Santa Rosa is the southern sector of the Área de Conservación Guanacaste. Some 30km of hiking trails weave through this tropical dry forest, offering fantastic vistas of the Cordillera de Guanacaste and the Valle Naranjo. It’s also the site of two historic battles, with the small La Casona museum and Monument de los Heroes to prove it. Along the coast, Playa Naranjo is a legendary surfing beach, while Playa Nancite is a critical nesting site for the olive ridley turtle.
To reach the Santa Rosa sector, turn off the Interamericana at the signed entrance 35km north of Liberia. It’s 7km on a paved road to the park headquarters, where you’ll also find the museum, campgrounds and a nature trail. From here, a very rough track leads 12km to Playa Naranjo. It’s a notoriously bad road, impassable during the rainy season and requiring 4WD at any time of year.