Guanacaste's most established beach-town hub, a surf and sportfishing base with a dense strip of restaurants, shops, and tour operators. Playa Grande just to the north anchors Las Baulas national park and its leatherback turtle nesting beach, while quieter Playa Langosta sits to the south.
Why visit Tamarindo
Tamarindo is Guanacaste's most established beach town and the easiest place on the Pacific to start surfing: a forgiving beach break, a wall of surf schools, and warm water year round. Off the board there is sportfishing, sunset catamaran sails, and a mangrove estuary full of birds and crocodiles, with a restaurant and bar strip that runs late. Across the estuary, Playa Grande is the quieter sister, a protected leatherback turtle beach with a stronger wave.
Why people stay
The town is compact and walkable, with the deepest concentration of tours, rentals, and restaurants in the region, so you can surf in the morning, fish or sail in the afternoon, and eat well without leaving the strip. It is also one of the better-connected beach towns, with Liberia's international airport about an hour away. Day trips reach the Las Baulas turtle beach, Rinc贸n de la Vieja volcano, and the quieter Flamingo and Conchal beaches to the north.
Known for
Beginner-friendly surf and a wall of surf schools
Sportfishing and sunset catamaran sails
The Tamarindo estuary and Las Baulas mangroves
Playa Grande and its leatherback turtle nesting beach
Plan your visit
Getting there and around
The closest airport is Liberia (LIR), about 1 to 1.25 hours away with direct flights from North America; a small airstrip in Tamarindo (TNO) takes domestic Sansa flights, and the drive from San Jos茅 is about 4.5 to 5 hours. The town itself is walkable end to end. A car helps for Playa Grande (reached the long way around by road, or a short boat across the estuary), Playa Langosta, and the beaches north toward Flamingo and Conchal.
Best time to go
The dry season from December to April is sunny and busy, with strong winds from December to February. The green season from May to November is hotter, lusher, and quieter, with bigger surf and the estuary at its fullest, and the heaviest rain in September and October. Leatherback turtles nest at Playa Grande from October to March, seen only on guided night tours inside Las Baulas park.
Beaches of Tamarindo
A map and checklist of every beach along this coast. Beach guide.
Casa Bonita Beach is a six-bedroom villa with an additional studio apartment inside the gated Hacienda Pinilla community, sleeping 14 to 19 guests. Every bedroom has its own bathroom, and the grounds include a private pool with a waterslide, an outdoor kitchen with a BBQ, and a covered rancho. A dedicated concierge and household staff work the property Monday through Saturday, and guests have access to Playa Bonita.
Luxury boutique hotel and villa property in Playa Langosta, a five-minute walk from Langosta Beach and a short drive from Tamarindo. Accommodations range from hotel rooms to private villas, with on-site dining and an organic garden. About 60 minutes from Liberia's Daniel Oduber International Airport.
A beachfront boutique hotel on Playa Tamarindo, family-run since 1992 and set in tropical gardens at the quiet south end of the bay. Its rooms, bungalows, and suites use local materials and Costa Rican craftsmanship, and the property includes an open-air spa and a beachfront restaurant.
A sushi and Japanese-Peruvian nikkei restaurant in the center of Tamarindo, part of the local Grupo Patagonia. It is widely cited as the town's go-to spot for sushi.
Cafe Mar Azul is a breakfast, lunch and dinner cafe in the Palm Beach Estates community of Playa Grande, a short walk from the beach. The menu covers vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options, and the restaurant hosts live music on select evenings.
Dawn Patrol is the specialty coffee shop and on-site bakery at Witch's Rock Surf Camp, baking croissants, cookies and banana bread daily alongside espresso drinks and tropical smoothies. It opens before sunrise as a staging spot for surfers and travelers heading out on early boat trips or tours.
