Active Pursuits

Fun On & Off the Beach -- Unfortunately, this beach has a reputation for dangerous riptides (as does most of Costa Rica's Pacific coast). Even strong swimmers have been known to drown in the power rips. At times, storms far offshore cause huge waves to pound on the beach, making it impossible to go into the water much beyond your waist. If this is the case, you'll have to be content with the hotel pool. In general, the far southern end of the beach is the calmest and safest place to swim.

Other Beaches Around Jaco -- As an alternative to Playa de Jacó, you may want to visit other nearby beaches. These beaches are easily reached by car, moped, or bicycle -- if you've got a lot of energy. All are signposted, so you'll have no trouble finding them. Playa Hermosa, 10km (6 1/4 miles) southeast of Jacó, where sea turtles lay eggs from July to December, is also well known for its great surfing waves. This beach is dark, made of nearly black, yet fine, volcanic sand. Playa Herradura, about 6.5km (4 miles) northwest of Jacó, is a hard-packed brown-sand-and-rock beach ringed by lush hillsides. This is home to the Los Sueños Marriott Ocean & Golf Resort. However, the Marriott occupies only one end of the beach here; despite its presence, Playa Herradura still feels a lot more isolated and deserted than Jacó. Playa Esterillos, 22km (14 miles) southeast of Jacó, is long and wide and almost always nearly deserted. Playa Esterillos is so long, in fact, that there are three separate entrances and sections, Esterillos Oeste, Centro, and Este -- West, Center, and East, in order as you head away from Jacó. Just beyond Playa Esterillos is Playa Bejuco, another long, wide, nearly deserted stretch of sand.

Finally, Punta Leona, just a few kilometers north of Playa Herradura, is a cross between a hotel, a resort, and a private country club, and it has some of the nicer beaches in the area. Although they effectively have restricted access to their beaches for years, this is technically illegal in Costa Rica, and you have the right to enjoy both playas Manta and Blanca, two very nice white-sand beaches inside the Punta Leona complex. The public access road to these beaches is located south of the main Punta Leona entrance and is not very well marked.

ATV Tours -- Several operations take folks out on ATV tours through the surrounding countryside. Tours range in length from 2 to 6 hours and cost between $65 and $125 (£33-£63) per person. Contact Paraíso Adventures (tel. 643-2920) or Jaguar Riders (tel. 393-6626).

Biking -- You can rent a bike for around $8 to $12 (£4-£6) per day or $1.50 (£0.75) per hour. Bikes are available from a slew of shops along the main road. Shop around, and make sure you get a bike that is in good condition and that is comfortable to ride.

Canopy Tours -- The easiest way to get up into the canopy here is on the Rain Forest Aerial Tram Pacific (tel. 257-5961; www.rainforestram.com). A sister project to the original Rain Forest Aerial Tram, this attraction features modified ski-lift type gondolas that take you through and above the transitional forests bordering Carara National Park. The $55 (£28) entrance fee includes the guided 40-minute tram ride, and a guided 45-minute hike on a network of trails. You can also hike the company's trails for as long as you like. These folks also offer guided tours, including transportation from both San José and any hotel in the area. The Aerial Tram is located a few kilometers inland from an exit just north of the first entrance into Jacó.

There are quite a few zip-line and harness-style canopy tours in this area. Chiclets Tree Tour (tel. 643-1879) offers up a canopy adventure ($60/£30 per person) in nearby Playa Hermosa. This is an adventurous tour, with 13 platforms set in transitional forest, with some sweeping views of the Pacific. Villa Lapas has two different tours through the treetops outside of Jacó. The better and cheaper option is a guided hike on its network of trails and five suspended bridges ($20/£10 per person). The operator also has a relatively low-adrenaline zip-line canopy tour ($35/£18 per person), with seven platforms connected by six cables.

Finally, Jacó is also a good jumping-off point for a trip to Turu BaRi Tropical Park (tel. 250-0705; www.turubari.com), near Orotina.

