hidden· Jungle· Romantic· Secluded
Playa Biesanz
One of the calmest and most scenic beach
4.5(2 reviews)
Quepos
97 saved
One of the calmest and most scenic beach
“Rainy season brings this place fully alive”
Playa Biesanz is a swift jungle descent through Costa Rica's most vibrant canopy, where howler monkeys call overhead and sloths drape lazily across branches while you walk. The trail emerges onto Playa Biesanz, a sheltered cove with crystalline waters and soft sand—a pocket of tranquility that feels genuinely undiscovered compared to Manuel Antonio's busier beaches. The 20-minute hike rewards you with ocean vistas framed by jungle greenery and a secluded swimming spot where the water stays calm year-round. Early morning visits offer the best wildlife encounters and fewer crowds; the dry season (December–April) provides the most stable trail conditions.
A 20-minute jungle descent through dense canopy with overhead calls from howler monkeys and sloths visible in branches, ending at a sheltered cove with crystalline waters and soft sand. The beach sits in a protected bay where water stays calm year-round, making it suitable for swimming and snorkeling; plan an early morning visit to encounter wildlife and avoid crowds, and wear grip-soled sandals or hiking shoes as the trail becomes muddy or slippery after rain with roots and loose rocks underfoot.
What Changes Through The Year
Dry Season (Dec–Apr)
Trail conditions are most stable from December to April, with firm footing and reduced mud or slippery surfaces.
Getting There
From Quepos town center, head toward Manuel Antonio National Park. Playa Biesanz trailhead is located near the park entrance area; accessible by car or taxi from Quepos (approximately 5-10 km)
What to Bring
Safety Considerations
Who This Is For
“The trailhead parking area fills quickly by mid-morning, but arriving before 7 AM typically guarantees parking and coincides with peak howler monkey vocalization at dawn. The beach itself has no facilities, so bring all supplies from Quepos.”
Valentina R.
January 2025
Small, quiet, sheltered. The snorkelling was good for a beach inside a national park — we saw parrotfish and a small reef shark at maybe 4 metres. The trail is easy. The cove is the kind of place you want to stay in for the whole afternoon but the park closes at 4pm so time it accordingly.
Omar A.
March 2025
Every person we spoke to inside the park who had done this trail said the same thing: "I can't believe more people don't know about it." A 15-minute walk from the second beach to a cove that holds maybe 10 people. We had it to ourselves. The water is calmer than the main beaches, the capuchins were in the trees above us, and it felt like the park as it used to be.
Share what this place felt like. Every perspective helps someone find their way here.
Waterfalls
Three-tier waterfall at the end of a jungle trail twenty minutes from the village
Camping
The most biologically intense place on Earth — no services, no shade, no compromise
Swimming
The finest reef on the Pacific coast of Central America, twelve kilometres offshore
Hidden Gems
Impossibly blue river deep in Tenorio Volcano
Hidden Gems
At the quiet end of the Caribbean road — the beach the bus doesn't reach
Living traditions near this place
🐟 Coastal Traditions
The sport boats and the pangas use the same dock — the economics are plainly visible
🌾 Seasonal Rituals
One of the most important Indigenous cultural traditions in Costa Rica
🪶 Indigenous Cultures
Among the most important and recognizable forms of Indigenous art in Costa Rica
🐟 Coastal Traditions
The causeway opens at 6am — the fishermen eat first, then everyone else