The 6 Best Nosara Surf Camps [Updated 2025]
There aren’t as many surf camps in Nosara as there are in, say, Tamarindo, but the town has its fair share of good options, plus relatively empty and highly consistent waves. Upshot? It’s a FANTASTIC spot. But shhh!
Nosara is neatly placed midway down the Nicoya Peninsula, roughly half the distance between the party-surf mecca of Tamarindo and the upcoming surf territory of Santa Teresa. It’s long been whispered about as the chilled escape of the region; a place where morning Yin yoga to the sunrise is the way to start the day.
More recently, Nosara has been on the up as a surf town and camp hotspot. The main reason for that goes by the name of Playa Guiones. That’s a long sweep of coffee-tinged sand that has perhaps the most consistent surf in the country. No joke. Plus, it’s all-level stuff, with the primary swell that can hollow out moving to secondary breakers and whitewash that’s perfect for total beginners.
Add on top of that a stunning location between a halo of jungle-covered hills, a couple of cool beach bars with sunset views you’ll never forget, and a range of truly fantastic upcoming surf camps with quality tuition. Only then do you start to see why we’re quite so passionate about the places we list below…
We might use affiliate links in this post. Basically, you click em’ and we get a little something from your booking or purchase. They help us keep offering more and more in-depth surf guides to awesome places all around the globe. So, thanks for that!
This is just one part of our complete overall guide to surfing in Costa Rica
This is also a part of our complete guide to surf camps
Quick-click links to our top surf camps in Nosara
- The Nomadic Hotel – The best overall surf stay in Nosara
- Ride On Surf Hotel – Best for beginners
- Shambala Retreat – Best for yogis
- Safari Surf School – For great surf teaching
- Surf Bikini Retreat – Best for women surfers
- Nosara Hostel Costa Rica – Best for surfers on a budget
The Nomadic
The best overall surf stay in Nosara
It’s kinda’ rare that we highlight a standalone accommodation booking as the best surf camp in any particular destination. Typically, we try to focus on package offerings that include everything you need as standard, from board rental to surf lessons. The reason? You click book and it’s all sorted.
But there’s just something about The Nomadic Hotel in Nosara that’s convinced us to bend those rules. It’s a special, special place.
The whole thing is designed beautifully. It’s part Costa Rican cabana part slick lifestyle hotel. The architecture – Ibizan whitewash meets Balinese polished concrete – is stunning. The communal areas, from the squiggly pool to the thatched rooftop, are some of the best we’ve seen.
It’s not for nothing that it nearly scores 10/10 on Booking.com and continues to reign as our top pick in the town since we first started ranking things back in 2023.
It’s never a chore to organize surf lessons. Hop down to reception and they’ll make it happen in a jiffy. And surf is just part of it. You can add in any number of other enthralling activities, from spearfishing trips to horse riding on Playa Guiones.
One tip: Book this one early! It always fills up fast for the whole season.
A note on why we partner with BookSurfCamps.com: Book Surf Camps are probably the biggest online aggregator of surf camps and surf-yoga packages in the world. We sounded out a quite a few potential partners before we affiliated with them. But, in the end, the abundance of choice for beginners, intermediates, and female-only surfing sealed it. We also love the simplicity of their booking system and the trusted brand name, along with the focus on connecting with homegrown local businesses on the ground.
Ride On Surf Hotel
Best for beginners
I’d say there was a bit of a gap in the market down in Nosara. It seemed that most of the hotels were aimed squarely at either couples or yogis for a quite some time. No longer. Ride On Surf Hotel is proudly filling the void with its beginner-focused surf package.
First off, I’ll say this: Nosara and Playa Guiones (the main surf beach here) is the perfect place to learn to surf. Yes, there can often be big walls out back but there’s almost always workable whitewash to practice on, and some mellower breaks in the nearby area, plus great consistency.
So, there’s that. Then add in the offering from Ride On Surf Hotel, which is a full 8-day camp that includes a whopping 11 guided lessons backed up by surf theory sessions and video analysis (three of them!). It’s basically the prime package if you’re a starter and want to get onto green waves in a single, intensive week.
