Top Things to do in Jaco
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The 10 Best Things to do in Jaco, Province of Puntarenas
The tiny hamlet of Jaco is located in the Pacific Coast province of Puntarenas, Costa Rica. It’s the ultimate hideaway for sun seekers and active travelers, with cinnamon-hued volcanic-sand beaches, lush green rain forest and verdant mountains. Surfers flock here from around the world, but families, and honeymooners also find much to love, thanks to the multitude of beaches, outdoor activities, dining, shopping and nightlife. Explore the Costa Rican rain forest by horseback, learning about the flora and fauna in this impressive eco-system. Take an ATV tour to beaches, remote villages and waterfalls. Try your hand at sport fishing, paragliding, sea kayaking or even bungee jumping. Spend an afternoon at the Pura Vida Gardens and Waterfalls, where you’ll find millions of plants, flowers and orchids from around the world. Zip line through the jungle, play a round of golf or take an aerial tram tour of the rain forest. Expert surfers will want to check out La Roca Loca and Playa Hermosa for a challenge.
Restaurants in Jaco
1. Royal Butterflies
Overall Ratings
5.0 based on 110 reviews
Enjoy a relaxing experience whilst being surrounded by exotic butterflies with a lush backdrop of tropical plants. Learn about the amazing life cycle of the butterflies and walk along the river path whilst exploring the over 70 types of fruit trees being grown on the property. Cold drinks and souvenirs are available for purchase in the gift shop. Tour is $10 p/person. Free for kids under 6 years old.'
Reviewed By U3962DNjoell - Quebrada Amarilla, Costa Rica
I recently moved to Quebrada Amarilla. I am delighted to live close to the Royal Butterflies attraction. I just visited today for the first of what I expect to be many times and a place where I bring all visitors.. Dan and Donna showed me around. The setting is beyond beautiful. The attraction is on the same property as the most spectacular tree house I have ever seen. I have been recommending the tree house to all my friends. The tree house has beautiful views and is amazing from an architecture prospective even including a hidden room as well as all the amenities you would expect from a hotel room. The Royal Butterflies attraction is also surrounded by many other tall trees and close to a gentle river but well off the road and quietly away from the modest traffic. But back to the butterflies. The exhibit features extremely colorful and beautiful assortments of butterflies in a quiet and beautiful location. The setting was tranquil and I simply wanted to rest and absorb the fluttering creatures. I came out of the exhibit as if I had been in a deep relaxing meditation.
2. Pura Vida Gardens and Waterfalls
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 400 reviews
Pura Vida Gardens and Waterfalls is unique in Costa Rica. It is truly a "Visual Masterpiece". The gardens begin with the natural beauty of Costa Rica and four waterfalls in the property with spectacular views of the Pacific Ocean. To this millions of plants, flowers and orchids from all over the world have been added. Manicured walkways meander long a river and at the crest of the mountain which make the entire 50 acre gardens accessible to all. Have lunch in our restaurant and browse the gift shop that offers authentic Costa Rica gifts.
Reviewed By Lnc12345
Took a bus tour to this out-of-the-way garden on a hilltop. Beautiful gardens with a view of the ocean & a waterfall. Owner is open & friendly. Driving in a bus is difficult due to winding Mt road. Worth it, however!
3. Neo Fauna CR
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 214 reviews
Neofauna is a conservationist project focused on the reproduction, rescue and release of wild animals; this a private project financed by the sale of tours.
Reviewed By 928ilanah - Toronto, Canada
The place is a pretty little refuge in Jaco down a cute little street past a local school. The surroundings are lush and in March the shade was a blessing and there was a breeze! When we arrived there was someone there to greet us and to tell us what animals they had, how much it cost (25 USD per person) and where the money went to. As it was a conservation effort to save species we were fine with the amount! We set off with our guide who was kind and very knowledgeable. Our 3 year old daughter is normally quite shy but his demeanor quickly won her over. When we visited the different animals he told us why they were there and the treatments they were receiving. The butterfly area was gorgeous and beautiful- so many butterflies! Our guide went above and beyond to show us the animals and make us all so happy. I can't wait to go again! It was my daughter's favourite excursion in Costa Rica- including Manual Antonio!
4. Tico Pod Art House & Gifts
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 242 reviews
Unique, hand picked gifts and art. Supporting many local Costa Rican artists and artisans. From fine art canvases, wood carvings and fine silver jewelry to folk art and hand-made soaps; you'll find a great selection of Costa Rican products (as well as few from other Central American artists). Authentic Boruca Indian masks from Costa Rica and Chorotega Indian Pottery. Beautiful leather bags and local jewelry.
Reviewed By dangillotte
Such a great at gallery featuring wonderful Costa Rican arts and crafts. Really nice store with interesting and quirky selections like a Dia de las muertes nativity scene. Highly recommended. Affordable and fun
5. Catarata Bijagual
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 70 reviews
Reviewed By EPHARDEE
20$ per person but worth it! Pretty decent hike! Definitely need good shoes and take the walking sticks they offer. I wouldn’t take my young kids but my teens could do it! It’s totally worth the view and up close view of the waterfall. Bring water and a snack to take a break before you head back up. It was pretty shaded and not to hot but we we started around 8 am and finished up around 11.
