Sea turtle nesting beach with almost no development along the sand.
Turtle nesting
Playa Barrigona is a little-visited beach between Samara and Nosara, largely undeveloped aside from a private hilltop estate overlooking the cove. Olive ridley sea turtles nest on the beach, and access has historically been limited by disputes over public right-of-way across the bordering private property.
Reached by an unpaved coastal road between Samara and Nosara; a high-clearance vehicle is recommended and public beach access has at times been disputed with the neighboring private estate.
Species: Olive ridley
Nesting season: July to December, peak September-October
Featured
Samara
Sportfishing charter based in Playa Samara running offshore, inshore, and shore trips aboard a 28-foot custom Super Panga. Captains Simone and Jonathan target marlin, sailfish, roosterfish, tuna, and dorado, and the operation is the only fly fishing guide service in town. Trips run in English, Spanish, and Italian.
Samara
ASVO (Asociación de Voluntarios para el Servicio en las Áreas Protegidas), a Costa Rican conservation NGO founded in 1989, runs a volunteer sea turtle station at Playa Buena Vista near Samara. Volunteers join nightly beach patrols, relocate nests to a protected hatchery, and monitor Olive Ridley and Green turtles as part of a national network of ASVO turtle stations.
Samara
Sportfishing charter based at Playa Buena Vista near Samara, running half day and full day inshore and offshore trips aboard a 30 foot center console boat. Captain Christian Chatard, previously a fisherman in France, guides trips for marlin, sailfish, tuna, mahi mahi and roosterfish.