Where to Stay in Southern Costa Rica

Choose a base in southern Costa Rica, area by area. It suits couples, families, photographers and independent travelers who want to match a stay to their route and travel style. Each area covers the setting, who it fits, how you get there and the stays listed here.

We don't rank stays or sort them by price. Style labels appear only where the property's own website says so, or, for "Near the beach," where we measured the distance on OpenStreetMap.

How to compare areas

Ask the same four questions everywhere:

1. Access: Can you drive to the door, or do you need a 4x4, a boat or a small plane?
2. Setting: Is it a town, a hillside above the coast or a lodge in the forest?
3. Who it fits: Does it suit how you like to spend your days?
4. Transfer time: How long will it take to reach the next stop on your route?

Dominical

Dominical is a small beach town on Route 34, with tour services and forest reserves close by. It fits travelers who want to walk to the beach and restaurants. Compare stays in Uvita and Ojochal before choosing a base. You can also base yourself in Uvita, about 19 km south. Read the Dominical guide.

Uvita

Uvita is the main base for Marino Ballena National Park and whale-watching boats. Stays sit near the park entrance or in the hills above town, and some hill roads need a 4x4. Read the Uvita guide.

Ojochal

Ojochal is a village in the forest south of Uvita, known for its restaurants. Stays here are set back from the coast, with beaches a short drive away. Read the Ojochal guide.

Osa Peninsula and Puerto Jiménez

Puerto Jiménez is the main town on the peninsula's Golfo Dulce side, with daily flights and boats to Corcovado. Stays range from lodges in the forest to a resort near town and small places inland near the park. Read the Osa Peninsula guide.

For more lodges across the peninsula, see Osa rainforest lodges compared on Jungle Resorts.

Drake Bay

Drake Bay is a remote base on the peninsula's northwest coast, reached by boat from Sierpe, by small plane or by a rough road. Stays cluster in the village of Agujitas and in smaller spots along the coast. Pick Agujitas if you want to walk to the boats and evening tours. Read the Drake Bay guide.

Golfito and the Golfo Dulce

Golfito is a port town on a sheltered tropical gulf, with lodges along shores you reach by boat and small places in Pavones, south of Golfito. Read the Golfito and Golfo Dulce guide.

San Isidro and Chirripó

San Isidro de El General is the main city of Pérez Zeledón and the gateway to Chirripó. A night in or near San Gerardo makes the start simpler because you must register at the park office there the day before your hike. Read the San Isidro and Chirripó guide.

Stay styles explained

• Boutique hotel or resort: a small property that uses that word for itself.
• Villas: separate units, often with a kitchenette or a private pool.
• Lodge and eco-lodge: a stay in or beside the forest that calls itself a lodge or eco-lodge.
• Near the beach: within about 300 meters of a mapped beach on OpenStreetMap. It does not mean the room is on the sand.
• Boat access: you can reach the property only by boat.
• Adults only: the property doesn't take children.

Practical considerations

• Confirm the last stretch of road, and whether you need a 4x4, before you book a hillside stay.
• Lodges reached by boat set cut-off times for transfers, so match your flight or drive to them.
• Leave a spare night near Corcovado or Drake Bay in case weather delays a boat.
• Before you lock in dates, look at how long each transfer takes between your stops.

Check current conditions with each stay before you travel in the rainy months, when rivers and roads can close.

Related guides

• Dominical guide
• Uvita guide
• Ojochal guide
• Osa Peninsula guide
• Drake Bay guide
• Golfito and Golfo Dulce guide
• San Isidro and Chirripó guide
• How long each transfer takes