The area's working fishing pier, where the day's catch comes in each afternoon.
Playa Mal Pais fronts the fishing village of the same name at the southern end of the strip, with a working fishing pier where boats land their daily catch. The shoreline is rockier than Santa Teresa to the north, and the village keeps a quieter, more local feel with fewer hotels. Tide pools form along the rocks at the beach's southern edge near Playa Mar Azul.
Follow the coastal road south from El Cruce for about 2 km into Mal Pais village; the pier and beach are on the main road.
Mal País
Local family-run ATV, UTV, motorcycle, and bicycle rental business serving Santa Teresa and Mal Pais, with more than 17 years of experience. Staff give driving instruction, route maps, and hotel drop-off and pickup of vehicles.
Mal País
Costa Rican Tropical Tours runs inshore and offshore sport fishing charters out of Mal País, targeting roosterfish, mahi mahi, tuna, wahoo, sailfish, and marlin. The same crew also runs a late afternoon sunset boat cruise along the Mal País and Santa Teresa coastline that passes Cabuya Island. Trips are booked directly through WhatsApp.
Mal País
Jason Tours is a Mal País based sport fishing and boat tour operator offering inshore and offshore fishing trips along with snorkeling, whale watching, and custom boat excursions. The company is authorized by the Costa Rican government and accepts credit card and PayPal payments. It holds a 5.0 rating from 76 TripAdvisor reviews and ranks among the top boat tour operators in Mal País.