🇨🇷 Santa Teresa / Malpaís
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Best directionW
Wind speed15–20kt
SeasonJan – Apr
Skill levelIntermediate
WaterChop
A well-known surf town on the Nicoya Peninsula's southern tip — better known for its waves than its wind, but January through April brings clean, reliable cross-onshore wind good enough for kiting alongside the surf crowd.
View live 5-day wind forecast →Good to know
Getting thereSouthern tip of the Nicoya Peninsula, about 4.5 hours from San José International Airport (SJO), including a 1.5-hour car ferry from Puntarenas to Paquera. A car or ATV is required for the bumpy unpaved coastal roads; free parking in the dirt behind the jungle tree line. The open beachfront gives direct entry.
HazardsA world-famous surf beach with a real, brutal Pacific shorebreak, genuine impact-zone risk, and treacherous rip current. Genuinely hazardous for beginner kiters — immediate deep-water drop-offs, real wind shadows near the palm line, and a heavy concentration of surfers in the shallows.
Best time of dayLate afternoon, spring through summer, when regional wind gets reinforced by local thermal building along the coast. After 3pm gives the coastal sea breeze time to fill in cleanly past the outer headlands, clearing the nearshore surf line.