Isla Tortuga

Isla Tortuga is the postcard the rest of Costa Rica gets compared to: a pair of uninhabited islands — Alcatraz and its smaller neighbor Brincanco — sitting off the southeastern tip of the Nicoya Peninsula inside the Gulf of Nicoya. There are no roads and no hotels, because there is no reason for them; the island exists for the length of a day trip and disappears back into silence every evening. The beach is white coral sand, fine enough to sting nothing, framed by coconut palms that lean out over the water at angles no landscaper could plan.

Getting there is half the reason to go. Catamarans and motor yachts sail out from Puntarenas and Paquera, and increasingly from Jacó with a coastal run down, some with direct pickup from San José hotels before dawn. The crossing threads between mangrove-lined islets and open channel where dolphins ride the bow wake and frigatebirds hang motionless overhead. Once anchored, the day is built around the volcanic rock reefs just offshore, a banana-boat run for anyone who wants speed, a palm-shaded barbecue lunch, and a short climb to the island's lookout for the full spread of the gulf.