Beachfront surf camp in Tamarindo operating since 2001, with ISA-certified instructors and a quiver of 250-plus boards. Packages combine daily lessons or guided surf tours with video coaching, breakfast and airport transfers. Also runs a hotel and restaurant on the same beachfront property.
A 20-hectare wildlife rescue and rehabilitation sanctuary in Portegolpe, a short drive from Tamarindo, caring for injured and rescued animals from Costa Rica and abroad. Guided and self-guided tours run daily and cover each animal's rescue story alongside the center's conservation and release work. A beekeeping tour was added as a newer add-on experience for visitors 14 and older.
ATV and UTV tours that depart directly from Plaza Avenida Tamarindo, in front of Banco Nacional in the center of town. Routes run one to six hours through tropical dry forest, river crossings, and beaches, including stops at Puerto Viejo, Playa Real, and Playa Minas. Each driver must show a driver's license and a credit card security deposit is required.
506 Transfers & Tours is a Tamarindo based operator offering private airport transfers, ATV tours, and moto rentals across the Guanacaste Gold Coast. The company works with travel agents and property managers on repeat vacation transportation and handles weddings and group events.
Tamarindo branch of Adobe Rent a Car, a Costa Rican car rental company offering cars and 4WD vehicles with local pickup and support. Part of a nationwide network with offices at the main airports.
Erika Barreiro runs this full-service destination wedding planning and design studio from her home base in Tamarindo, coordinating venues, vendors, and elopements throughout Costa Rica. The company holds a 4.9-star rating across 59 WeddingWire reviews and is ABC-certified.
A bilingual yoga and Pilates studio operating in central Tamarindo since 2002, offering Hatha, Vinyasa flow, Yin, and restorative yoga classes along with Pilates mat sessions. The studio sits on the second floor of Plaza Tamarindo CC, above the ABC Real Estate offices. It also runs a second space in Tamarindo Hills called Shambhala Shakti.
Award-winning hilltop spa at Los Altos de Eros above Tamarindo, with eight open-air treatment rooms, a heated hydrotherapy pool, waterfall, infrared sauna and Balinese soaking tubs. Offers massages, facials, body wraps and full spa-day and sunset massage-and-dinner packages with round-trip transport from Tamarindo on request.
Banks, ATMs, and medical help in Tamarindo, checked against live sources.
Banks and ATMs
Bank
Banco Nacional (BNCR) TamarindoTamarindo town center, on the main road
State bank with on-site ATMs; Banco Nacional machines typically dispense colones only. Phone is the national call center.
Bank
Banco de Costa Rica (BCR) TamarindoTamarindo town center
State bank branch with ATMs. Phone is the national call center, not a direct branch line.
ATM
Private-bank ATMs (BAC, Scotiabank, Promerica)Tamarindo commercial plazas, town center
Private-bank ATMs in the town's plazas dispense both US dollars and colones, unlike the state-bank machines.
Medical
Hospital
Hospital Metropolitano Guanacaste (Huacas)Huacas, about 20 minutes from Tamarindo+506 4000 3822Open 24/7 with an emergency department and on-site pharmacy
Private hospital and the nearest full hospital to Tamarindo, with emergency care, lab, and pharmacy.
Hospital
Hospital Enrique Baltodano (Liberia)Liberia, about 1 to 1.25 hours from Tamarindo+506 2666 0011Open 24/7 with an emergency department
Public CCSS regional hospital for Guanacaste; where 911 takes serious emergencies from the coast.
Clinic
Caribbean & Pacific Medical (Tamarindo)Playa Tamarindo+506 8870 095224/7 emergency line
Private medical service (Guanacaste Medical Center) with 24/7 emergency care and ambulance. Phone is the central hotline and WhatsApp line.
Clinic
Beachside Clinic (Huacas)Huacas, about 20 minutes from Tamarindo+506 2653 991124-hour clinic
Private 24-hour clinic with its own laboratory, CIMA-affiliated; serves the Tamarindo and Flamingo area. Re-verify the number before relying on it.
