Tamarindo
Tamarindo is a beach town located in the Guancaste district in the North West area of Costa Rica. this is a very popular tourist destination and the are is filled with lots of tour operators, resorts, and surf shops. This area of Costa Rica is famous for its surfing and wide breaks. It’s one of the most popular places to surf in the country. However, the area is more expensive than other parts of the country because of all the resorts.
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Costs in Tamarindo
- Hostel Prices: Expect to pay $10 USD for a room with a shared bathroom. $15 usd will get you a room with a private bathroom.
- Budget Hotel Prices: Budget hotels begin at $20 USD for a bathroom and air conditioning.
- Average Cost of Food: Casados (meals of the day) will typically cost around $4 USD at the local street stalls. For more Americanized or Western food, you can expect to pay about $6 USD. Sit down meals will cost about $10-15 USD
- Cost of Internet: Budget hotels and hostels usually have wireless internet but if not, most internet cafes charge $1 USD an hour.
- Transportation Costs: The public bus from San José takes 6 hours and costs around $6 USD. In and around the area, you can walk. The town is very small and skipping taxis will save you money.
Things to do in Tamarindo
- Nightlife. Nightlife in Tamarindo is pretty good. Go to Monkey Bar on Friday nights for some great local bands and Yucca Bar on Tuesdays for their open mic nights. Both nights will be packed with locals and tourists, making for an excellent atmosphere! There is usually someone on every night of the week so ask locals where the best spots to go are.
- Horseback riding. Take a horseback riding tour on the beach as the sun sets for a cool way to enjoy the view. After trotting along the beach you’ll head towards the forests trail where you get the chance to see the local wildlife which includes iguanas, howler monkeys and various species of bird.
- Turtle watching. The turtle watching in Tamarindo isn’t quite as good as that of Tortuguero, but they are still good to see. Night tours to the Baula National Park are the best place to see the turtles laying their eggs on the beach. You’ll likely see Ridley or Leatherback turtles on this two hour walking tour.
- Las Baulas National Marine Park. Baulas are leatherback turtles and this National Park is the nesting spot for about 800 females, the largest number on the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica. Aside from turtle spotting, the park offers the perfect place to spend an afternoon wildlife spotting from a kayak as it also has mangroves and an estuary.
- Surfing. Surfers travel to Tamarindo for its mix of breaks at Playa Negra, Witch’s Rock and Ollie’s Point, all famous spots for their excellent surf. If you’re not much of a surfer, lessons are available at dozens of places in the village and the Tamarindo beach itself is perfect for beginners. If you want to learn to surf, try it here. The waves aren’t too crazy.
- Hit the beach. The obvious choice for a day of relaxation is Playa Tamarindo. Sunbathe, read, swim, relax in a hammock and just generally unwind. If the beach at Tamarindo is too overcrowded for you, consider taking a trip along the coastline to nearby Playa Avellanas.
- Sunset Sailing. For the best view of the sunset, go out on a catamaran for a sunset sailing trip. The boats are stocked with a bar and provide snacks as you take in the amazing site if the North Pacific sunset. You’ll find a lot of tour operators willing to take you out.
- ATV riding. There are a few ATV tours here and you’ll ride your quad bike into the hills above Tamarindo along paths with iguanas dotted over them, basking in the sun. There are various routes including mountainous terrain, beaches and forest and also that all important sunset tour.
Budget Tips for Tamarindo
- Souvenirs. Prices for souvenirs in Tamarindo are about 25% higher than most other places in Costa Rica, so hold off buying your trinkets here.
- Public Bus. There are plenty of shuttle services that run from San José and Liberia, but instead choose the public bus service, which although less luxurious is about one tenth of the price.
- Combine tours. You can often get discounted rates for activities if you are combining two in the one day. ATV and canopy tours often go well together for an adrenaline packed day.
- Surfing. As there are so many places offering surf lessons, shop around for the best price as it’s normal for there to be up for $15 USD difference between different surf companies just for two hours of lessons.
- Eat local Food in Tamarindo is pretty expensive and it’s better to eat at the local shops. You can eat a casado very cheaply. Walk off the main road towards the back end of town for more local fares and reasonable prices.
| Arenal | Manuel Antonio | Monteverde | Puerto Viejo | San Jose | Tortuguero |
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