+
Ideal Swell - S/SW
Ideal Wind - E/NE
Break Type - Beach Break
Consistency - 80%
Be Aware: Strong waves
Other Things to Do in Jacó
Jacó has plenty of other activities for your time out of the water surfing, or for the rest of the family. As a bit of a tourist spot, you’ll find no shortage of activities.
Snorkel and Dive - There’s plenty of snorkeling tours and diving opportunities from Jacó. There’s some incredible volcanic formations, coral, and of course plenty of fish. We’ve seen the white tip reef sharks diving here, as well as a bunch of eels and an octopus once! We recommend going with Jaco Guides if SCUBA is your thing!
Fish - If you like fishing (or have never tried it), Jacó is a great place to give it a shot. I’ll be honest, we’ve never been fishing here, but we hear it’s a good place from friends and family! There are plenty of fishing charters you can take out to the Pacific to get some good deep sea fishing in!
Zipline - There are a ton of ziplining tours all over Costa Rica. It’s super fun and a good way to explore the jungle. We recommend checking out Chiclet Zipline in Playa Hermosa. They have 12 ziplines, with the longest one being over 300 meters. It’s about $60/person, and you won’t regret it!
Hike - As with much of Costa Rica, there’s super beautiful hiking. My favorite trail in the area is the trek up to El Miro just at the south end of Jacó. If you want to go farther out, check out Rainmaker Conservation Park. They have beautiful rope bridges, waterfalls, and a magical little hike.
Visit Carara National Park - About a half hour north of Jacó is Carara National Park. There are gorgeous jungle trails, and you’ll almost certainly see tons of lizards and crocodiles. It’s a transition forest, so you’ll find a huge diversity of flora and fauna, and you can go yourself if you want without a guide. It’s one of the top spots for birdwatching as well.
Los Sueños Adventure Park - About 20 minutes inland from Jacó, Los Sueños offers a bit of everything. You can do a zipline tour, ride ATVs, raft down the Savegre River, or go canyoning through the waterfalls. We definitely recommend the rafting and canyoning!
Spot the Crocs - About a half hour from Jacó you’ll find the Tarcoles River. I’m not sure what the bridge is called. When I lived there, we just all called it “Crocodile Bridge.” There are tours that take you on a boat down below, or you can hang up above and watch the crocodiles from the bridge.
Where to Stay in Jacó
If you don’t want to stay at one of the many surf camps in Jacó, don’t worry! We have you covered. There are seriously a ton of hotels in town. The town can get rather rowdy with parties at night. This may be what you’re looking for, or not, so keep that in mind.
Surf Synergy
Wellness surf hotel with a view
Not a surf camp, but a full-on surf hotel. It’s up in the hills, and includes all kinds of wellness activities. You can take surf classes, SUP on calmer days, take in incredible views, take functional fitness classes, and practice yoga and meditation. Oh, and the food is delicious!
Socialtel Jacó
Perfect hostel-style living for nomads and travelers
This was formerly the Selina, a popular chain of hostels around Latin America and are on our lists in almost every city they’re in. Socialtel has a nice shaded pool right at the beach, affordable accommodations, and generally have a ton of events and activities to meet fellow travelers.
Hotel Lía
More luxurious hotel right on the beach
Hotel Lía is simply beautiful on the inside. It has a natural minimalist feel, a big pool, and they organize a ton of activities for their guests. If you’re looking for something higher-end or more romantic, check out the photos on their website!
Casa Mandolina
Beachfront private house for groups
Casa Mandolina is toward the south end of the beach, but still walking distance to the center of town. It’s a beautiful home with a security guard, AC, and plenty of room for family or friends.
Getting to Jacó
If you’re flying into Costa Rica to head to Jacó, you’ll head to Juan Santamaria International Airport (SJO). The big plus to Jacó is that it’s only an hour or so with the new highway to get into town from the airport.
Public Transportation - Surprisingly, there isn’t a direct bus route. You’ll have to get to the Coca-Cola bus terminal first in San Jose. From there, you can get a direct ride to Jacó. Buses leave every two hours and take about two hours.
Taxi/Uber - You can certainly get a taxi from the airport straight to Jacó. You can find taxis right outside the airport. They’ll charge around 150 USD and it takes about an hour and a half.
Private Transfer - You can get a private transfer from the airport to your accommodation into Jacó for $150-200 each way. This is the way to go if you’re traveling with a group or a family.
Car Rental - Finally, you can of course rent a car. When we go to Costa Rica, we rented cars with Target Car Rental who no longer is in business. But you can rent a car and drive no problem. Contrary to everything everyone says, the roads really aren’t bad. The style of driving may be a bit more aggressive, but we had no problem driving here.
Restaurants in Jacó
Soda Garabito - A little cheap dining experience like sodas generally are, this is the place to get some local Costa Rican food. Last time we were there (2024), they only took cash. Get some gallo pinto! It’s buffet style, and meals generally cost around $5.
Rústico - Another soda, Rústico is a popular local spot. The buffet style soda has chicken and meat, rice, beans, salads, and drinnks. It will run in the $7 range for a meal, and every day you’ll find different options.
Graffiti/Puddlefish - Graffiti and Puddlefish Brewery are right next door to one another and you can order off both menus. Puddlefish is more of pub food with nachos and burgers, while Graffiti offers more of a seafood/steakhouse vibe. Good for a night out for couples!
Koko - One of the few worthwhile restaurants on the beach. Good drinks, fun and energetic vibe. They have burgers, delicious tuna, and decent breakfasts.
Pachi’s Pan - Not really a restaurant or a place to get a meal, but one of the older bakeries in the area. They have baked goods, donuts, empanadas, enchiladas, and more.
Chinita Pacifica - Finally, there’s Chinita Pacifica. A little one-woman operation, she cooks whatever she has that day. The gallo pinto is one of the better ones in Jacó.
Travel Tips
Noise Levels
Like many party towns in Costa Rica, Jacó gets going at night. If you have kids or need quiet to sleep, don’t stay right in the middle of town. We’ve heard loud music going literally all night in town, and the thumping of the bass can keep light sleepers awake.
Getting Around Sayulita
In our opinion, you don’t need a car if you plan on staying in and hanging around Jacó. If you want to explore other surf spots nearby or go on tours, a car can be helpful. But you can also take taxis fairly easily. As far as getting around town, everything is super walkable. We prefer walking actually as you get to know the city a little more closely!
Spending Money and ATMS
As a fairly touristy town, you will be able to spend foreign currencies like Euros and US Dollars in many parts of town We generally recommend using the local currency, as the exchange rate offered will be better from your bank than a local business. For safety reasons, we always recommend not using the ATMs sitting out on the street. When we use ATMs, we look for an actual bank ATM. There’s a Banco de Costa Rica, a Banco Nacional, and a few BAC ATMs. You also might consider getting a Wise card for the best currency exchange rates.
Doctors and Hospitals
Like many places in Latin America, the pharmacies will have doctors on staff for smaller things. If you need a private walk-in clinic, visit MMI. They have a pharmacy and lab and everything. You also can go to any public hospital for free/cheap medical attention if you need an ER.
Be sure to check out our Resources page for tips on traveling, spending money, support, and more.
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