Nosara

Nosara is a village and district in the Nicoya canton, Guanacaste province of Costa Rica on the Pacific Coast.[1]

Nosara
District and village
Fisherman on the Nosara beach (Playa Nosara)
Nosara Location in Costa Rica
Coordinates: 9°58′35″N 85°39′10″W
Country	Costa Rica
Province	Guanacaste
Canton	Nicoya
Area
• Total	134.92 km^2 (52.09 sq mi)
Elevation	6 m (20 ft)
Population  (June 2013)
• Total	5,791
• Density	43/km^2 (110/sq mi)
Postal code	50206

The district has a population of around 5,800 people.[2]

History

The Guanacaste province has never belonged to Nicaragua during the Colonial period. It was a colony itself. It wasn't until after the nations of Central America gained independence from Spain that it was annexed and incorporated to Costa Rica on July 25, 1825. The government recognizes this date as a National holiday even though the boundary lines weren't changed until 1858.[3]

Geography and demographics

Despite the Nicoya peninsula being one of the last locations with large areas of unpaved roads in Costa Rica, Nosara is one of the oldest expatriate communities in the country, as well as a fishing and agricultural area.[4]

Unlike most coastal tourist towns, Nosara lacks nearly any development directly on the beach as much of it consists of the Ostional Wildlife Refuge (necessitated by the presence of breeding olive ridley and leatherback sea turtle populations). Nosara is also a surfing destination as Playa Guiones is one of the most consistent waves in the world with over 330 days per year of rideable conditions. Nosara is considered a mecca for yoga in Costa Rica.[5] Playa Guiones is also the location of a world-renowned yoga school.

The official town center is located 6 km inland from the beach. Within "Nosara town" is the market, pharmacy, post office, churches, school, police station, David S. Kitson public library and Red Cross clinic (Nosara lacks a hospital facility). There is a Banco Popular branch located in the small commercial area near Playa Guiones.

There are five main oceanfront communities each named after their respective beaches: Playa Nosara, Playa Guiones, Playa Pelada, Playa Garza, and Playa Ostional. These comprise the largest areas of foreign-owned residences, tourist hotels and restaurants, centered on Guiones and Pelada. The "suburb" Esparanza de Nosara borders the Playa Guiones area, sitting between its first two beach entrances to the south. Esparanza hosts the Guiones area's largest market, a school and soccer (football) field, and a few new housing developments, hotels, and restaurants.

In 2017, Nosara was noted as the fastest growing surf town in the world by economists from University of Sydney, Australia, when analyzing over 5,000 surf breaks across the globe.[6] [7][8]

The Nosara River goes through the village.

Villages

The administrative center of the district is the village of Bocas de Nosara.

Other villages in the district are Ángeles de Garza, Bijagua, Cabeceras de Garza, Coyoles, Cuesta Winch, Delicias, Esperanza Sur, Flores, Garza, Guiones, Ligia, Nosara, Playa Nosara, Playa Pelada, Portal, Río Montaña, Santa Marta and Santa Teresa.[1]

Transportation

The district is served by Nosara Airport, located only 15 minutes from Nosara beaches. Nature Air offers two daily flights from San Jose to Nosara, and starting December 2016, it will include two weekly flights from Liberia Airport. Sansa Airlines offers three weekly flights from Liberia Airport to Nosara. There is also taxi service from the major international airports in San Jose and Liberia.

The town is spread out and surrounded by jungle. People who live there usually get around with motorcycles, not a lot of them have cars. As a traveler, cars can be rented but it is not necessarily since ATVs or golf carts are cheaper and still can get everywhere. There is also the option to call a tuk tuk, small cars that fit maximum of three people in the back. They are used as taxis.

Gallery

• 
  Sunset on Playa Guiones
• 
  Playa Pelada
• 
  The Nosara River during the rainy season
• 
  A view of the town from an airplane

References

1. "Nosara". Retrieved 2015-03-26.
2. Estadísticas Vitales 2013 Archived 2015-04-02 at the Wayback Machine - INEC
4. Lonely Planet - Nosara Area
5. "Yoga mecca Nosara is not a bad place to become one with the cosmos". Retrieved 2018-08-19.
6. Heyden, Dylan. "Turns Out Perfect Waves Like This in Nosara Costa Rica Are Worth $50 Billion Per Year". The Inertia. Retrieved 2017-03-15.
7. "Surf break discoveries create economic growth". The University of Sydney. Retrieved 2017-03-15.
8. "Nosara is Officially the Fastest Growing Surf Town in the World - The Nosara Real Estate Report". www.nosararealestatereport.com. Retrieved 2017-09-05.