Where should I stay when fishing in Costa Rica?
Whether you're looking for offshore deep sea experiences chasing the big fish, inshore half day fun, or even some inland angling on our lakes and rivers, you'll need to know where to visit and where to stay while on your Costa Rica fishing trip.
And that's where we come in to help! We're avid anglers and experienced travel consultants who know what it takes to create the perfect fishing vacation for our clients and friends. After all, time out on the boat is one thing, but where you're at and where you sleep is equally important.
We want you to enjoy the best of Costa Rica's fishing waters in the best hotels and resorts in the most convenient locations. Read on to see where to stay to maximize your fishing vacation to Costa Rica.
For fishing in Costa Rica, we recommend four main areas:
There's the Central Pacific around the Jacó and Herradura area, the Quepos and Manuel Antonio area (also in the Central Pacific), Guanacaste in the Northern Pacific, and the Caribbean coast of Tortuguero.
Jacó and Playa Herradura
Los Sueños in Playa Herradura, just north of Jacó, is one of the best Costa Rica fishing destinations. Equipped with a 200-slip marina, Los Sueños is a world-class hotspot for both inshore and offshore fishing. It’s great for families, groups, single travelers, and couples.
This is also the closest fishing spot in Costa Rica to the main airport in San José, less than 1.5 hours away. If you want to experience the best of Costa Rica’s incredible fishing with easy access and luxury amenities, Los Sueños is your destination.
Accommodations at Los Sueños range from the Marriott Los Sueños resort to a variety of vacation rental options, from smaller condos through to large homes and opulent villas. Wherever you stay at Los Sueños, you're within easy reach of the marina and world-class sport fishing.
An advantage at Los Sueños is that offshore fishing can be done as close as 20 miles from the marina. This means that most days, you can have your lines in the water within an hour of boarding the boat. The inshore fishing here also offers a great opportunity to test your abilities. It's possible to find 50-pound roosterfish and massive cubera snapper in these waters.
In addition to all this, Los Sueños features a spa, an 18-hole golf course, a beach club, and access to 12 restaurants, some of them at the marina.
Los Sueños is one of the places we recommend most in Costa Rica to serious anglers and anyone who loves the waters. But away from here, the nearby beach community of Jacó also provides easy access to the Los Sueños Marina for fishing and the town itself for restaurants and nightlife.
Anglers wishing to stay in Jacó will enjoy the resort amenities of Croc's Casino Resort or the chilled out Club del Mar on the beach at the southern end of town.
Quepos and Manuel Antonio
Located south of Jacó, also on the Central Pacific coast, is the small port of Quepos, known as the fishing capital of Costa Rica and the gateway to the famous Manuel Antonio National Park, a favorite destination for beach lovers and eco-tourists.
Quepos also has a marina, the 300-slip Marina Pez Vela, which offers phenomenal inshore, offshore, and fly-fishing experiences. Quepos was once a bustling port and commercial fishing center, with the new marina sharing space in town with rickety old piers that take you back to a bygone age.
When fishing is your priority, it gets no better than Quepos and the Pez Vela Marina. Deep sea fishing adventures are around the corner, and the species are plentiful. Head out early in the morning to catch sailfish and marlin offshore. Or head inshore and target roosterfish, cubera snapper, mackerel, and other reef species.
The nearby Savegre and Naranjo rivers offer excellent freshwater fishing, unique to this area. Get hold of machaca, mojarra, roncadores, and record-breaking snook while testing your abilities here.
With chances to enjoy both the beach and rainforest, fishing isn't the only attraction in Quepos. Once here, you have access to the nearby Manuel Antonio National Park, plenty of adventure activities, and gorgeous beaches on top of world-class fishing.
For lodging, it makes sense to stay in Quepos if you're a serious angler on a fishing trip, and Marina Pez Vela offers great accommodation options. If you're interested in enjoying and exploring beaches and rainforests as well as fishing, then Manuel Antonio has a plethora of hotels and resorts, large and small, to stay in. Two top hotels in Manuel Antonio we recommend are Arenas del Mar and Costa Verde.
Guanacaste
The Pacific waters off the coast of Guanacaste in northern Costa Rica offer outstanding inshore and offshore fishing. During the rainier months of August through October, when the Central Pacific sees more showers, Guanacaste is a much better fishing destination due to its drier climate.
The peak fishing season here ranges from mid-June to October, when sailfish, tuna, and dorado are more common than elsewhere in Costa Rica.
The brand new marina in Flamingo is a perfect place to be near if you're looking for proximity to long days out on the ocean chasing big fish. We recommend Margaritaville in Flamingo or Bahia del Sol in Potrero as the two beach resorts closest to the Flamingo Marina. The Westin Conchal is also quite close.
Tamarindo also offers some great fishing charters as well as a vibrant surf community on a beautiful beach with restaurants, stores, and nightlife. Our anglers love staying at the Tamarindo Diria or Cala Luna in Tamarindo.
And then there's Papagayo, further north up the coast. This area also offers some great fishing charters and a number of resorts to relax in, like Andaz Costa Rica or the Four Seasons.
Unlike other popular fishing destinations, Guanacaste is more of a moored boat location due to the lack of marinas (with the honorable exception of Flamingo).
The main benefit of moored boats in Tamarindo and Papagayo is the price. Since charters in these places don't have to pay to be in a marina, charter costs here tend to be 10-15% less than elsewhere.
The Caribbean
The Caribbean coast of Costa Rica offers some of the best tarpon fishing in the world. It's an ideal place for anglers who want to get off the beaten path.
Although fishing is part of the culture here, the Caribbean doesn’t see as much sport fishing as the Pacific. But this doesn’t mean there aren’t challenges for both pros and beginners.
The area between Parismina and Barra del Colorado is the home to some of the best year-round tarpon fishing on the planet, especially from February to May and September to October.
The main area for great tarpon fishing in the Caribbean is Tortuguero. This small town lies right in the middle of Parismina and Barra del Colorado, amid the national park or the same name.
Tortuguero is home to endless wildlife and is where huge amounts of turtles come to nest on the beaches. This area is only accessible by plane or boat. The eco-lodges here cater to nature lovers and fishing enthusiasts alike. We recommend Aninga Lodge or Manatus for your fishing trip to Costa Rica's Caribbean.
These are the main areas for fishing in Costa Rica, but there are others
Ask us about fishing in Lake Arenal or in the waters of the Osa Peninsula in the south. Our experts will be happy to help you, as well as answer any questions about where to stay when fishing in Costa Rica.