Best Things to Do in Jacó, Costa Rica (2026): 9 Top Tours and Experiences

The best things to do in Jacó mix the beach town itself with the rainforest, rivers and islands a short drive or boat ride away. In town you can learn to surf on Jacó Beach and eat your way through the sodas on a food walk; in the hills behind it you can ride an ATV to a swimming waterfall, zipline with ocean views or hike up a river past ten cascades. Thirty minutes north, Carara National Park and the Tárcoles River hold some of the best wildlife on the Pacific coast, and from the Los Sueños marina just north of town, boats leave for the hidden cove of Playa Fantasia and the white sand of Tortuga Island.

Our pick if you only book one tour: ATV Adventure Tours Costa Rica's three-hour ride to a jungle waterfall. With 908 reviews at 4.9, it is the most-reviewed tour in our Jacó comparison, and it shows you the hills, the ocean views and a waterfall swim in one morning.

Which one should I book?

We rank nine bookable experiences below, each the top pick of our detailed guide to that activity, then cover free activities, Jacó Beach and nightlife. Prices are live per-person rates, checked on 20 October 2026.

Each of these is the top pick from our detailed guide to that activity, where you'll find every alternative compared. Prices are per adult unless noted.

The nine experiences above are all paid tours. Jacó is just as much a beach town, and some of its best moments cost little or nothing.

Free and low-cost things to do

• See the crocodiles for free. The bridge over the Tárcoles River on the coastal road, 20 km north, is a classic stop for watching crocodiles on the banks below. Keep your bag close: Canada's travel advice names the crocodile viewing area among the Pacific coast spots where thefts are reported.
• Walk Carara on your own. Entry to Carara National Park is $10 plus tax for adults and $5 plus tax for ages 2 to 12, bought online in advance, and the short trails near the visitor centre are easy without a guide. Our Carara National Park tour guide explains what a guide adds.
• Find the murals. Jacó's murals line the walk along the beach; the food walk passes them, and you can see them on your own on the way to dinner.
• Watch the sunset. The beach faces the Pacific, so every clear evening ends with the sun going down over the water.

Spend time on Jacó Beach

Jacó Beach runs the length of town, and most of the activity sits in front of the centre: surf schools, board rentals and beach bars. It is a surf beach first. The waves break close to shore, and rip currents form there in every season (our month-by-month guides track when the swell is biggest). Lifeguards cover only part of the beach and not every day, and Canada's travel advice notes that very few beaches in Costa Rica are supervised at all, so swim only where others are swimming, stay out of the water after drinking or after dark, and keep children to wading depth.

Families who want calmer water usually drive north: Playa Mantas, about 20 minutes away, is a sheltered cove with gentler water. Even there conditions change with the tide and swell, so check before anyone goes in. If you want to be in the surf at Jacó, a lesson is the safer way in; our Jacó surf lessons guide compares the schools.

Jacó at night: nightlife and night wildlife

Jacó has the liveliest nightlife on the central Pacific coast, and most of it is within a few blocks. Bars, clubs and late restaurants are concentrated downtown on and around Avenida Pastor Díaz, the main street one block back from the sand. Evenings usually start with sunset drinks at a beach bar such as Clarita's, then move to the street's bars and clubs, several of which have DJs and dancing on weekends and live music on some nights. Most bars charge no entry fee; a few charge a few dollars for a wristband or cup on busy nights. Friday and Saturday are the busiest nights, and Semana Santa and the dry-season holidays fill the town.

Keep it practical. The US government advises visitors to Costa Rica to avoid walking alone on poorly lit streets or beaches, and Canada lists Jacó among the Pacific coast areas of particular concern for theft. Carry little cash, leave passports in the hotel safe, and take a taxi back rather than walking the beach after dark.

If you would rather spend the night looking for animals, a guided night walk up a forest river near town looks for frogs, snakes and owls; our Jacó wildlife tours guide compares it with every other way to see wildlife near Jacó.

Other tours worth knowing about

• Ride a horse on the beach or in the hills. Our Jacó horseback riding guide compares six rides; several were on sale in October 2026.
• Book something just for your group. Our Jacó private tours guide covers private speedboats, catamaran charters and guides.
• Travelling with kids? Our best things to do in Jacó for families guide prices nine picks for two adults and two children, with minimum ages.

Jacó's tours run all year, but the season changes what each day looks like. This summary comes from our month-by-month guides, which use rainfall records from the nearest weather stations at Quepos and Puntarenas.

For detail, see our guides to Jacó in January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November and December.

Most tours in Jacó cost $40 to $105 per adult, and a boat trip $158.94 to $173.85. What matters more than the headline price is what's included: the Carara walk includes the park ticket and the Tortuga trip includes meals and drinks, while the crocodile boat and Carara walk don't include transport from town.

• Go early. Wildlife is most active after dawn, and green-season rain usually arrives in the afternoon.
• Check where tours leave from. Carara and the crocodile boats are 30 minutes north; some Tortuga trips go via Puntarenas, a much longer drive.
• Skip tours that feed animals. Feeding wildlife is fined under Costa Rica's wildlife law, and our wildlife tours guide flags the tours where guests describe it.
• Buy Carara tickets online. They are not sold at the gate; the G&R walk includes them.
• Bring water shoes and bug spray. Waterfall hikes, river walks and the Tortuga beach all have rocky stretches, and mosquitoes come up often in the forest.
• Carry cash for tips and extras. Photo packages, island extras and tips are usually paid separately.
• Choose where to stay. Our best hotels in Jacó guide ranks 12 hotels in Jacó, Playa Hermosa and Los Sueños by guest score, with sampled prices.