El Jobo Beach
A secluded beach in the far north of Guanacaste, Costa Rica.
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Why Visit El Jobo?
Located on a peninsula sticking out into the Pacific Ocean in the far north of Costa Rica, between Salinas Bay and the Gulf of Santa Elena, is the community of El Jobo and the beach that shares its name. It's a remote spot, little visited by tourists until the luxurious Dreams Las Mareas Resort & Spa opened in 2014.
Here are some great reasons to visit this out of the way part of Guanacaste:
- The Remoteness: This isn't a difficult place to reach, but it's remote. Aside from those staying at the Dreams Las Mareas and local people, you'll have El Jobo pretty much to yourself.
- Kitesurfing/Windsurfing: The north side of the El Jobo peninsula is on Salinas Bay, which is by far the best kitesurfing and windsurfing destination in Costa Rica.
Where to Stay
Basic cabinas and B&Bs can be found around the village and other hotels around Salinas Bay. The Dreams Las Mareas Resort is in Playa El Jobo.
Things to Do
For years, the main reason to come here was for the kitesurfing and windsurfing. Now there is also snorkeling and other beach activities.
Visit El Jobo: An up and Coming Destination
El Jobo is the name of a small community and beach on a peninsula sticking out into the Pacific Ocean in the far north of Costa Rica, close to the border with Nicaragua. The bay to the north of El Jobo, Bahia Salinas, is renowned as the best place in Costa Rica for windsurfing and kitesurfing. Still, until 2014 when the Dreams Las Mareas Resort opened on the peninsula, hardly anyone came to the peninsula itself.
Nowadays, few still come here compared to other beach communities in Guanacaste. However, those that do find a gorgeous area of wooded hills, sandy beaches, and stunning Pacific sunsets.
Best Time to Travel to El Jobo
El Jobo is the driest part of Costa Rica, so any time of the year is what Costa Rican Vacations suggest. But if you're in the area to take advantage of the world-class windsurfing and kite surfing, then November to March is best, when you can take advantage of offshore winds coming off Lake Nicaragua across the border to the north. We also like the months of May and June, when the hills become green and fresh after many months without rain.
Weather in El Jobo
The dry season here runs from mid-November until late April, although you can get hot, dry, and sunny weather year-round. You can expect short afternoon showers from May until August and heavier rain during September and October. Expect temperatures in the high 80s all year.
Is El Jobo safe?
El Jobo is a safe community where pretty much everyone knows each other. Don't leave any valuables in your car or on the beaches, and you should be fine.
Top Restaurants in El Jobo
The Naked Indian Bar
Close to Dreams La Mareas is this great little place serving international food. There's often live music, too.
Tatay Cafe
An excellent little seafood restaurant if El Jobo.
How to Get to El Jobo
Outside of Liberia, Guanacaste Airport (Airport Code LIR) is the closest international airport to El Jobo.
Distance & Driving Time to El Jobo
From LIR Airport: 54 miles (86 kilometers), about 1.5 hours
All Costa Rican Vacations packages include an airport "meet and greet" service and private transfers with English-speaking drivers, which means you're all set when you arrive in-country - just sit back, relax. Our driver will get you to your destination.
If you're driving from Guanacaste Airport to El Jobo, give yourself a couple of hours. If you're renting a car at the airport, allow yourself an hour to sort that out.
Once you have your car, drive out of the airport and turn left. You'll head towards the city of Liberia and hit a junction with the PanAmerican Highway. Take another left here and head north on the PanAmerican towards Nicaragua.
Keep driving up on the PanAmerican until you get to La Cruz, the last city of note in Costa Rica before the border. As you go through town, you'll see a big junction with a road heading left at a restaurant called Thelma. Take that left and follow the road through the center of town and out the other side as it starts to wind downhill to Salinas Bay, which you should now be able to see.
At the bottom, keep driving along as the road goes over a bridge. The road swings around sharply to the left like you're doing a U-turn. Stay on this road, past Playa Papaturro and Playa Copal, until you reach the tiny village of El Jobo.