Playa Guiones Webcam – Check the Surf in Nosara, Costa Rica

The Playa Guiones Webcam looks across the surf at Nosara, on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, from a raised spot behind the beach. Low green scrub and a small group of palms fill the foreground, with a strip of pale sand just beyond them. Past the sand, whitewater stacks up in several lines, and surfers can often be picked out waiting on the outside. Vacation Nosara, a local vacation rental company, runs the camera as a surf check, so the picture is most useful for reading the size of the sets and how crowded the lineup is. This camera streams during daylight hours, Costa Rica time (GMT-6), so the player can be empty overnight. The feed returns the next morning without anything needing to be reloaded.

About Playa Guiones

Playa Guiones is the main surf beach of Nosara, on the Nicoya Peninsula in the province of Guanacaste. Guidebooks do not agree on its length, with figures running from about 5 kilometers (3.1 miles) to 7 kilometers (4.3 miles) of sand. Vacation Nosara calls it the long beach break that made Nosara a surf town. Travel guides describe its waves as consistent and forgiving through the year, and pitch the area at surfers of all skill levels.

The sand here is the part to watch. The operator notes that Guiones works on most tides, but the sandbars shift through the year and the best banks move with them, so the spot where sets break cleanly in one month may not be the same in the next. A clock sits in the top left of the picture, and a caption in the lower right credits Villa Zenith alongside Vacation Nosara. The operator’s page does not say where the camera is mounted.

Playa Pelada, the next beach along, lies about 3 kilometers (2 miles) northwest of the middle of Guiones in a straight line. The hamlet of Ostional is about 9 kilometers (5.6 miles) in the same direction. Nosara Airport is a small local field roughly 15 minutes from the beach by taxi. Liberia is about 130 kilometers (80 miles) away, or around 2.5 hours by car, and San Jose about 250 kilometers (160 miles), or 4 to 5 hours.

Weather and Climate in Playa Guiones

This coast has two seasons rather than four. The dry season runs from December to April and the wetter green season from May to November. Open-Meteo reanalysis figures for the beach, averaged over 2016 to 2025, put afternoon highs at about 33°C (91°F) in February and March, easing to about 28°C (82°F) in October. Night lows barely move, staying close to 24°C (75°F) all year. Rain shows the bigger swing: about 21 millimeters (0.8 inches) falls in February against about 578 millimeters (23 inches) in October, the wettest month.

Those seasons change the look of the frame. The late October picture used for this post, taken in the green season, showed thick green scrub, flat grey cloud and muted water. Conditions also change within a single day. Vacation Nosara says mornings are usually glassier, with offshore winds holding the waves up, while afternoons tend to be choppier but warmer. It adds that what looks small at sunrise can be shoulder-high by lunch, so a morning check may not hold for the whole day.

Things to Do Near Playa Guiones

Surfing comes first here, and Vacation Nosara itself arranges lessons, rentals and concierge help alongside its vacation homes. The operator suggests pairing the Playa Guiones Webcam with a tide chart before committing to a session. For calmer water, Playa Pelada is the better choice for swimming. Local guides also point to beachfront restaurants such as La Luna for a meal after time in the water.

North of Nosara, Playa Ostional is one of the most important nesting sites in the world for olive ridley sea turtles. Thousands come ashore together in mass nestings called arribadas, which guides place mainly between July and November, with September and October often named as the peak. The beach is protected by the Ostional Wildlife Refuge, which covers 85.7 square kilometers (33.1 square miles) of land and sea. Closer to town, the Nosara Biological Reserve is known for its birdlife and sits beside Lagarta Lodge and the dark sand of Playa Nosara.

Similar Webcams You Might Like

These cameras cover more of Costa Rica and two other surf coasts worth checking.

• San Jose Webcam
• Cox Bay Webcam
• Jeffreys Bay Webcam

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is Playa Guiones located?

Playa Guiones is at Nosara, on the Pacific side of the Nicoya Peninsula in Guanacaste, Costa Rica. Liberia is about 130 kilometers (80 miles) away by road.

What can you see on the Playa Guiones Webcam?

Green scrub and palms sit in the foreground, then a strip of sand, then several lines of breaking waves. Surfers often show up as small dark shapes beyond the whitewater, and people can sometimes be seen walking on the sand.

What is the weather like in Playa Guiones?

It is warm all year. Afternoon highs average about 28°C to 33°C (82°F to 91°F) and lows stay near 24°C (75°F). December to April is dry, and May to November is much wetter, with October the rainiest month.

Why is the Playa Guiones Webcam not showing anything right now?

Vacation Nosara runs the camera during daylight hours, Costa Rica time (GMT-6), so the player can be empty after dark. The picture returns the next morning, and nothing needs to be reloaded.

Is Playa Guiones good for beginner surfers?

Travel guides generally describe it as a forgiving beach break suited to a range of abilities, and lessons are available locally. Conditions can build quickly through the day, so the size of the sets is worth checking first.

What time of day is best for surfing Playa Guiones?

Mornings are usually the cleanest, according to Vacation Nosara, because offshore winds hold the waves up. Afternoons tend to be choppier but warmer.

How do you get to Playa Guiones?

Nosara Airport is a small local airport about 15 minutes from the beach by taxi. By road, allow around 2.5 hours from Liberia or 4 to 5 hours from San Jose.

When do sea turtles nest near Nosara?

Mass olive ridley nestings at Playa Ostional take place mainly between July and November, about 9 kilometers (5.6 miles) northwest of Playa Guiones in a straight line.

Source: Vacation Nosara