CAMPING IN JACÓ.
Honest answer up front: inside town we do not know of a public campsite we could recommend with a straight face. Nearby, from 31 December 2026, there is one, and it is ours at The Park at Ocean Ranch: tents in the designated camping area, two stages, and official music until 3 am; campers stay until 11 am on January 2.
Where you can sleep in Jacó
The town has lived off tourism for decades, so beds are everywhere and in every shape. Along the boulevard and toward the beach sit hotels of all sizes, from plain rooms with a fan up to places with a pool and air conditioning. Hostels are spread along the same strip and they are what most people travelling light end up using. Then there is the nightly rental stock, apartments and houses with a kitchen, which has grown faster than the hotels in recent years.
What is missing from that list is camping in Jacó proper. As far as we could find out, there is no public site in town, with toilets and marked pitches, that we could send you to with any confidence. We are not going to invent one to fill this page. If you know one that actually works, send us the tip and we will look at it.
Four ways to spend the night
| Option | How it goes at New Year's | What it does to your wallet | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hotel in town | The fullest week of the year; the good rooms close out weeks ahead | The steepest of the four, and steeper still between the 28th and the 2nd | People travelling with family who want air conditioning and no intention of sleeping outdoors |
| Hostel | Fills up with people also trying to work out what to do that night; plenty of company, not much quiet | The cheapest thing with a roof | Solo travellers and couples, packing light, fine with sharing a room |
| Nightly rental | Multi-night minimums and high-season rates; worth it in a group | Expensive per unit, reasonable split six ways | A group that wants a kitchen, a washing machine and somewhere to leave their stuff |
| Our campsite | One night only, the 31st, with the stage a short walk from the tent | Price comes out with the tickets; the gear is on you | Anyone here for the low end who would rather not drive back at 3 am |
What camping needs
Pack equipment you can carry from the parking area to the campsite. These six decide whether you sleep or wake up in a bad mood.
- A tent and sleeping mat
- Something between you and the dirt: a mat, a roll or an inflatable
- Good earplugs, because the rig does not rest when you do
- A headlamp with spare batteries, plus a small light for inside the tent
- Water for the full visit, not just the first stage
- Bags to carry your own rubbish out, including an empty one for wet clothes at the end
The long list, with what is better left at home, is at what to bring.
What our camp is like
A current festival layout is not available. See the venue location on Google Maps to find The Park at Ocean Ranch.
What there is not: promised showers, power at your pitch, or quiet. The block you pick decides how much of each you get, and that call happens when you arrive, not later. How the whole night runs, seen from a tent, is told by New Year's camping, and the route to the area comes out at getting there.
Tickets are on sale now. Choose your night and buy tickets for La Selva del Bajo at The Park at Ocean Ranch. If the format interests you more than the town, camping music festival explains how sleeping inside a festival works; music festivals in Jacó sorts out what happens on this coast; and the bass music festival covers what plays while you are in the tent.
Questions about where to camp
Can I camp on the beach in Jacó?
Better not. Beaches in Costa Rica are public, but that does not make pitching a tent there to sleep a sensible move, and in high season there are a lot of people and few guarantees for your things. If you are sleeping outdoors that week, do it somewhere that is expecting you.
Do I have to book the camping pitch separately?
No. Camping comes with the ticket for that night and is not sold on its own. What does not get booked is the exact spot: the blocks fill in arrival order from 12 pm.
Is a normal rental car enough or do I need a 4x4?
The arrival instructions say what the last stretch is like and what kind of car handles it, and those go out after you have a ticket. What we can tell you today: do not plan on doing that final stretch after dark if you do not know the area.
What if I want to stay in the area a few more days?
Our camp opens at 12 pm on 31 December, and campers stay until 11 am on January 2. Before or after that it is a hotel, a hostel or a rental, and that week books up early. What the town feels like in those days is at Jacó in December.
What is left to check
Two pages before you load the car: one says what goes in it, the other says how to get here. With those sorted, what is left is telling your crew.
What to bring Getting there
New Year's Camping near JacóWhat a New Year's camping night near Jacó, Costa Rica looks like hour by hour, from check-in to sunrise, with dubstep and bass among the trees.
What to Bring to a Camping FestivalA packing list for one night of camping near Jacó, Costa Rica: sleep, light, water, clothes and ID for a bass and dubstep festival outside.
Getting to Jacó from San JoséRoutes, times and warnings for reaching Jacó, Costa Rica from San José or SJO, and how the last stretch to the bass and dubstep night works.