DON'T MISS: Best Beaches

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Costa Rica's are not the whitest shores on earth, but after a week of hard adventure, soft sand is a welcome respite.

CONCHAL The purest stretch in the country, with turquoise water and a shoreline strewn with shells.

GRANDE The greatest migration of leatherback turtles in the world nests here; so does a large population of visiting surfers hoping to ride towering breaks.

CARRILLO Undeveloped and lined with palms and cliffs. The antithesis of nearby Mal País.

MAL PAIS-SANTA TERESA At the tip of the Nicoya Peninsula, inhabited by extreme surfers and dreadlocked backpackers.

ESPADILLA A crescent isthmus of sugary sand next to Manuel Antonio National Park. Four more beaches are inside the park, and can be reached only on foot.

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