Hola, friends!
We’ve been super busy lately, continuing our exploration of Guanacaste, Costa Rica! We’re currently staying in Playa Lagarto, Venado, and since our last update about rescuing a baby howler monkey, we’ve been diving deeper into potential places to call home. Our journey has taken us as far north as Playa Grande and as far south as Nosara, and we’re starting to narrow down our options.
Nosara and Tamarindo: Off the List
Nosara, while charming and can be fun to visit, is simply too busy, Americanized, and expensive for our taste. The same goes for Tamarindo— or as we jokingly call it, “Tamagringo.” With hardly any locals and English spoken everywhere, it doesn’t quite fit our vision for an authentic Costa Rican experience.
Playa Grande: A Dog-Free Turtle Haven
We absolutely loved Playa Grande; however, the beach is a protected turtle nesting site, which means no dogs allowed. Since Kira is a big part of our life, and her life revolves around beach days, that was a dealbreaker for us. However, this is an amazing beach town to visit and I highly recommend it when planning a trip to Guanacaste.
Discovering Playa Junquillal: A Hidden Gem
Then, we stumbled upon Playa Junquillal, just north of our current stay, and we were immediately starstruck by its beauty. The beach offers calm waters with a single shore-breaking wave—perfect for fishing, swimming, and even some surfing. We ended up at the town’s only beach bar and were thrilled to find a rare treat in Costa Rica: craft beer for just $5!
We learned from our friendly waiter that Playa Junquillal is an Ecological Blue Flag beach, which means it meets strict environmental criteria, such as:
- High ocean and drinking water quality
- Proper waste disposal and sanitary facilities
- Clear signage and tourist safety
- Community involvement in beach maintenance
This town also boasts its own turtle hatchery and environmental education park, plus numerous monkey ladder crossings—we counted over 10! Seeing this dedication to wildlife made us so happy, as we’re huge advocates for monkey ladders.
Junquillal is a small town with only a handful of hotels, restaurants, and homes. Thankfully, there’s a nearby town with essential services like a clinic, hardware store, and pharmacy. Adam and I could truly imagine living here, and to top it off, we randomly met some real estate agents at the beach bar who offered to help us find property—talk about good timing!
However, there is one major downside: no rainforest. Junquillal is surrounded by dry forest, meaning there’s significantly less wildlife compared to the lush rainforests we love exploring. Filming for Peligro Life would be more challenging without the diverse animals and dense jungle.
The Esterillos vs. Junquillal Debate
We’re still considering Esterillos, the town in the south pacific I wrote about in my first blog post. It has lush rainforests, abundant wildlife, and a beautiful beach—but poor water clarity, making snorkeling and spearfishing difficult. Meanwhile, Junquillal offers crystal-clear water for our spearfishing adventures but lacks the wildlife we cherish.
It’s a tough decision! As an Oregonian, the green rainforests of Esterillos call to me, but for Adam, who’s from Arizona, the dry forest climate of Guanacaste feels like home.
What do you think? Should we prioritize rainforest and wildlife or clear blue water and underwater activities? Comment below and let us know your thoughts!
Also- A Crazy Spearfishing Adventure in Playa Marbella (and a Shark Encounter!)
We’ve been spearfishing while we are here in the Playa Lagarto/Marbella area, and yesterday’s trip was an adventure! We swam out far and found ourselves in a massive school of mackerel—Adam managed to shoot one. As I was searching for tastier fish, a large white-tip reef shark swam right beneath me! I screamed and kicked my fins to scare it off, and luckily, it swam away.
Meanwhile, Adam was still holding a large, dead mackerel—what could possibly go wrong? We spotted the shark one more time, but it seemed uninterested. Despite my nerves, I found a beautiful spotted eagle ray and followed it for a while. I also spotted two large dolphin fish, which would have been a delicious catch if I had managed to spear one!
These underwater adventures are the main draw to Guanacaste for us!
What’s Next?
In a week and a half, we’ll head to Playa Samara, a place I adored six years ago. We’re eager to see if it still holds the same charm. After that, we’ll explore Playa Flamingo, Coco, Hermosa, and Potrero beaches. By mid-March, we will have officially explored the entire country and will finally be able to make an informed decision about where to settle.
Stay tuned for more updates on our journey and, as always, share your thoughts with us!
PELIGRO LIFE 