Introduction to Guanacaste and the Nicoya Peninsula

Guanacaste is known as Costa Rica's "Gold Coast." More and more visitors to Costa Rica are choosing Guanacaste as their first -- and sometimes only -- stop. Beautiful beaches abound along this coastline. Some are still pristine and deserted, some are packed with a mix of hotels and resorts, and others are backed by small fishing villages. Choices range from long, broad stretches of sand to tiny pocket coves bordered by rocky headlands.

This is Costa Rica's most coveted vacation destination and the site of its greatest tourism development. Change here is dramatic and ongoing. Large resorts have sprung up, and more are in the works. The international airport in Liberia receives daily direct flights from major U.S. and Canadian hub cities, allowing tourists to visit some of Costa Rica's prime destinations without having to go through San José.

This is Costa Rica's driest region. The rainy season starts later and ends earlier here, and overall it's more dependably sunny here than in other parts of the country. Combine this climate with a coastline that stretches from the Nicaraguan border to the southern tip of the Nicoya Peninsula and you have an equation that yields beach bliss.

There is one caveat: During the dry season (mid-Nov to Apr), when sunshine is most reliable, the hillsides in Guanacaste turn browner than the chaparral of southern California. Dust from dirt roads blankets the trees in many areas, and the vistas are far from tropical. Driving these dirt roads without air-conditioning and the windows rolled up tight can be extremely unpleasant.

On the other hand, if you happen to visit this area in the rainy season (particularly from May-Aug), the hillsides are a beautiful, rich green, and the sun usually shines all morning, giving way to an afternoon shower -- just in time for a nice siesta.

Inland from the beaches, Guanacaste remains Costa Rica's "Wild West," a land of dry plains populated with cattle ranches and cowboys, who are known here as sabaneros, a name that derives from the Spanish word for "savanna" or "grassland." If it weren't for those rainforest-clad volcanoes in the distance, you might swear you were in Texas.

Guanacaste is home to several active volcanoes and some beautiful national parks, including Santa Rosa National Park, the home to massive sea turtle nestings and the site of a major battle to maintain independence, and Rincón de la Vieja National Park, which features hot springs and bubbling mud pots, pristine waterfalls, and an active volcanic crater.