Please click on the Jaco Beach, Costa Rica Map to enlarge the image. Jaco is located 1.5 hours from San Jose and that makes it the closest beach from the Capital of Costa Rica. Driving to Jaco is easy: Take the General Canas road, drive past alajuela and towards Orotina. Once in Orotina, go past Carara and then you’ll be in Jaco Beach. From Jaco Beach it is easy to get to other important beaches and places in the area. Drive a bit and you can get to the Carara reserve to view animals, birds and other species native to the area. If you drive to the north, you can go to Playa Herradura and the Suenos Marina. As you can see in the map, Jaco is North of Playa Hermosa, a very popular beach among surfers who not only like the constant waves of Jaco Beach, but wish to experience larger swells. Farther south is Playa Esterillos, Playa Bejuco, Playa Palma and Playa Palo Seco, until you reach the town of Parrita. Along the way you can also go visit the beaches of Punta Leona, both of which have been awarded the Blue Ecological Flag. 1.5 hours from Jaco, you can get to Manuel Antonio, home of Costa Rica’s most famous national park. To the north of Jaco on the road to Puntarenas you’ll be able to visit the Tarcoles river, where you can see the crocodiles sleeping under the bridge, and eventually you’ll get to the port of Caldera, where the cruise ships come in and then Puntarenas, the Capital City of the Province of the same name.
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