Beach Hike: The Best FREE Activity in Drake Bay

Halfway through the hike, we decided to sit on a fallen log on a beach. The blend of jungle and beach with no trace of human civilization around warranted a Robinson Crusoe like feeling. We do not know the name of that beach, neither is it marked on Google Maps. Gazing at the Caño Island in the distant horizon, we wondered how many such secluded beaches remain tucked in the wild rainforests of Costa Rica. This was one of the several hidden beaches we came across that day on the Drake Bay beach hike trail.

Although Drake Bay is one of the most remote places of Costa Rica, there are no dearth of activities in the region. From hiking in one of the most biodiverse national parks in the world to snorkeling or diving in a marine biological reserve, there are plenty of activities to choose from. But most of these tours make a slight dent in the pocket. So, if you are looking for more budget options in Drake, consider the beach hike. A day filled with hiking through jungle tails, spotting wildlife, river adventures and relaxing at secluded beaches, the beach hike is the best free activity in Drake Bay.

This is our guide to what you can expect on the Drake Bay beach hike trail and how you can plan yours.

Drake Bay Beach Hike: What to Expect

We would rank the Drake Bay beach hike among our top favorite things to do in Costa Rica. The hike is tiring but rewarding at the same time as it is filled with constant surprise interactions with different elements of nature.

Most people will tell you that it takes about 2-3 hours to do the Drake Bay beach hike, one way. But, according to us, the effort of this hike cannot really be measured in terms of hours required or distance covered. Because you will invariably stop several times during the hike, enticed by the sights and scenes. That is what happened with us. We gave in to all the temptations and distractions that the day unfolded, soaking in each activity and scenery and thus spent almost the entire day on the trail, one way!

Trail Overview

Drake Bay beach hike trail starts from the town and goes southward alternating between jungle paths and beaches. Soon after passing the main beach in Drake town, you will come across couple of hanging bridges, one before Kala Luna restaurant and the other after. The initial sections of the trail are marked well with directions towards Cocalito Beach. Keep following the signs until you reach the first beach. That is Playa Cocalito, but we did not see any signs at the beach though. There onward there isn’t much of signage. But not to worry, you will not get lost. Just keeping following the path, and get mesmerized by the breathtaking scenery.

Beaches: Not Just Playa San Josecito!

Drake Bay beach hike is primarily known for the San Josecito beach. Most travelers walk on this trail from Drake Bay to get till San Josecito, spend a nice day there and then return to Drake. A lighter version of this hike is till Playa Cocalito, which is the first beach on the trail. So, San Josecito and Cocalito seem to hold more prominent names among the beaches on this trail.

But the hike will allow you to discover several secluded beaches along the trail, not just Playa San Josecito. The eternal saying that the journey is more important that the destination could not be more true for the Drake Bay beach hike trail. Even if you do not go till San Josecito, you will still get the chance to see many charming beaches along the way. Surrounded by jungle, these small coves with warm blue ocean water and golden sand beaches can be your perfect hideaway for the day.

Our original plan was to go to Playa Cocalito in the morning, relax on the beach, do some aerial photography and return to town for a seafood special lunch. But, the beauty of the path lured us to keep going. So, we ended up going not just till Playa San Josecito but even beyond, till Playa Rincon.

Wildlife Encounters: Macaws, Monkeys and More

The beach hike trail will give you the chance to meet many residents of the jungle.

Soon after we crossed Playa Cocalito, we came across a bunch of capuchin monkeys hanging out on the trees next to the trail. They did not seem to be bothered by us. So we stood silently for a good fifteen minutes and watched their busy morning routine. They carried on with their important activities like scratching each other, eating and jumping off from one branch to another.

A fair stretch of the trail runs through Punta Rio Claro National Wildlife Refuge. While passing through this area, we spotted a group of scarlet macaws feeding on the fruits of an avocado tree. We also spotted a group of howler monkeys high up on the tree. Iguanas and lizards often accompanied us on the hike.

However, our totally unexpected sighting was a big ball of fur curled up, that was moving at its own sweet pace up the branch of a tree. Even our guesthouse host was surprised to learn later that night that we had spotted a sloth on the beach hike trail! Acknowledgement: Thanks to a lovely fellow hiker couple who told us about the sloth. When we were busy admiring the scarlet macaws, the Dutch guy came to us, and pointing in the forward direction, told us “My wife saw a… the slow animal there. Sorry, I don’t know the English name”. We immediately knew that a sloth sighting was on the cards.

So keep an eye out for animals and birds while walking on the Drake Bay beach hike trail. If you can start very early in the morning, the chances of spotting birds will be better.

River Crossing: Rio Claro

An important and interesting part of the hike to Playa San Josecito is crossing a river on the way. Rio Claro empties into the ocean on the last beach you need to cross before reaching San Josecito. At the time of our visit, the water level was low enough for us to wade through it. But we have heard that during high tides, Ricardo (more about him in the next sections) offers a boat river crossing service for a small fee.

As soon as we dipped our feet in the water, we felt refreshed. The cool water helped take away much of the exhaustion we had accumulated while hiking in the hot and humid conditions. Probably that is why we indulged in couple of other river water activities in Rio Claro, soon after the river crossing.

River Adventure – Part 1 (Optional Free Activity)

After crossing Rio Claro, we could see the larger part of the river before it becomes narrow and flows into the ocean. The stillness of the water surface reflected the surrounding lush green rainforest, creating a serene setting to allure the passerby. It was hard to pass that invitation by nature. So, we kept our day-pack and left our sandals on the river bank, and took the plunge into the river. We spent a good hour swimming and chilling in the refreshing Rio Claro.