The other bonus? Thier lodge is super, super nice. It’s like a boutique hostel, with outdoor spaces that ooze tropical cool – and, yes, there’s a pool!
Shambala Retreat
Best for yogis
The Shambala Retreat really cut its teeth offering yoga packages that are all about a reset for mind and body and developing connections with the natural world.
Now, all that still forms the backbone of their offering in Nosara, though they’ve added a surf element to one of their 7-day packages that brings in up to eight hours of surfing alongside all the yoga and meditation.
We rate this one as one of the finest packages out there for yogis looking to add more strings to their Zen bow. Under the extremely experienced guidance of in-house teacher Isabelle, guests get advanced Kundalini yoga and breathwork sessions, plus the chance to do Hatha yoga. All of that takes place on the oceanside shala, which has occasional views of the Pacific Ocean between the palm trees.
On the water, you’ll be going out with an ISA-certified teacher with experience working in Australia and Africa. It’s relaxed, informal, but effective tuition that focuses on harnessing the focus found in yoga to create meaningful connections with the waves; helping you feel your way into becoming a better surfer.
Safari Surf School
Great for quality surf teaching
Two decades of experience and accreddited coaches make the Safari Surf School one of the most seasoned in the whole of Nosara. They’ve got an all-local crew of ISA-2 and ISA-1 coaches that are seriously good at what the do. To put it another way: Don’t worry a jot about the quality of the teaching here. It’s cracking.
The school itself has moved to partner with a number of hotels in and around Nosara town to create a variety of packages that suit just about any budget, offering differing levels of luxury.
For the top-of-the-range stuff, book yourself into the private double suite offering at the Olas Verdes Hotel (which has a mention in our guide to the top surf hotels in Costa Rica for good reason!) or the lux Harmony Hotel (home to a lovelllyyy infinity pool).
To keep it more budget-friendly, go for the Backpacker’s Special package, which includes all the same tuition but accomodation is switched to the fun-filled Nosara Beach Hostel.
Surf Bikini Retreat
Best for: Women (it’s female-only)
Surf Bikini Retreat is one of a few female-only surf camps in Costa Rica and it’s undoubtedly one of the best. They run an 8-day package that’s all about empowering guests to feel confident in the water.
That’s achieved over 18 hours of dedicated surf tuition in classes that are limited to 8 people per group, all backed up by one-on-one progress feedback that helps you really home in on your individual faults and areas that need attention. Seriously, it’s a fantastically comprehensive learner package and we’ve heard multiple people say they’ve been smashing it down the line by the end of it all.
You’ll be staying at the Surf Bikini Retreat House the whole time. It’s a fab base for surfs, designed with a touch of boho cool about it but with the charm of a proper Costa Rican escape. Outside, there’s a pool-bar areas where you can kick-back with margaritas (included in the cost of the trip) and get to know fellow guests. Rooms are spacious and deluxe – options include single occupancy and shared doubles or twins.
Nosara Hostel Costa Rica
Nosara Hostel Costa Rica/HostelWorldThe best budget surf stay in Nosara
If you’re on a tight budget then here’s my advice: Strip the whole holiday down, don’t go for a surf camp, pick a hostel, take your own board. Nosara really lends itself to that sort of trip because you can get cheap accomodation within easy walk of Playa Guiones, where you can surf every day without trouble. (If you like, you can even book surf lessons on the side on a pay as you go sorta’ basis – you’re looking at around $60 per sesh).
If that sounds like your sort of thing, then be sure to consider Nosara Hostel, which is a clean, comfy, and welcoming option just back from the beach.
They offer a few rooms with bunks, others with doubles, all of which face a flower-filled garden that’s got hammocks for lazing in post surf. There’s also a shared kitchen and some games like foosball. It’s good times without spending loads.
Check prices and availability at Nosara Hostel Costa Rica
We might use affiliate links in this post. Basically, you click em’ and we get a little something from your booking or purchase. They help us keep offering more and more in-depth surf guides to awesome places all around the globe. So, thanks for that!
