Naranjo Surf Experience

Costa Rica has the privilege of being surrounded by two oceans. You can experience surf at a perfect A-frame reef break on the Pacific Ocean during the morning and then get to surf a high-quality left reef break on the Caribbean side before sunset. We are the perfect place to improve your skills to surf any other wave in the world.

During our surf trip, you will experience the real wildlife of Costa Rica. A really friendly people taking care of your surfing vacations, access to the best surf spot in our area and feel like you are still at home safe and happy.

The culture

We are the country of Pura Vida – a friendly, multicultural and multilingual people descended from the cultural fusion of immigrants, including Africans, Chinese, Jews, Lebanese and Italians, and the indigenous peoples of the Bribrí, Cabécar, Maleku, Teribe, Boruca, Ngäbe, Huetar and Chorotega groups.

Costa Rican sustainable cuisine ranges from the traditional to the innovative at restaurants, sodas, markets, and farmers markets, using various organic products, and tailored to meet any budget and level of demand. Visitors can take a little piece of the Costa Rican soul home with them with handicrafts made by the hands of our artisans, which adds value to a travel experience. Artistic expressions of music, dance, theater, cinema, handicrafts, and audiovisual production are distinguished for professionalism and quality.

In addition, the experiences of community-based rural tourism, developed by cooperatives or community associations, take you inside the lively culture of rural communities; there also are private ecological reserves, farms, and areas of interest, or sites close to areas of environmental and cultural interest, with tourist services.

Costa Rica also offers world-renowned cultural wonders, including the oxherd and oxcart – a masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Cultural Heritage – chiefdom settlements and the stone spheres of southern Costa Rica, and the Guayabo National Archaeological Monument. Other nationally prized offerings and cultural traditions shared with visitors include creole swing dance, Limón calypso, traditional Chorotega ceramics, the Boruca Little Devils Festival, art, crafts, music, and gastronomy, among others.

In the multiple tourist regions, visitors can find everything from home cooking to modern, traditional, sophisticated, vegetarian, and vegan restaurants, with a range of food prepared with fresh and natural ingredients.

Visit our markets, farmers' markets, and organic fairs in major cities across the country to discover the products we offer.

Costa Ricans have more than a century of democratic traditions and more than 50 years without an army. Its military was abolished in 1948 and the money the country saves by not having armed forces is invested in improving the standard of living of its inhabitants, which helps maintain the social peace that makes Costa Rica a wonderful place to visit.

The food

Costa Rican cuisine is fairly mild, with high reliance on fruits and vegetables. Rice and black beans are a staple of most traditional Costa Rican meals, often served three times a day. Costa Rican fare is nutritionally well-rounded and nearly always cooked from scratch from fresh ingredients.

Gallo pinto (rice and beans)

Claimed by Costa Rica and Nicaragua, Gallo pinto is the regional variation of rice and beans, usually seasoned with bell peppers, cilantro, and onions. The name, which translates to “spotted rooster,” refers to the spots of beans that stand out against the white rice, though sometimes it’s just referred to more casually as pinto. For breakfast, it might be served with a fried egg, while for lunch and dinner, it’s a side to meat or fish.

There are subtle regional variations. For instance, black beans are the norm. However, red beans are more typical in Guanacaste on the Pacific coast closer to Nicaragua. The condiment Salsa Lizano, a light brown sauce similar to Worcestershire that’s found on most Costa Rican tables, is stirred into the pot in San José and around the Valle Central. On the Caribbean coast, it might be cooked with coconut milk and chiles.

Chifrijo (fried pork with red beans}

Nearly every cantina in Costa Rica serves this bar snack, which is believed to have been first prepared in the late ’70s at the still-functioning Cordero’s Bar in the town of Tibás outside San José. Its name is the combination of its two signature ingredients: fried pork (chicharrón) and beans (frijoles). It’s sometimes served with a base of rice or toppings like avocados and tomatoes, but the original preparation is eaten more like a bowl of nachos, with tortilla chips and chilera (spicy pickled vegetables) on the side.

Rondón (seafood and coconut stew)

Whatever fish and vegetables a cook has “run down” to by the end of the week get thrown in a pot with coconut milk, herbs, and spices for this typical dish of Costa Rica’s Caribbean coast. The thick stew is found in many parts of the Caribbean and was brought to Central America by Jamaican laborers in the latter half of the 19th century. In Afro-Costa Rican communities like Cahuita or Puerto Limón, rondón might include red snapper, clams, mussels, conch, sea snails, green plantains, and cassava, and chiles with a side of coconut rice and breadfruit.

Picadillos (vegetable hash)

There’s no truer reflection of Costa Rica’s agricultural bounty than these homey hashes, simple mixes of chopped vegetables sauteed in fat with onions, stock, herbs, and other seasonings. The name of the dish always states the primary vegetable being used, such as picadillo de zapallo (squash), vainitas (green beans), chayote, arracache (arracacha), papa (potato), and even fruits like papaya. It’s served over white rice, sometimes with a protein like ground beef or chorizo, or on corn tortillas to make gallos — Costa Rica’s version of the taco — a picadillo becomes a full meal.

Chorreadas (corn pancakes)

These sweet or savory pancakes, made from ground, fresh white or yellow corn, are a staple in Costa Rican kitchens and sodas (small, simple, often family-run establishments) for breakfast. The most typical versions, where the corn is ground by hand, can be traced to pre-Columbian times, though today it’s more likely to be blended in a food processor and thickened with flour and eggs. When sweet (and they are rarely overly sweet), they might be drizzled with honey or syrup. When savory, a dollop of sour cream-like natilla is usually served on top.

Ceviche

Unlike its Peruvian counterpart, Costa Rican ceviche features fish that’s typically marinated in lime juice for at least an hour in the fridge, rather than just seconds, resulting in a more opaque, less raw-tasting fish. It’s usually made with peeled shrimp or firm white fish like sea bass, though sometimes you’ll find chuchecas (blood clams) and a mixture of finely chopped or minced onions, tomatoes, garlic, and cilantro. And many locals swear by a splash of ketchup or tabasco.

Tamales

In the days before Christmas, a favorite pastime is the tamaleada, when families get together to make the star of Christmas dinner: pork tamales. Costa Rican tamales have been adapted from their Indigenous origins to include introduced ingredients like rice, chicken, beef, and carrots. They are never steamed in a corn husk; rather, they are always made in a banana leaf, and when two of them are tied together, as they are often sold, it’s called a piña.