Village Layouts: Malpaís and Santa Teresa are two small beach villages laid out along a road that parallels the beach. As you reach the ocean, the road forks; Playa Carmen is straight ahead, Malpaís is to your left, and Santa Teresa is to your right. If you continue beyond Santa Teresa, you’ll come to the even-more-deserted beaches of playas Hermosa and Manzanillo (not to be confused with beaches of the same names to be found elsewhere in the country). To get to playas Hermosa and Manzanillo, you have to ford a couple of rivers, which can be tricky during parts of the rainy season. Warning: There have been reports of robberies at the river crossings when people who get out of their cars to check the depth of the river. Try not to linger.

Getting Around: If you need a taxi, call Richard (tel. 8317-7614 or 2640-0099). If you want to do the driving yourself, you can contact the local offices of Alamo (tel. 2640-0526) or Budget (tel. 2640-0500). Or head to Adventure Tours Mal País (tel. 8456-5820), which stocks ATVs.

 

Fast Facts

If you need a taxi, call Richard ((tel) 8317-7614 or 2640-0003). If you want to do the driving yourself, you can contact the local offices of Alamo ((tel) 2640-0526; www.alamocostarica.com) or Budget Rent A Car ((tel) 2640-0500; www.budget.co.cr). Or you can head to Quads Rental Center ((tel) 2640-0178), which has a large stock of ATVs.

Getting There

By Plane: The nearest airport is in Tambor, about 22km (14 miles) from Malpaís; the ride takes around 20 to 25 minutes. Some of the hotels listed below might be willing to pick you up in Tambor for a reasonable fee. If not, you’ll have to hire a taxi, which could cost anywhere between $60 to $80. Taxis are generally waiting to meet most regularly scheduled planes, but you can also set up a transfer with Zuma Tours (tel. 2642-0024) for a similar price.

By Car: Follow the directions to Montezuma. At Cóbano, follow the signs to Malpaís and Playa Santa Teresa. It’s another 12km (7 1/2 miles) down a rough dirt road that requires four-wheel-drive much of the year, especially during the rainy season.

To drive from Liberia, head out of town on the main road to the Guanacaste beaches, passing through Filadelfia, Santa Cruz, and Nicoya on your way toward the turn for La Amistad Bridge. Continue straight at this turnoff, and follow the directions for this route as listed above.

By Bus & Ferry: Transportes Cobano (tel. 2642-1112) has two daily buses to Malpaís and Santa Teresa departing from Avenida 7 and 9, Calle 12. The buses leave at 6am and 2pm, and the fare is around C7,600, including the ferry passage. The ride takes around 6 hours. The return buses leave Santa Teresa at 5:15am and 2pm.

Alternatively, you can follow the directions above for getting to Montezuma, but get off in Cóbano. From Cóbano, there are several daily buses for Malpaís and Santa Teresa running throughout the day. The fare is C1,000. Be forewarned: These bus schedules are subject to change according to demand, road conditions, and the whim of the bus company.

If you miss the bus connection in Cóbano, you can hire a cab to Malpaís for around $25 to $35.

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