Playa Hermosa-Punta Mala Wildlife Refuge, Wildlife refuge in Garabito Canton, Costa Rica

Playa Hermosa-Punta Mala Wildlife Refuge runs northwest to southeast from Punta Mala, also called Punta Judas, to the mouth of the Tullín or Tusubres river, the boundary between Garabito and Parrita cantons. It holds beach, estuaries, flooded forests, lakes and lagoons. Its Hermosa or Tullín section, about 7 km long, lies between the river mouth and Playa Hermosa village; the Punta Mala section runs from the village to the point.

The refuge was created on 3 June 1998, under Costa Rica's national system of wildlife refuges, to protect the nesting of the olive ridley turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea), an endangered species. It belongs to the Central Pacific Conservation Area and lies in Garabito Canton, Puntarenas, about 5 km from Jacó. It also conserves the beach strip where a mangrove stands.

The refuge's name comes from the olive ridley turtle (tortuga lora), which nests on these beaches; black and leatherback turtles also nest here occasionally. The beach is not the Playa Hermosa of Guanacaste province, and the two are often confused. In the 2013 Tripadvisor Travellers' Choice ranking, Playa Hermosa placed eighth among the ten best beaches in Central America.

You can access the refuge from the villages of Playa Hermosa and Esterillos Oeste, both located along a main road with clear entry points. The river dividing the two sections affects which trails and areas are reachable, so checking conditions ahead helps you plan your visit properly.

The refuge's two sections are split by the Tullín or Tusubres river mouth, which forms the boundary between the cantons of Garabito and Parrita. The Hermosa or Tullín part runs about 7 km from that mouth to the village of Playa Hermosa, while the Punta Mala section continues from the village to the point also called Punta Judas.