Golf -- The excellent La Iguana, an 18-hole golf course at the Los Sueños Marriott Ocean & Golf Resort (tel. 630-9000; www.golflaiguana.com), is open to nonguests. Greens fees are $155 (£78) for a full round. The price drops to $130 (£65) if you tee off after noon. Club and shoe rentals are available. Marriott guests pay slightly less to play here.

Horseback Riding -- Horseback-riding tours give you a chance to get away from all the development in Jacó and see a bit of nature. Contact Happy Trails (tel. 643-1894) or Hermanos Salazar (tel. 643-3203) to make a reservation. Over in Playa Herradura, you can try the Jacó Equestrian Center (tel. 643-1569). Tours lasting 3 to 4 hours cost anywhere from $35 to $70 (£18-£35).

Kayaking -- Kayak Jacó (tel. 643-1233; www.kayakjaco.com) runs a couple of different trips. Tours range from gentle paddles and floats on the Tulin River to combination ocean-kayaking/snorkeling trips on calm Herradura Bay, to full-on kayak surfing at one of the local beach breaks. You can also do some moderate white-water kayaking in easy-to-use inflatable kayaks or try your hand in the ocean on one of the eight-person outrigger canoes. Most options run around 4 hours and include transportation to and from the put-in, as well as fresh fruit and soft drinks during the trip. The tours cost between $50 and $100 (£25-£50) per person, depending on the particular trip and group size.

Organized Tours Farther Afield -- If you'll be spending your entire Costa Rican visit in Jacó but would like to see some other parts of the country, you can arrange tours through the local offices of Gray Line Tours (tel. 643-3231), which operates out of the Best Western Jacó Beach Hotel. Gray Line offers day tours to Arenal, Poás, and Irazú volcanoes; white-water rafting trips; cruises to Tortuga Island; and trips to Braulio Carrillo National Park and other places. Rates range from $35 to $120 (£18-£60) for day trips. Overnight trips are also available. Thanks to improvements to the road, you can now reach Manuel Antonio in about 1 hour from Jacó. In addition to the above-mentioned companies, many local operators offer a variety of tour options in Manuel Antonio, including trips to the national park, the Rainmaker Nature Refuge, and the Damas Island estuary.

Spa -- The Serenity Spa (tel. 643-1624) offers massages, as well as mud packs, face and body treatments, and manicures and pedicures. The spa's Jacó branch is located on the first floor, among a tiny little cul-de-sac of shops next to Zuma Rent-A-Car. These folks also have operations at Villa Caletas.

Sportfishing, Scuba Diving & Seaborne Fun -- Since the Los Sueños Marriott resort and its adjacent 250-slip marina opened, most local maritime activity has shifted over here. If you're interested in doing some sportfishing, scuba diving, or any other waterborne activity, I recommend that you check with your hotel or at the marina. Two dependable operators that have set up here are Spanish Fly Sportfishing (tel. 866/888-6426 in the U.S., or 637-8824 in Costa Rica; www.spanishflysportfishing.com) and Costa Rica Fishing Charters (tel. 800/634-0012 in the U.S. and Canada, or 282-7215; www.4costaricafishing.com). A half-day fishing trip for four people costs around $250 to $600 (£125-£300), and a full day costs between $600 and $1,800 (£300-£900).

Surfing -- The same waves that often make Playa de Jacó dangerous for swimmers make it one of the most popular beaches in the country with surfers. Nearby Playa Hermosa, Playa Tulin, and Playa Escondida are also excellent surfing beaches. Those who want to challenge the waves can rent surfboards for around $3 (£1.50) an hour or $10 to $15 (£5-£7.50) per day, and boogie boards for $2 (£1) an hour, from any one of the numerous surf shops along the main road. If you want to learn how to surf, check in with Johnny (tel. 393-6626) at Superior Sightseeing, or ask for him at Club del Mar.