# Things to see in Puntarenas (Costa Rica): 8 places and when to go > Puntarenas is a town in Costa Rica with around 57,000 inhabitants, and this site lists 8 places in and around it, mainly Nature (5), Wildlife (4), With kids (1). The best known are Gulf of Nicoya, San Lucas Island and Pájaros Island Biological Reserve. The best time to come is December to March; also possible: April to August and November. In June there are 12 h 35 of daylight, and in December, 11 h 25. Here is what there is, when to go, how to get there and what else is nearby. - Address: https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/puntarenas/ - Reviewed on: 2026-10-08 - Language: en ## In a nutshell - **Where:** Costa Rica · 9.9702, -84.8336 - **Population:** About 57,000 - **Places:** 8 places on this site, in the town and around it. - **What people come for:** [Nature](https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/naturaleza/) (5) · [Wildlife](https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/fauna/) (4) · [With kids](https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/familia/) (1) · [Beaches](https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/playa/) (1) · [Hiking](https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/senderismo/) (1) - **Best time:** December to March. - **Also possible:** April to August and November. - **Nearest airport:** SJO San José (Alajuela), 69 km as the crow flies ## What to see in Puntarenas The places in and around Puntarenas, best known first, each with its own page: what it is, when to go and what is next to it. Distances are from the centre, as the crow flies. - [Gulf of Nicoya](https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/golfo-de-nicoya/): Bay in Costa Rica · 14 km - [San Lucas Island](https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/parque-nacional-isla-san-lucas/): Nature · Wildlife · 8.7 km - [Pájaros Island Biological Reserve](https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/reserva-biologica-isla-pajaros/): Protected area in Costa Rica · 23 km - [Parque Marino del Pacifico](https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/parque-marino-del-pacifico/): Park in Costa Rica · 1.1 km - [Puntarenas](https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/playa-puntarenas/): Beach · 654 m - [Negritos Islands Biological Reserve](https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/reserva-biologica-islas-negritos/): Nature reserve in Costa Rica · 17 km - [Bahía Rica](https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/bahia-rica/): Hiking · 17 km - [Guayabo Island Biological Reserve](https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/reserva-biologica-isla-guayabo/): Protected area in Costa Rica · 8.2 km ## When to go to Puntarenas The best time to visit Puntarenas is **December to March**; also possible: April to August and November. This comes from its own places: a month counts as the town's best time when it is the best time for half of what there is to see. | Mes | Época | Hours of daylight | | --- | --- | --- | | January | Best time | 11 h 29 | | February | Best time | 11 h 41 | | March | Best time | 11 h 56 | | April | Possible | 12 h 13 | | May | Possible | 12 h 27 | | June | Possible | 12 h 35 | | July | Possible | 12 h 32 | | August | Possible | 12 h 20 | | September | Better not | 12 h 03 | | October | Better not | 11 h 46 | | November | Possible | 11 h 32 | | December | Best time | 11 h 25 | In June there are 12 h 35 of daylight, and in December, 11 h 25. In January, 8 of the 8 places are at their best. When to go to Costa Rica in general, with its festivals and peak seasons, is in [its country guide](https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/#cuando-ir). ## Getting to Puntarenas The nearest main airport is Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO, San José (Alajuela)), 69 km as the crow flies. How to get around Costa Rica (train, car, bus) is in [its country guide](https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/#moverse), and what to sort out before you leave is in [its checklist](https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/#antes-de-salir). - [Where it is](https://www.google.com/maps/search/?api=1&query=9.9702%2C-84.8336) - [Directions](https://www.google.com/maps/dir/?api=1&destination=9.9702%2C-84.8336) ## Other towns nearby - [La Sierra](https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/la-sierra/): 5 places · 36 km - [Quesada, San Carlos](https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/quesada/): 11 places · 59 km - [Cañas District](https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/canas/): 8 places · 59 km - [San Carlos](https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/san-carlos/): 8 places · 59 km - [Alajuela](https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/alajuela/): 11 places · 66 km - [Nicoya](https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/nicoya/): 6 places · 71 km And all of Costa Rica, in [its country guide](https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/). ## Frequently asked questions ### What is there to see in Puntarenas? The best known: [Gulf of Nicoya](https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/golfo-de-nicoya/), [San Lucas Island](https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/parque-nacional-isla-san-lucas/), [Pájaros Island Biological Reserve](https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/reserva-biologica-isla-pajaros/), [Parque Marino del Pacifico](https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/parque-marino-del-pacifico/), [Puntarenas](https://kokai.app/en/paises/america/costa-rica/playa-puntarenas/). In all, 8 places in the town and around it, all on your trip map from day one. ### When is the best time to visit Puntarenas? December to March; also possible: April to August and November. In June there are 12 h 35 of daylight, and in December, 11 h 25. ### How do you get to Puntarenas? The nearest main airport is Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO), 69 km away. From there, [directions](https://www.google.com/maps/dir/?api=1&destination=9.9702%2C-84.8336) opens the route on the map. ### How do I add it to my trip? Create a trip with Puntarenas as the destination and these 8 places are on your map, each with its category. The ones you like go into a day's plan with one tap, and Kokai reminds you when you pass nearby. Data from [OpenStreetMap](https://www.openstreetmap.org/copyright), licensed under the ODbL, from [Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/), CC0, cities from [Natural Earth](https://www.naturalearthdata.com/) and airports from [OurAirports](https://ourairports.com/data/). Daylight hours are calculated from the latitude. More in [credits](https://kokai.app/en/aviso/#creditos).