Gnarled Coastal Trees at Punta San Francisco Beach

Punta San Francisco Beach sits along Costa Rica's Pacific coast near Tamarindo, in Guanacaste province. The shoreline here is shaped by strong onshore winds and salt spray, conditions that keep coastal trees low and bent rather than upright. Trees growing this close to the tideline often develop exposed root systems as windblown sand shifts and settles around their bases. Guanacaste's dry forest ecosystem, which borders many of the region's beaches, is known for this kind of low, wind-sculpted growth where forest meets sand.