# Top 5 Cantons of Guanacaste Province

> Guanacaste, Costa Rica's dry northwest, has 11 cantons; its first 5 by official number are Liberia, Nicoya, Santa Cruz, Bagaces and Carrillo. They include Liberia's airport, the yoga and surf towns of Nosara, Sámara and Tamarindo, and the beaches around Playas del Coco, and this guide lists their current districts from the 2025 official territorial division.

Source: https://costarica-yoga-retreats.com/top-5-cantons-of-guanacaste-province/
Last checked: 2026-11-04

![Map of Guanacaste province](/static/img/old/2012-11-guanacaste1.webp)

Costa Rica is divided into 7 provinces, 84 cantons (counties, each with its own municipality) and about 490 districts. Every canton has an official number within its province. This article covers Guanacaste province's first 5 cantons by that number, numbers 1 to 5, rather than a ranking. Areas and district lists come from the official 2025 territorial division published by Costa Rica's government.

Guanacaste, in the northwest, is Costa Rica's driest province, with a long dry season from about December to April. It has 11 cantons, and its capital is Liberia.

### 1. Liberia

Liberia is the provincial capital and home to Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport (LIR), the gateway for most of Guanacaste's beaches. The town began as the village of Guanacaste, became a city in 1836 and is often called the White City. It's a flat, hot cattle town at about 150 m, and the canton reaches up to the Rincón de la Vieja volcano.

**Area:** about 1,442 km². **Districts (5):** Liberia, Cañas Dulces, Mayorga, Nacascolo and Curubandé.

### 2. Nicoya

Nicoya, named in the 1848 decree, is one of the oldest towns in the country and the commercial center of the Nicoya Peninsula. For yoga travelers it matters because its Nosara and Sámara districts are in this canton: Nosara district includes Playa Guiones and Playa Pelada, the heart of Costa Rica's best-known yoga town.

**Area:** about 1,338 km². **Districts (7):** Nicoya, La Mansión, San Antonio, Quebrada Honda, Sámara, Nosara and Belén de Nosarita.

### 3. Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, named in the 1848 decree, is known as Guanacaste's folklore city, and its town was given the name Ciudad del Diriá when it became a city in 1916. The canton runs out to the coast and includes the Tamarindo district and Cabo Velas, with Playa Grande, Brasilito, Conchal and Flamenco.

**Area:** about 1,321 km². **Districts (9):** Santa Cruz, Bolsón, Veintisiete de Abril, Tempate, Cartagena, Cuajiniquil, Diriá, Cabo Velas and Tamarindo.

### 4. Bagaces

Bagaces, named in the 1848 decree, is a large, dry canton between Liberia and Cañas. The Miravalles Volcano rises to its north, and its lowlands reach toward the wetlands of the Tempisque River.

**Area:** about 1,278 km². **Districts (4):** Bagaces, La Fortuna, Mogote and Río Naranjo.

### 5. Carrillo

Carrillo was created in 1877, split from Liberia. Its main town is Filadelfia, and its Sardinal district takes in the beach towns of Playas del Coco, Ocotal and Playa Hermosa on the Gulf of Papagayo.

**Area:** about 599 km². **Districts (4):** Filadelfia, Palmira, Sardinal and Belén.

## Yoga in the province

Nosara, in Nicoya canton, has more of the retreat centers we profile than anywhere else, and Tamarindo and Playa Negra, in Santa Cruz, combine yoga with surf. Our guide to [where to do yoga in Costa Rica](/where-to-do-yoga-in-costa-rica/) compares the towns, and our [beaches of Guanacaste](/some-must-see-beaches-in-guanacaste/) guide covers the coast around Playas del Coco.

## Frequently asked questions

### What is a canton in Costa Rica?

A canton is the level of local government below the province, roughly like a county, with its own elected municipality. Each canton is split into districts.

### Which canton is Nosara in?

Nicoya. Nosara is one of the canton's 7 districts, along with Sámara.

### Which canton is Tamarindo in?

Santa Cruz. Tamarindo is the canton's 9th district.