Puntarenas is a province of Costa Rica. It is located in the western part of the country, covering most of Costa Rica's Pacific Ocean coast, and it is the largest province in Costa Rica. Clockwise from the northwest it borders on the provinces Guanacaste, Alajuela, San José and Limón, and the neighbouring country of Panama.

The capital is Puntarenas. The province covers an area of 11,266 km², and has a population of 357,483 (2000). It is subdivided into 11 cantons. For administrative purposes, the island Isla del Coco, 500 km offshore in the Pacific Ocean, is considered a part of this province.

Canton (Capital):

Aguirre (Quepos)
Buenos Aires (Buenos Aires)
Corredores (Ciudad Neily)
Coto Brus (San Vito)
Esparza (Esparza)
Garabito (Jacó)
Golfito (Golfito)
Montes de Oro (Miramar)
Osa (Ciudad Cortés)
Parrita (Parrita)
Puntarenas (Puntarenas)

Central Pacific

Manuel Antonio and Quepos are located on the Pacific Coast. It takes three and a half hours by car and 40 minutes by plane to reach the area from San Jose.

The Manuel Antonio Park has two of the country's white-sand beaches and is surrounded by exuberant tropical forests.

In Manuel Antonio, besides enjoying the sun and beach, there are also many trails in the forest where one can see white-faced monkeys or titis, sloth, pizotes and other interesting animals. Quepos and Manuel Antonio offer many places to eat regional food and enjoy a fun nightlife. There are also horseback riding tours, rafting, fishing, and boat rides to see dolphins, among other activities. The area is a reserve classified between a dry tropical forest and a wet tropical forest. It is an excellent place for bird-watching, and animals can usually be seen on the trails. The reserve is an important home to the endangered Red Guacamaya (lapa). These birds sleep in mangroves and during the morning can be seen in the Carara forest and nearby. They are one of the largest attractions in Carara, besides its reputation as an interesting and exuberant forest.