Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Local buses depart from the
pulpería
(corner grocery store) by the soccer field. Traroc
buses depart for Nicoya (US$2, two hours, five daily). Empresa Alfaro buses going to San
José (US$9, six hours) depart from the pharmacy by the soccer field at 2:45pm. To get to
Sámara, take any bus out of Nosara and ask the driver to drop you off at 'la bomba de Sá-
mara' (Sámara gas station). From there, catch one of the buses traveling from Nicoya to
Sámara.
CAR
From Nicoya, a paved road leads toward Playa Sámara. About 5km before Sámara
(signed), a windy, bumpy (and, in the dry season, dusty) dirt road leads to Nosara village
(4WD recommended). It's also possible to drive north (in the dry season), to Ostional, Jun-
quillal and Paraíso, though you'll have to ford a few rivers. Ask around before trying this
in the rainy season, when Río Nosara becomes impassable.
There are a handful of rental car agencies in the Nosara area:
Economy Rent a Car
(
2299-2000;
www.economyrentacar.com
; Playa Guiones)
Alamo
(
2242-7733;
www.alamocostarica.com
;
Playa Pelada)
Refugio Nacional de Fauna Silvestre Ostional
This 248-hectare coastal refuge extends from Punta India in the north to Playa Guiones in
the south, and includes the beaches of Playa Nosara and Playa Ostional. It was created in
1992 to protect the
arribadas,
or mass nestings of the olive ridley sea turtles, which occur
from July to November with a peak from August to October. Along with Playa Nancite in
Parque Nacional Santa Rosa, Ostional is one of two main nesting grounds for this turtle in
Costa Rica.
The olive ridley is one of the smallest species of sea turtle, typically weighing around
45kg. Although they are endangered, there are a few beaches in the world where ridleys
nest in large groups that can number in the thousands. Scientists believe that this behavior
is an attempt to overwhelm predators.
Prior to the creation of the park, coastal residents used to harvest eggs indiscriminately
(drinking raw turtle eggs is thought to increase sexual vigor). However, an imaginative
conservation plan has allowed the inhabitants of Ostional to continue to harvest eggs from
the first laying, which are often trampled by subsequent waves of nesting turtles. By al-
