Culebra Costa Rica, Marina Papagayo
Frequently Asked Questions
Smaller ships berth directly at the Marina Papagayo pontoons, among the sailboats and yachts. You walk down the gangway straight onto wooden docks lined with chandleries and waterfront terraces.
On Costa Rica's northwest coast, in Guanacaste. The bay curls inland like a snake of calm water, sheltered from the Pacific swell by the Papagayo peninsula, below hills that shift from deep green to golden ochre with the season.
Rent a kayak or a paddleboard: the water is remarkably sheltered, and an hour along the shoreline is enough to spot pelicans, herons and sometimes a turtle surfacing to breathe.
Catamarans and launches criss-cross the Gulf of Papagayo between volcanic headlands and coves reachable only by sea, with stops to swim and snorkel. Dolphins, rays and turtles frequent these waters.
Humpback whales pass offshore during migration seasons, but nothing is guaranteed on any given date. Ask on board when booking rather than counting on it for your day.
A national park below a volcano, with fumaroles and bubbling mud pools, among the most popular objectives from the marina. It requires a full day: this is not a half-day outing.
Some outings combine zipline, hot springs and river in a compact taste of Costa Rican pleasures, closer to base. Inland excursions also reach the dry tropical forest and cattle villages where the sabanero horsemen's tradition lives on.
Less rain, more light, open landscapes that sometimes recall a savanna dotted with solitary trees. The forest here is dry rather than wet, and the region is markedly more developed for visitors, with Liberia international airport about 35 minutes away.
The colón, though the US dollar circulates very widely in the region and cards work well at the marina. Spanish is spoken, and English is common throughout the tourist sector.
December to April, the dry season, the most pronounced in the country in this region: clear skies, calm sea and golden hills. From May to November the late-day showers return and the landscape turns green again.
