Costa Rica's wildest beach town marks New Year on a dirt road between jungle and surf breaks, with all-night sound systems, bonfires on the beach, and a crowd of surfers, yoga retreats, and travellers who arrived a week ago and stayed.
Santa Teresa occupies the northwest tip of the Nicoya Peninsula, accessible by a four-hour drive from San José or a combination of ferry and bus. The main road is unpaved: a 5-kilometre dirt track that runs parallel to the beach through a strip of surf shops, hostels, open-air restaurants, and yoga studios. This is not infrastructure; it is the point. The town has grown from a hamlet of 200 people in the early 2000s to a year-round international surf community, but the dirt road and the lack of streetlights are part of what keeps it from becoming Tamarindo.
New Year in Santa Teresa is the largest single event of the year. The beach fill with bonfires from around 10pm on 31 December. Sound systems set up at the main beach access points along the strip. The crowd is a mix of Costa Rican families, foreign surf travellers, and the permanent community of instructors, retreat owners, and hostel staff who have lived here for years. The party runs through to sunrise. January is the start of the dry season, with consistent 1.5–2 metre swells at Playa Carmen and the right-hand point break at Suck Rock.
Party hostels within reach of 's main celebrations. Ranked by guest rating.
Day-by-day breakdown
Playa Carmen is the central surf beach: both left and right breaks, accessible to beginners and intermediates at most tide stages. Surf lessons cost 25,000–35,000 CRC for a two-hour session from any of the schools along the main road. The beach stretches 4 kilometres from Playa Carmen north to Playa Hermosa, walkable at low tide. The sunset is directly into the Pacific from this coastline: Playa Santa Teresa faces due west.
The beach access roads off the main dirt track are the New Year party points. Bonfires light up by 10pm. Sound systems (reggaeton, electronic, Latin pop depending on the spot) run from around 9pm. Most hostel common areas run their own parties until the beach event begins. Midnight is marked simultaneously at every bonfire along the strip. No organised fireworks; the crowd provides the noise.
Suck Rock point break, at the north end of the main beach, works best on incoming tide at dawn. Water temperature is 27–28°C year-round. The break is fast and hollow; intermediate to advanced. Beginners stay at Playa Carmen. Bring your own board or rent from the shops at 10,000–15,000 CRC per day.
Montezuma is 12 kilometres south of Santa Teresa (30-minute shared taxi at 3,000–4,000 CRC). The Montezuma waterfall trail starts in the village and reaches a three-tiered waterfall in 20 minutes. The third tier, 15 metres high, has a swimmable pool at the base. The trail continues to a second set of falls. Montezuma also has a small beach party scene on Thursday nights at the Chico's Bar terrace.
Pre-booked private transfers and shared shuttles for your arrival.
