Things to Do in Nosara: Book the Surf Morning and the Turtle Night, Leave the Rest Loose

Nosara runs on two clocks: the morning tide at Playa Guiones and the dark nights at Ostional. Here is what each experience costs, how long it takes, and which ones need a booking.

Article Dallas Rogers · October 29, 2026 · 8 min read

Most of a Nosara week can stay unplanned, and it should. Two things can't: a surf lesson at Playa Guiones for your first morning, and, if you come between July and November, a guided night at the Ostional turtle refuge when the local guides say an arribada is starting. Book those two and fit the mangrove paddle, the zipline, the waterfall ride, the horses and the cooking class around them.

Nosara (the town, the airstrip, and the beaches of Guiones and Pelada) is surf and yoga country first. If you are still deciding whether it is your kind of place, start with our Nosara travel guide. This page is about the days themselves.

What each experience costs and how long it takes

Prices below are live from our catalogue and update on their own. Start times are the slots each tour runs every day of the week.

Every tour we sell in Nosara refunds in full if you cancel at least 48 hours before the start time. Less than 48 hours out, it is non-refundable.

Where to book surf lessons in Nosara

Book your lesson at Playa Guiones, and book it for your first morning. Guiones is a long sand-bottom beach break. The Costa Rica Tourism Board's own write-up on Nosara, Guiones and Ostional puts the beach at 7 km of sand and says beginners do best at low tide, while experienced surfers take the bigger waves.

Our Nosara surf lessons at Playa Guiones start at 8:00 every day with local coaches, priced from $70 per person, and sessions are matched to your level, whether you have never stood up or want help with your turns. You can book it on that page, or ask us first if you want the lesson lined up with a good tide for your dates.

The 8:00 start leaves the rest of the day free for a tour, a nap or nothing. If one lesson goes well, renting a board for the next few mornings is easy in Guiones.

Ostional: the turtle night you can't put on a calendar

About 13 km north of Guiones, according to the same ICT guide, is the Ostional National Wildlife Refuge, one of the few beaches on earth where olive ridley turtles come ashore by the thousands in a single mass nesting called an arribada. The ICT guide, citing SINAC, says between one thousand and 200,000 turtles can nest there depending on the period, with the largest arrivals from July to November and the biggest of the year usually in September and October.

Three things decide whether you see it.

You need an accredited guide. The ICT guide says you can enter the refuge to watch nesting only with an accredited guide. SINAC's Ostional refuge page lists the Asociación de Guías Locales de Ostional (AGLO) and the Asociación de Desarrollo Integral de Ostional (ADIO) as the local contacts, and lists the refuge entry for non-residents at $13.56 (checked October 2026). The guide's fee is separate from the entry.

The moon roughly sets the date. Arribadas tend to come on dark nights, often in the days before a new moon, but the turtles do not publish a timetable. The guides watch the turtles gathering offshore and tell visitors when nesting starts. The next new moons in Costa Rica fall on November 9 and December 8, 2026 (timeanddate.com). If the turtles are your reason for coming, give yourself several nights in Nosara around those dates rather than one.

Leave the flash behind. Visitors are asked to stay with their guide, keep their distance, stay out of the turtles' path and use no flash photography. Pets are not allowed on Ostional beach.

Toorizta does not sell the Ostional tour itself. What we can do is help you set your Nosara nights so they overlap the likeliest window, and get your ride north sorted, since the road up is gravel.

The mangrove paddle on the Río Montaña

For a slow morning, the mangrove kayak and SUP tour runs two hours on the Río Montaña, through a private reserve the operator says shelters more than 120 bird species. You choose a kayak or a stand-up paddleboard. A bilingual local guide, all the gear, reserve access and refreshments are included, and it is priced from $75 per person. Bring sunscreen, a swimsuit, water shoes and a waterproof case for your phone.

With four departures a day (8:00, 10:00, 13:00 and 15:00), it is the easiest tour to slot around a surf lesson. You paddle a river reserve rather than open surf, which suits families and anyone who wants a gentle day on the water.

Zipline, ATV or horses: picking your adrenaline

These three overlap, so most people pick one.

The zipline canopy tour is two hours on a run of cables over the forest canopy, priced from $80 per person. A bilingual guide, harness, helmet, gloves and a safety briefing are included. Wear closed-toe shoes, because they are required, and fitted clothes with no loose scarves or jewelry.

The ATV ride to Pilas Blancas waterfall is the longest of the three at three hours, with river crossings on the way and a swim in the basin pool at the falls, priced from $110 per person. It leaves at 8:00 or 13:00. Expect to get wet and muddy, especially in the green season.

The horseback ride goes from the beach up to inland trails and ocean lookouts with a local sabanero, the Guanacaste cowboy, for two hours, priced from $80 per person. The 15:00 departure puts you on the trail in the softer late-afternoon light.

Yoga and cooking: the slower half of Nosara

Yoga is everywhere in Nosara and drop-in classes are easy to find on the day. If you want someone to build the practice around you, a private yoga session with Marck, a local instructor, runs one hour, priced from $120 per person, and works for complete beginners as well as regular practitioners.

There are two cooking classes. The two-hour class is hands-on with a local chef on a wood-fire stove, for up to six people, priced from $61.75 per person; tell them ahead if you need a vegetarian option. The four-hour class cooks a full four-course Costa Rican menu with a Guanacaste chef (ceviche, casado, plantain tostones and tres leches), priced from $65 per person. Either one is a good answer to a rainy afternoon in October.

Which experiences fit which traveler

Families. Surf lesson on the first morning, mangrove paddle on the second, zipline once everyone has their bearings, and the wood-fire cooking class for the afternoon the kids are sunburned. If your children are young, ask us before booking the zipline, ATV or horses so we can check each operator's minimum ages for you.

Couples. A surf lesson together, then the 15:00 horseback ride and a sunset at Playa Pelada. Add the ATV if you both like mud, or a private yoga session if you would rather not.

Solo travelers. A surf lesson is the fastest way to meet people in Guiones. Drop-in yoga does the same on land. The mangrove tour and the cooking classes are small-group, so you are rarely the only one.

Adventure travelers. ATV to Pilas Blancas in the morning, zipline in the afternoon, and Ostional at night if your dates line up with an arribada.

When to go for what

Nosara follows the Pacific pattern: the dry season runs roughly December to April, and the green season May to November, with September and October the wettest. In the green season the rain tends to come in the afternoon, so the 8:00 departures are the safer bet.

The green season is also turtle season. If Ostional matters to you, July to November is the window, with September and October usually the biggest. Turtles do nest in the dry months, in much smaller numbers. Right now, at the end of October, you are in the heaviest stretch of rain and the heaviest stretch of turtles, which is a trade some travelers make on purpose.

In the dry season the hills turn brown and there are more people in town. Surf, yoga, horses and the zipline all work in both seasons.

For where to base yourself so you can walk to your 8:00 lesson, see our guide to where to stay in Nosara.

What to book ahead, and what to leave loose

Book ahead: your first surf lesson, any private yoga session, and, from July to November, enough nights around the new moon to give Ostional a real chance. If you are a group, book the tours where you all need the same departure.

Leave loose: drop-in yoga, board rentals after your first lesson, sunsets at Pelada, and at least one empty day. In Nosara the best plan is often nothing at all after a good morning in the water.

If you are trying to fit a surf lesson, a turtle night and a family of five into four days, ask us. Send us your dates and who is coming, and we will tell you what fits.