Tamarindo Travel Guide
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295km (183 miles) NW of San José; 73km (45 miles) SW of Liberia
Tamarindo is a boomtown -- perhaps too much of a boomtown. So far, the development remains a mixture of predominantly small hotels in a variety of price ranges and an eclectic array of restaurants. Ongoing development continues to spread up the hills inland from the beach and south beyond Punta Langosta. The beach itself is a long, wide swath of white sand that curves gently from one rocky headland to another. Behind the beach are low, dry hills that can be a dreary brown in the dry season but that instantly turn green with the first brief showers of the rainy season.
Two midsize resorts and an abundance of stylish smaller hotels and very dependable surf have made Tamarindo one of the most popular beaches on this coast. Fishing boats bob at their moorings at the south end of the beach, and brown pelicans fish just outside the breakers. A sandy islet offshore makes a great destination if you're a strong swimmer; if you're not, it makes a great foreground for sunsets. Tamarindo is popular with surfers, who ply the break right here or use the town as a jumping-off place for playas Grande, Langosta, Avellana, and Negra.
Just to the north of Tamarindo lies Playa Grande, one of the principal nesting sites for the giant leatherback turtle, the largest turtle in the world. This beach is often too rough for swimming, but the well-formed and consistent beach break is very popular with surfers here as well. I almost hate to mention places to stay in Playa Grande because the steady influx of tourists and development could doom this beach as a turtle-nesting site.
