Planning A Trip To Pavones

Finding Pavones isn’t easy and Google Maps ain’t that accurate down in the jungles of Costa Rica so here are some directions:

Getting There

It’s hard to time flights and drives in order to make it from your house to Pavones in one shot. We usually land in San Jose around 10 and by the time we get through customs and rent a car it’s close to 1pm. Sunset is at 6pm year round and you don’t want to drive Pavones in the dark your first time. Because of this we usually sty in Uvita and finish the drive in the morning.

Airport to Uvita:

From where most of the rental car agencies are, head towards the airport on Highway 1 (east)

Check your odometer when you pass the airport. After 8 kilometers, exit right (look for a bridge), go in almost a complete circle here as the exit will get you on the bridge 

You will take this road for 6 km and then get on Highway 27 which is a Toll road. 

You will pass 3 booths on this road. They takes US dollar bills up to $20s, but each is less than $2 so if you have smaller bills it’s easier. The tolls in colones are 400, 700, and 530.  

There are a bunch of Sodas and fruit stands right before you pay the third toll and this is an easy place (not beautiful) to grab a bite if you are starving from your travels. There are also plenty of places in Jaco but I don’t recommend stopping here.

If you can last 3 hours, the best place to eat is Cafe Mongo Congo, in Dominical. It’s a vegan restaurant that serves up amazing food and the best coffee!

We usually spend the night in Uvita because it’s the last big town before pavones. It’s closer to the airport, but only by 30 min, to stay in Dominical. Dominical is very Americanized and if you are intimidated going to CR your first time, this could help ease your transition. But Americanized means touristy to me and other than eating at Cafe Mongo Congo, I don’t like it here that much. 

Uvita supposedly has a nice beach and Ballena is nearby. Since we are itching to surf we just stop in Uvita to sleep and then continue on our way early. W

e’ve stayed at Hotel Villas Gaia and it was easy. Rooms were comfortable and breakfast was free the next morning and very good.  Last time we stayed in a hostel, Cascada Verde, because we were on a tighter budget. I personally loved the place. It’s very unique because the rooms are all built into a tree house. It had a big kitchen for us to make our meals and there is a grocery store nearby to get food.

There is also a bank and ATM next to the grocery store so get your money here before going to Pavones as there is not an ATM there.  Either way, staying in Uvita is great because the howler monkeys get pretty close 

Uvita to Pavones:

From Uvita it will take you 3 hours.

Thirty minutes after Uvita you will go right in Palmar (follow signs for Golfito) get gas here or when you get to Rio Claro fill up on gas (and get cash if you didn’t in Uvita)

In Rio Claro you go right again (still following the signs for Golfito).

Pay attention for this next turn. There will be a bar called Rodeo on a left bend but it’s hidden on the left and the turn is a very tight left so you can easily miss it. Go left here. Now you have only about one hour fifteen minutes left (if you have 4×4, a little longer with 2wd).

In 15 minutes you will hit a dirt road, although every time we go down more and more is paved so you might not hit dirt for long. 

What to Pack

Pack as little as possible and things you don’t care about. 

Seriously, we go down with about

• 3-4 pairs of shorts and shirts
• 4 or 5 bathing suits
• 1 pair of flip flops
• 1 pair of beat up closed toe shoes if you plan on hiking
• Thin long sleeve

That’s it.  

It rains a lot down in Pavones and it’s so humid things don’t dry so we always bring clothes we don’t care too much about. If you happen to spend a lot of money and have a room with AC then go ahead and bring fancier clothes. We don’t. We hand wash what we bring and if the mildew smell doesn’t come out, we leave it when we go.

But remember, because it’s so wet and humid, the area is drop dead gorgeous so keep things in perspective!  

I brought our packable rain jackets because we were visiting at the start go the rainy season (May through November), but really didn’t need them. For one, because it’s so warm when it rains that a jacket really is too much. And second, it never rained for more than half a day and some days, not at all. 

I do recommend a light long sleeve cotton shirt. It’s nice for cooler nights and for to protect from mosquitoes. 

The bugs aren’t too bad—at least they weren’t in June. The temperature was a little cooler (and more pleasant) in June than the year before when we went in May (but with climate change you never know). 

Budgeting a Trip to Pavones

This depends a lot on your habits and what you are looking for. You can visit Pavones very cheaply and put up with some discomfort OR you can pay more money for luxury. 

Here is what our trip cost for the four of us for a 10-day trip.  Our accommodation is a little more on the rugged side but still with plenty of comforts.  We spent 7 nights in Pavones, 1 night in Uvita, and 1 night in San Jose before flying out (and thanks to Volaris, one night in Guadalajara but that was free).

-Airfare for 4 people $828 (including picking seats and carrying a surfboard bag)

-Rental car $289

-Gas $60

-Accommodation $690

Hostel Cascada Verde for 1 night $55

Casa Marea Alta Punta Banco for 7 nights $560

Hotel Brilla Sol San Jose for 1 night $75

-Groceries.  We cook our own food most of the time. Buying groceries in Pavones at the super was affordable but I’ve been told it’s even cheaper if you get groceries in Panama or at a Maxi Pali (big grocery store chain) on your way in. Personally I like the owners of the grocery store in Pavones and I like supporting small businesses so I shop there. For our one week we spent about 100,000 colonies which totals less than $200

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-Eating out $225 (This varies depending on how much you cook at home.  We didn’t eat out much.)

One meal for 4 people at Ebenezers in Pavones  25,000 ($45)

2 dinners at the Italian restaurant Pina (just for a snack of one pizza to share each time) 30,000 ($105)

Brunch for 4 at Cafe Mongo Congo in Dominical $40

Dinner for 4 at hotel in San Jose $60

Misc airport $25

Total trip cost for 4 people to go to Pavones for 12 days $2300

• Air $825
• Transport $350
• Hotel $700
• Food $425

Remember to go check out our blog Tips for Planning a Trip to Costa Rica to see how we get cheap flights and rental cars.

Pavones isn’t the only awesome surf destination in Costa Rica either. Check out our blog 4 Best Surfing Beaches in Costa Rica too before deciding if Pavones is the best destination for you.

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