Any half serious surfer will have heard of the Mail Pais region, in the south-west of Nicoya, where the surf’s up all day long. The beaches stretch for miles and those who live there know they are in paradise! At the centre of the region is Santa Maria, the largest village in the Mal Pais (literally meaning bad country), which is famous among the surfing community for its consistent waves. Surfers have been flocking to Mal Pais since the 1970’s and many of them liked it so much they decided to stay! In recent years the once isolated region has been discovered and development is rapidly taking over on the beachfront. If you’re an experienced surfer you will love this area, but if surfing’s not your gig, keep going – there’s other places to see!

Around and closeby
The beaches stretch for miles along here, starting with Playa Manzanillo in the north which is a combination of sand and rock which is best surfed when the tide is rising and there is an offshore wind. Next is Playa Santa Teresa, the most famous break in the Mal Pais area, which is described as being fast and powerful. You can surf here almost any time of day but watch out for the rocks. Further south is Playa El Carmen, which is a good beach that can also be surfed anytime.

Getting there
To get there, the road from Cobano meets the beach road next to Frank’s Place – a local landmark and historic outpost which provides accommodation, on the western side of the peninsula. Mal Pais lies to the south and to the north there’s Santa Teresa.

Getting around
If you don’t have a vehicle and need to get back to Cobano, the bus leaves Mal Pais at 7am, while buses from Santa Teresa leave at 6.45am and 11am. A taxi from Cobano will set you back about $US18.