Exploring Samara: Surfers & Mangroves

It has been almost 6 years since we have visited the sleepy town of Samara, the last time we were there, the town has very small and had no basic services for its visitors. There were no banks, there was no internet and phone service was limited.

Now it’s a completely different story.

The place has a huge tourism industry; the town now has many hotels and restaurants. We were very surprised to see that the place with so many visitors and we are in the low season!

The beaches were beautiful and perfect for surfing, in the late morning it has a place for the beach bums and many people come to relax, soak up the sun and enjoy playing in the waves. And in the afternoon & early evening it’s a whole new group that comes onto the beach, the tide comes up and the surfers come out to play.

At 5pm the beach is full of surf boards and beyond the breaks there are many sitting waiting for the perfect wave. Many places along the beach offer surfing lessons, board rentals and kayak tours.

How Samara has grown! This sleepy town has been visited for many looking a beach with very little visitors, something you can’t find very much anymore here in Costa Rica has turned into a haven for surfers.

However, there is another part of Samara that has always attracted visitors and is suffering

under the development of the area: the mangroves. For those who are not familiar with mangroves they are a special area where rivers are made up of salt water, a special habitat which many visit by kayak or small boat tours. We recommend that you take the time to take a kayak trip or in Samara they offer horseback riding tours that visit the areas briefly.

But its worth a visit to see the intricate root system the plants in the area have and their ability to withstand the salinity of the water.

Next time you visit the west coast be sure to stop in Samara!