You’ve seen them. Those impossibly blue, glass-like photos of Costa Rica beaches that make you want to quit your job and sell your house. They look like CGI. Most of the time, honestly, they kind of are—or at least they're the result of a photographer standing in a mosquito-infested swamp at 5:11 AM waiting for the exact nanosecond the sun hits the Pacific. If you show up at noon with a smartphone, you’re going to get a lot of glare and some very sweaty-looking family members.
Costa Rica is tricky.
It’s a rugged, volcanic country. The sand isn't always that blinding white you see in the Maldives; sometimes it’s charcoal grey or peppered with crushed seashells. But that’s the charm, right? You’re here for the jungle-meets-ocean vibe. If you want a sterile, manicured beach, go to a resort in Cancun. If you want raw, messy, vibrant life, you want the Nicoya Peninsula or the Caribbean side.
The Reality of Capturing Photos of Costa Rica Beaches
Let's talk about the light. Costa Rica is close to the equator. This means the sun doesn't mess around. It rises fast and it sets fast. By 9:00 AM, the light is often "hard," which in photography speak means it creates deep, ugly shadows under people’s eyes and washes out the turquoise of the water.
If you want those iconic photos of Costa Rica beaches, you basically have two windows. The "Golden Hour" is a cliche for a reason. In places like Tamarindo or Santa Teresa, the sunset is an event. Hundreds of people sit on the sand just to watch the sky turn a bruised purple. This is when the moisture in the air catches the light, creating that hazy, ethereal look.
But here is what most people get wrong: they only look at the Pacific.
The Caribbean side—Cahuita, Puerto Viejo, Punta Uva—has a completely different palette. The water there actually is more consistently teal, but the weather is unpredictable. You might get a torrential downpour in the middle of a "sunny" day. That's actually great for your photos. A stormy sky over a tropical beach adds a level of drama that a flat blue sky just can't touch.
👉 See also: Finding Your Way: What the Lake Placid Town Map Doesn’t Tell You
Why Your Phone Struggles With the Jungle Backdrop
One of the biggest challenges when taking photos of Costa Rica beaches is the "green wall." Most of these beaches are backed by dense, dark jungle. Your camera sensor gets confused. It tries to expose for the dark trees, which makes the bright sand and ocean look like a white explosion. Or it exposes for the bright water, and the jungle becomes a black void.
The fix? Exposure compensation.
Tap on the brightest part of your screen (the sky or the surf) and slide the brightness down. It’s much easier to recover details from a dark photo than it is to fix a "blown out" white sky. Also, look for the monkeys. Seriously. If you’re at Manuel Antonio, you’re going to be tempted to just shoot the water. But the best photos of Costa Rica beaches usually include the wildlife that’s literally five feet behind you. Capuchin monkeys and sloths are the real stars, though please, for the love of everything, don't use a flash on them. It’s mean and it makes the photo look terrible anyway.
The Pacific vs. The Caribbean: A Visual Breakdown
You have to choose your "vibe" before you even book the flight.
The Guanacaste region is dry. It's almost like a desert that crashed into the ocean. During the "Verano" (dry season, roughly December to April), the trees lose their leaves and the land turns golden. This creates a high-contrast, rugged look for your photos. Beaches like Playa Conchal are famous because the "sand" is actually millions of tiny white shells. It’s bright. It’s crisp.
Then you have the Osa Peninsula. This is the deep south. It’s humid. It’s heavy. The beaches here, like those in Corcovado National Park, feel prehistoric. The sand is dark and the trees lean over the water. If you want photos that look like Jurassic Park, this is your spot. You won’t find many umbrellas or beach chairs here. You’ll find driftwood and tapir tracks.
✨ Don't miss: Why Presidio La Bahia Goliad Is The Most Intense History Trip In Texas
- Playa San Josecito: Hard to get to, but the turquoise water against the deep green jungle is peak Costa Rica.
- Playa Hermosa (Santa Teresa): The surf break creates a constant mist in the air. This "sea spray" catches the afternoon light and makes every photo look like a dream sequence.
