Playa Iguanita
A wildlife-refuge beach with a small longboard wave at its south end in rainy season.
Turtle nesting Protected area
Iguanita Wildlife Refuge
Playa Iguanita is a dark-sand beach inside the Refugio Nacional de Vida Silvestre Iguanita on Bahia Culebra, reached by a partly paved access road off Route 253. The water is unusually calm and clear for swimming, and a small rivermouth wave breaks at the south end during rainy-season south swells, mostly used by longboarders. A ranger station provides bathrooms and showers, and camping is permitted on the beach.
Good for
- Swimming
- Surfing
- Wildlife
- Camping
Facilities
- Parking
- Restrooms
- Showers
- Camping
Getting there
From Route 253 north of Playa Hermosa, turn at the signed Iguanita turnoff and follow the access road down through the wildlife refuge to the beach parking area; a 4x4 is recommended in rainy season.
Sea turtles
Species: Olive ridley
Nesting season: Year-round solitary nesting, not a mass arribada site
The refuge keeps a record of olive ridley nesting and hatching on Playa Iguanita, but in low, scattered numbers rather than the arribadas seen at Ostional.