Puerto Jiménez Town Beach (to the Platanares estuary)
Beach · Osa Peninsula
The calm bay beach right at the edge of town, lined with mangroves and coconut palms. Unlike most Pacific beaches the water of the Golfo Dulce is flat and good for swimming, and you can walk south along the shore all the way to the Río Platanares estuary.
- Cost
- Free
- Time there
- 2 h
- Best time
- late afternoon and sunset
- Kids
- 9 / 10
- View
- 6 / 10
- Crowds
- 3 / 10
- Swimming
- 8 / 10
- Effort
- 1 / 10
- Location
- 8.53959, -83.29949 — Google Maps
Before you go
- Tickets
- Free entry, no ticket
- Parking
- On the street
- Road
- Paved all the way
- Swimming
- Yes
- Kids
- Good for kids
- Fewer people
- the best light and wildlife come just before sunset
- Checked
- 2026-10
Tip
Swim in the late afternoon, then paddle into the mangroves at sunset; on dark, moonless nights bioluminescence kayak tours leave from this beach.
Be careful
Crocodiles and caimans live in the mangrove channels — swim on the open beach, not in the estuary.
Getting there
A short walk from downtown Puerto Jiménez, east of the center by the mangroves.
Places nearby
- Los DelfinesFood & CoffeeWaterfront restaurant next to the main pier with views of boats and the gulf at sunset; grilled red snapper, shrimp and seafood platters plus a Tico breakfast and cocktails.
- Soda MarbellaSodas & Local FoodWell-liked local soda for Costa Rican classics and seafood in generous portions; reviewers single out the fish ceviche with a green jalapeño hot sauce.
- Marisquería CorcovadoFood & Coffee · from $10Casual waterfront-garden seafood house on the boulevard with a very long menu: grilled fish and whole snapper, lobster, vegan plates and sushi, popular with anglers, families and backpackers.
- Restaurante Agua LunaFood & CoffeeA newer, more upscale restaurant right on the bay in Puerto Jiménez, with tables facing the mangroves: Costa Rican dishes like rice with shrimp and fish fillet.
- Aventuras CaféFood & CoffeeFamily café near the Puerto Jiménez airstrip, opened in 2021 by the owners of a long-running kayak outfit: healthy breakfasts, tuna burgers, chicken fajitas on corn tortillas, fresh coffee and a coconut-yuca cake.
- Cafetería MonkaFood & CoffeeBreakfast favorite with a terrace over town: breakfast burritos, sandwiches with plantain chips, good coffee and smoothies, with vegan and vegetarian choices at friendly prices.
Sources: OpenStreetMap way/714475153 · https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/714475153 · https://www.twoweeksincostarica.com/puerto-jimenez-costa-rica/ · https://www.twoweeksincostarica.com/bioluminescent-kayak-tour/