Of course, this was a digression from the original Drake Bay beach hike trail, but a pleasant distraction nonetheless. The best part is, like the rest of the hike, this river adventure is completely free.

River Adventure – Part 2 (Optional Paid Tour)

From the Rio Claro river crossing, as you move from the beach again on the jungle path, you will see a small rustic establishment with some souvenirs for sale. Ricardo, the owner, has been operating a sea turtle conservation project from here for years. This is where we came to learn about the river floating tour that he offers in Rio Claro. Encouraged by the enthusiasm of another family who had just finished this tour, we signed up for ours.

The Rio Claro floating tour cost us 25 USD each, but it was worth every buck. We were canoed to a deeper section of the rain forest from where we floated down the river to come back to the shore. Lying on our backs on the soothing bed of the river surface, while absorbing the beauty of the nature around, was one of the most relaxing activities we had done in recent times. For more details about this tour, like jumping off cliffs or swimming to a waterfall in the jungle, you can read about our complete experience of floating in the Rio Claro.

This river adventure was a chance encounter for us. But you can also book your Rio Claro floating adventure in advance if you plan to combine this optional paid tour along with your free activity of Drake Bay beach hike. Contact them by email (rioclaroaventuras@gmail.com) or phone (+506 8717 5393) to coordinate your booking.

Return to Drake Bay town

Two Options

After spending some relaxing time at Playa San Josecito, you will need to retrace the entire hiking trail for returning to Drake Bay town. If you are not up for another long hike, you can arrange for a boat pickup from Playa San Josecito. But you will need to organize this beforehand from Drake town.

Third Option

However, none of these two options worked for us. Since we participated in so many unplanned activities during the day, we did not quite have the time to complete the return hike to Drake before sundown. Neither did we have any boat pickup arranged. So, Ricardo assisted us with a third option. He runs a hostel about 10 minutes walk further south from Playa San Josecito. We had to walk till there, where the hostel staff could help us book an ATV ride back to town.

Ricardo’s projects are almost one-man initiatives, but greatly aided by group of volunteers. We had the chance to meet and interact with couple of them, and thoroughly enjoyed our conversations.

A solo traveler from Poland, who had sold everything to travel the world, was volunteering at the turtle conservation and river adventure project near Rio Claro. She offered to guide us on our walk till the hostel. From the hostel, we had to walk for another 15 minutes on the beach, Playa Rincon, to reach the ATV stand. On this stretch of the walk, we were accompanied by another volunteer, a young Tico guy, who came on a trip to Drake from his home in Cartago a few months ago, but stayed back for volunteering at the hostel.

The ATV ride was an adventure by itself. Indranil and I cramped ourselves behind the driver (nah, no social distancing here!) and held on to our grips firmly as the vehicle bounced on curvy dusty mountain dirt roads, often intercepted by rivers. But our sweaty faces glistening under the golden rays of the setting sun were constantly accompanied with ear to ear grins, reflecting the joy of having spent a wonderful day.

Tips for the Drake Bay Beach Hike

Although not paved, the trail is fairly easy. But the main challenges are heat and humidity. So prepare accordingly. To help you plan for the Drake Bay beach hike, here are the logistics details.

What to Wear

Clothes: Wear comfortable quick dry clothes that allow easy movement on hot and humid days. For women, you can also team up your swimsuit with hiking shorts.

Footwear: Hiking sandals should be fine. You can wear light sneakers too. But in that case, you will need to take it off while crossing Rio Claro. You will also need to carry flip-flops for the beach as around noon the sand is too hot for barefoot beach walks. So, we were happy with our decision of wearing hiking sandals and not carrying additional pair of footwear.

Sun Protection: The sun in the tropics is harsh. Protect your skin, hair and eyes. Apply sunscreen, wear hat or cap for shade and use sunglasses.

What to Carry

Hydration: The most important thing to carry for the Drake Bay beach hike is water. It is a long walk on jungle dirt paths, without much of amenities along the way. So, carry at least one reusable bottle of water for each person in your group.

Picnic Lunch: Ask your hotel, hostel or Airbnb to pack an easy to carry light lunch for the hike. Or you could buy raw materials from the supermarket and fix yourself a quick lunch to carry.

Energy Bars/ Snacks: Energy bars are our favorite food to carry for hikes. They take up small space, light, tasty and good source of nutrients and energy.

Sunscreen: For reapplication.

Beach towel: There are plenty of beaches where you will feel like laying out the beach towel to lie down with a book.

Raincoat: An essential for your Costa Rica packing list, keep a raincoat if you are doing the hike during rainy season.

Camera: For capturing the moments for memories, remember to bring a photography device of your choice, with plenty of storage space.

Things to Remember

• Have a hearty breakfast to fuel up for the day long hike.
• Apart from a handful of private resorts and tent camps in some parts, there are no establishments on the hike trail.
• If you want to do the Rio Claro Floating Tour, you can book in advance.
• Plan in advance how and when you want to return to Drake Bay town.

Final Thoughts on Drake Bay Beach Hike

For any nature enthusiast, Drake Bay is one of the best places to visit in Costa Rica. You will find nature at its rawest best in this part of the world. The beach hike trail gives you an opportunity to experience this raw nature from close quarters, but without spending a dime for it. This makes the hike one of the best things to do in Drake Bay and a great inclusion in your South Pacific Costa Rica travel itinerary.

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