- Manzanillo: On the Caribbean side. There’s a famous stranded ship here that’s been reclaimed by the sea. It’s a moody, haunting subject for anyone tired of standard sunset shots.
Composition Mistakes That Scream "Tourist"
Stop putting the horizon line right in the middle of the frame. It’s boring.
If the sky is amazing, give it the top two-thirds of the photo. If the water is crystal clear and there are interesting rocks in the foreground, give the bottom two-thirds to the ground. Use "leading lines." A shoreline curving into the distance leads the viewer's eye through the image.
And get low.
Most people take photos from eye level. It’s what we see every day. If you crouch down—or even put your camera right on the sand—the perspective shifts. Suddenly, a small tide pool looks like a massive lake, and the palm trees look like giants.
Pro Tip: Watch out for the tides. The Pacific coast has massive tidal swings. A beach that looks like a tiny strip of sand at 10:00 AM might be a massive, reflective mirror of wet sand by 4:00 PM. Those "mirror" shots are the holy grail of photos of Costa Rica beaches. You need a retreating tide and a low sun.
Dealing With the "Greenery" Problem
The sheer amount of green in Costa Rica is overwhelming. To the human eye, it’s beautiful. To a camera, it can look like a muddled mess.
🔗 Read more: London to Canterbury Train: What Most People Get Wrong About the Trip
Expert photographers often use a circular polarizer. It’s a piece of glass that screws onto a lens (or can be held over a phone lens) that cuts through glare. It makes the leaves look greener and the water look deeper. It’s basically sunglasses for your camera. Without it, the tropical sun bounces off the waxy leaves of the almond trees, creating "hot spots" of white light that distract from the subject.
Respecting the "Pura Vida" While You Shoot
There is a real tension in Costa Rica between tourism and preservation. When you’re hunting for the perfect spot, stay on the trails. Don't trample the nesting sites of sea turtles.
In places like Tortuguero, taking photos is highly regulated for a reason. If you’re there for the turtle nesting, leave the big camera in the hotel. You usually aren't allowed to use flash, and honestly, you should just experience it with your eyes. No photo of a turtle in the dark is going to be better than the memory of seeing a leatherback the size of a Volkswagen Beetle crawl out of the surf.
Actionable Insights for Your Next Trip
If you want your photos of Costa Rica beaches to actually stand out, stop chasing the same spots everyone else posts on Instagram.
- Go during the "Green Season": May through November. Yes, it rains. But the colors are explosive. The dust is gone, the plants are vibrating with life, and the clouds create incredible textures in the sky that you simply don't get in the dry season.
- Use a waterproof bag: Salt air and humidity are the enemies of electronics. Even if you aren't "swimming" with your camera, the constant mist at the beach can fry a motherboard over time.
- Find a "Subject": A beach is just a landscape until you put something in it. A lone surfer walking toward the waves, a bright red scarlet macaw in a beachside almond tree, or even a piece of uniquely shaped driftwood provides a "hook" for the viewer's eye.
- Focus on the details: Don't just shoot the wide view. Zoom in on the texture of the volcanic sand, the way the salt crusts on a piece of rope, or the pattern of a crab's tracks.
The best photos of Costa Rica beaches tell a story of a place that is wild and slightly untamed. Don't try to make it look perfect. Let it be a little messy. Let the humidity show. That’s the real Costa Rica.
Pack a lens cloth—you're going to need it every five minutes—and get out there before the sun gets too high. The best shots happen when everyone else is still at the breakfast buffet. Honestly, the coffee is great, but the light at 6:00 AM is better.
Next Steps for the Aspiring Travel Photographer:
Check the tide charts for your specific destination (the "Tides" app works well for the Nicoya region). Plan your "hero shots" for low tide during the hour before sunset. This ensures you get those reflective wet-sand surfaces that define the high-end travel aesthetic. Also, invest in a cheap circular polarizer for your phone or DSLR; it's the single most effective tool for cutting through tropical haze and making the Pacific blue "pop" without over-editing in post-production.