La Punta Lighthouse & Sunset Point (Puntarenas)
Viewpoint · Nicoya Peninsula
The very tip of the Puntarenas sand spit: a red-and-white lighthouse over a rock breakwater, a small seafront park with lit walkways and benches, and ferries to Paquera and Playa Naranjo gliding past. It's the town's favourite place to watch the sun drop behind the Nicoya Peninsula hills, and on summer Thursdays the 'Baile del Faro' brings out dancers of all ages.
- Cost
- Free
- Time there
- 45 min
- Best time
- sunset; Thursday evenings in the dry-season summer for the lighthouse dance
- Kids
- 4 / 10
- View
- 8 / 10
- Crowds
- 3 / 10
- Swimming
- 2 / 10
- Effort
- 1 / 10
- Location
- 9.977, -84.85119 — Google Maps
Before you go
- Entry
- Free
- Tickets
- Free entry, no ticket
- Parking
- On the street
- Road
- Paved all the way
- Facilities
- food
- Kids
- Good for kids
- Fewer people
- busiest on weekend evenings and on summer Thursdays
- Checked
- 2026-10
Tip
Arrive 30 minutes before sunset, grab a vigorón or a churchill from the carts and watch the evening ferries come in.
Be careful
Breakwater rocks are uneven and slippery - hold on to small kids. Currents are strong where the estuary meets the gulf; don't swim off the tip.
Getting there
Follow Paseo de los Turistas west to the very end, past the ferry terminal; park on the street near the lighthouse.
Places nearby
- Parque Marino del PacíficoParks & WildlifeAquarium park in Puntarenas' old railway station, about three hectares of tanks with sea turtles, tropical fish, rays, crocodiles and large sharks, plus a small pool and play area for children - an easy family stop at the east end of the seafront.
- Bahía Rica (bioluminescent kayak tours & fishing lodge)Tours & AdventureA small wooden kayak-and-fishing lodge on the bluff 1.5 km east of the Paquera ferry landing, best known for its night kayak tour on Paquera's bio-bay, where every paddle stroke lights up blue-green plankton and you can even jump in and swim through the glow.
Sources: OpenStreetMap node/2968007234 · https://ticotimes.net/?p=163188 · https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Puntarenas · https://nicoyapeninsula.com/gulf/puntarenas/ · https://www.openstreetmap.org/node/2968007234