A row of coconut palms backs nearly the entire beach, with a small mirador overlooking the bay from the eastern point.
Blue Flag beach
Playa Carrillo is a palm-lined crescent beach next to the fishing village of Puerto Carrillo, a few kilometers south of Samara. Rocky headlands at both ends shelter the bay from heavy swell, keeping the water calm and shallow enough for young children, with rocky reef patches at each point offering snorkeling at high tide.
Paved road (Routes 21 and 150 via Nicoya) reaches Puerto Carrillo directly; no 4x4 required. No dedicated parking lot, only street parking along the boulevard.
Playa Carrillo
Carrillo Tours runs a guided night turtle tour to a nesting beach near Samara and Carrillo, timed to half tide during nesting season to watch Olive Ridley turtles come ashore, dig nests, and lay eggs. The company operates out of both Playa Samara and Playa Carrillo and books the tour alongside its other ocean and mangrove excursions.
Playa Carrillo
A yoga and wellness community on the beach at Playa Carrillo, established in 2010, offering yoga classes, retreats, and 200-hour teacher trainings alongside surf coaching and surf camps. It also runs stand-up paddleboard tours and lessons and surfboard rentals. The yoga shala sits above the Musmanni bakery in Playa Samara, with surf lessons held at Playa Carrillo.
Playa Carrillo
The longest established sportfishing operation in Playa Carrillo, running for 29 seasons under owner and captain Rick Ruhlow with mate Orlando. The Kingfisher, a 31 foot Palm Beach with a tower and outriggers, specializes in offshore trips for marlin, sailfish, tuna, dorado and wahoo.