6. Mirador de Jaco
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 31 reviews
Reviewed By 982sm - Atlanta, United States
Anytime we visit the Jaco area we stop at the Mirador. It's basically a lookout area that has the entire Jaco beach coastline for your photographic pleasure. They also have Jaco Beach in big letters so you can take a cool selfie.
7. El Miro
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 37 reviews
Reviewed By O2037MVmichelep - Hartford, United States
Great hike. Free the look out points were Awesome also the abandoned building was so cool to explore. Saw monkeys lizards ants carrying leafs birds. After going to the 2 lookout points took a diff. Pass towards Hermosa beach breath taking.
8. Jaco Beach
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 1,608 reviews
Reviewed By 442kristiana - Naples, United States
Pretty beach, black sand so it looks a bit like dirt but still very nice. Plenty of different Surf Schools, most charge around $10 per day to rent a surfboard, or $35 for a surf lesson. Two loungers and an umbrella are about $10 but you can negotiate depending on what else you are renting from them. If you get a surf lesson, most of the time they will give you the beach chairs and umbrella for free. Tico's Surf School was great, it's owned by their 4 times national surf champion and all the guys working there are very friendly. We negotiated the use of 2 surf boards every day for $20, and most of the time they let us use 2 boogie boards for free as long as we rent the surf boards. Boogie Boards were nice and a lot of fun too, but seemed like a ripoff if you had to pay $10 for each. (You can buy MOREY at Costco in the USA for $25-$30 almost the same quality). If you can, bring couple boogie boards with your from the USA, it can save you quite a bit of money for a week or two. You can always leave them behind when you go back, or sell them to another tourist there for $20 on the beach... :) Keep in mind High Tide is when you want to surf on this beach, which varies throughout the week and it comes different time of the day. In the beginning of our trip it seemed to be around 3pm or 5-6pm, but then it changed to 9-10am towards the end of our trip. During low tide you can still boogie board but surfing is tough if not impossible. Kids can still learn to surf on the whitewash so it's still fun. Parking is free around there, but try to park closer to the beach and don't leave valuables in your car - we saw someone lurking around our vehicle signaling another person, so ended up having to move it directly on the beach from where it was, a little walk on an adjacent street. When you get to the beach with your car, some of the surf school attendants may try to signal you to park and tell you that you can park for only $10 for the day, but don't fall for it, parking is free. Just say no I'll just park for free instead... ;) Be careful on the beach during low tide, even though it's very shallow and safe, it starts pulling in pretty hard and we saw someone almost drown, had it not been for the lifeguards that swam way past the surf to get him. Low Tide - the water recedes from the beach towards the ocean, so it pulls towards the deep ocean. High Tide - water invades the beach, so generally speaking it pushes you towards the shore. Waves were consistent everyday, with Magic SeaWeed app showing around 3-4 feet surf, but when you got in it was closer to 6'-7' every day, with some monster sets coming out of nowhere that were probably even higher. Again, between the smaller waves and the larger sets, there are plenty of waves for everyone to catch. Very easy conditions for surfing if you are a beginner. More experienced surfers go to Hermosa Beach, which is the next beach to the south. It's more desolate, and untouched, and it hosts all the surfing competitions. If you have a chance, drive down that way for lunch and try Las Olas Ahi Poke Hawaiian Style - best spent 700 colones in Costa Rica! Sit on the beach in the shade, drink and eat, and watch the surfers. If you aren't an experienced surfer, don't try surfing there, go back to Jaco :)
9. Jaco Walk Open Air Shopping Center
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 18 reviews
Reviewed By mklosc - Tres Rios, Costa Rica
I must confess that I didn't expect much from Jaco but... it's a nice little city, certainly more welcoming than most of the cities or towns in Costa Rica. This open air shopping center is very modern and makes Jaco an interesting destination: you will find restaurants (fast or slow food) pubs, shops, mixed with art and nature. Strategically positioned in the center of the city, close to Mas x Menos, hotels and the beach, it is worth more than one visit. Dogs are allowed.
10. Hotel Cocal Casino
Overall Ratings
3.5 based on 155 reviews
Reviewed By MicknShine - New York City, United States
Stayed Dec 2020- The place was fantastic. A friend and I book a two bed room suite and we were up graded when we arrived to a huge 3 bedroom suite. We stayed for six days. It was beautifully appointed suite with a grand room facing the ocean- Lovely. The room service was top notch, they gave us extra towels and keep our suite spotless, accommodated our every need. The bar and restaurant were also excellent, food was delicious, drinks were generous, great portions and fairly priced - made it difficult to go into town and eat else where when at the hotel there was such excellent quality, variety, and value with an ocean view. The front desk made all our reservations for day trips and transportation - it was exactly the the same price as in town with the added connivence and security of having an established local provider set it up for you. Frankly great hotel experiences are most often about the staff and the Cocal is no exception - it was the servers, maids and front desk that made this place a stand out - the people were outstanding. I am a seasoned traveler and I had a great here and will most certainly return,. Perfect hotel for gentleman seeking upscale accommodations with a safe and fun atmosphere. Highly recommend
