Malpais, Costa Rica

Malpais anchors the southern tip of the Nicoya Peninsula, a former fishing and cattle village that has grown into a laid-back surf and yoga destination. It sits just around the headland from Santa Teresa, sharing the same swell-exposed coast but keeping a quieter, more rugged feel.

The surf is mainly beach and reef breaks. Playa Carmen, the central beach, serves up consistent sandbar peaks that suit a wide range of surfers, while rockier reef sections nearby offer steeper, more demanding waves. The coastline faces into open Pacific swell, so there is almost always something to ride.

Consistency is the calling card. Waves work year-round, but the strongest, most organised southwest groundswells arrive between the wet-season months of May and October. Offshore mornings, particularly in the December-to-April dry season, deliver the cleanest faces before the wind turns onshore.

Life here runs on surf, sunsets and unpaved roads lined with open-air restaurants, wellness studios and small lodges. The village retains a bohemian, end-of-the-road atmosphere despite steady growth, and the tide pools at low water and long empty stretches of sand reward those who explore on foot. Access is by a long drive or ferry across the Gulf of Nicoya, which helps keep the crowds thinner than on the mainland coast.

The wider area rewards exploration. Beyond Playa Carmen, surfers range along the coast to Santa Teresa and the beaches of the Cabo Blanco reserve, Costa Rica's oldest protected area, where howler monkeys and seabirds thrive. Yoga retreats, wellness studios and farm-to-table restaurants have multiplied, giving Malpais a mix of surf and slow-living culture. Access involves a long drive around the Nicoya Peninsula or the ferry from Puntarenas to Paquera, then a bumpy final stretch that keeps the area feeling remote.