Playa Blanca (La Palma)
Beach · Osa Peninsula · hidden gem
A low-key Golfo Dulce beach at the east end of La Palma, where Tico families come on weekends; the gulf is usually far calmer than the open Pacific.
- Cost
- Free
- Time there
- 1.5 h
- Best time
- morning
- Kids
- 7 / 10
- View
- 7 / 10
- Crowds
- 2 / 10
- Swimming
- 7 / 10
- Effort
- 1 / 10
- Location
- 8.6443, -83.4342 — Google Maps
Tip
Great for a sea-kayak paddle along the shore; mornings are glassiest.
Be careful
Keep away from river mouths and mangrove edges, where crocodiles can turn up.
Places nearby
- Pastelería DeyFood & CoffeeBakery-café and pizzeria in Palma on the road to Puerto Jiménez, praised for strong coffee, homemade cakes and pizza that reviewers call the best on the Osa; air-conditioned and open late.
- Finca Köbö (chocolate farm tour)Food & CoffeeAn organic farm about 17 km north of Puerto Jiménez, a few kilometers south of La Palma, whose tour explains how cacao is grown and turned into chocolate on a small scale — with tasting.
- Rancho Raíces de OsaParks & WildlifeFamily-run organic farm west of Puerto Jiménez where visitors learn how cacao becomes chocolate, taste fruit straight from the farm and often see monkeys; also takes farm-stay guests.
- Bosque del Río Tigre LodgeStays · takes 3 h · from $35Small birding and wildlife lodge at the edge of Corcovado National Park, near Dos Brazos on the Osa Peninsula, with meals included.
- Pizza Mail.itFood & CoffeeFamily-run pizzeria in a jungle garden where the Italian owners (from Trieste) bake thin, crisp-chewy pizzas with a sauce made daily; also calzones and fresh pasta.
- Soda JiménezSodas & Local FoodNo-frills soda on a side street in town serving big plates of casado (rice, beans, salad, plantain and your choice of protein) at local prices, with vegan options.
Sources: OpenStreetMap way/634278571 · https://www.lonelyplanet.com/costa-rica/reserva-forestal-golfo-dulce/attractions/playa-blanca/a/poi-sig/1533141/1318787 · https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/634278571