Pavones & the south · Costa Rica
Surfing Punta Banco
A left & right reef in Pavones & the south, Costa Rica, for beginner and intermediate surfers.
Punta Banco is 3 km south of Pavones, with coral reefs and empty beach-break peaks in front of Tiskita Lodge. It's where people go when Pavones is too small or too crowded.
The reefs have rights and lefts on a south-west swell, and the sand peaks are easier for improvers. The road ends here, just before Punta Burica, with jungle down to the beach.
It's a good backup when Pavones isn't working, from April to October. There are a few lodges and cabins between Pavones and Punta Banco, and the village is very quiet.
When to surf
Punta Banco
Punta Banco is at its best from April to October. Conditions it likes: Swell S-SW.
April to June: Good
Season building, S-SW swell arriving, lush and quiet, roads still passable
July to September: Prime
Peak S-SW power, Pavones at its best, but the wettest, road-washing months
Oct: Good
Still firing, crowds thinning, very wet
November to March: Quiet
Dry but smaller. Pavones needs a big south swell, so it's often flat
The year across Golfo Dulce
Waves near Punta Banco
Pavones
9 kmPavones & the south · Left Point · Intermediate / Advanced
Pan Dulce
16 kmCabo Matapalo · Right Point · Beginner / Intermediate
Hog Hole
16 kmCabo Matapalo · Right Point · Advanced
Straight-line distances. By road it is usually further.
Getting there
Where to stay: Pavones is a remote 2h 4x4 bounce from Golfito (fly to Golfito to save the long drive from San José). Roads wash out in the swell season, so time your mission carefully. Basic cabinas by the point ($10-20); Punta Banco has Tiskita. Bring cash, there's little here but the wave.
Transport, costs, where to stay and the rest of the waves in the area are in the Pavones & the south guide.
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