Playa Tamarindo Costa Rica

Playa Tamarindo

Costa Rica is one of the most popular and visited countries for its natural lands. Its abundant flora and fauna make the country almost a paradise. Moreover, it is well known for being a peaceful country and unlike any other popular country in the world; it offers natural beauty. National parks, volcanoes, rainforest, spring waters, and tropical beaches are its main attractions to tourists.

how to get to tamarindo
surfing in Tamarindo beach

Tamarindo is one of the most visited beaches in Costa Rica. It is located on the Northern Pacific coast of Costa Rica in the province of Guanacaste. There are many other beautiful beaches in this area that can be easily reached from Tamarindo by car or by boat.

Tamarindo is a great destination for tourists. More than being a gorgeous beach, it also offers a lot of recreational activities such as surfing, Sport Fishing, scuba diving, sailing, and horseback riding.

There are local businesses that offer the unique experience of watching the giant leatherback turtles laying their eggs at the National Park Las Baulas which is just a few minutes away by boat from Tamarindo.

For those lovers of nature, there is a variety of exotic plants and wildlife. Many tourists are able to live the experience of watching and hearing the sounds of wild nature. Monkeys, crocodiles, toucans, sloth, and parrots are some of the animals inhabiting this natural paradise.

During summer, you will find a lot more things to do since this beach is always crowded with tourists from all over the world. I recommend visiting during the dry season, from November through May. The average annual temperature is between 70°F and 80°F.

Surrounded by blue water, green vegetation, and wild animals, Tamarindo is the ideal beach to vacation with family or getaway with friends. Here you will find from luxurious and exclusive hotels to small and affordable rooms for that backpacking.

Tamarindo BeachCosta Rica is one of the most visited countries for its affordable price and its amazing nature. It is important to mention that the food in Costa Rica is very tasty. Nothing spectacular or exotic although all the food is very healthy and well prepared; the portions are large and very cheap. Their most popular ethnic dishes are “casados” which is rice, beans, fried plantain, salad, and any type of meat or fish.

How do I get to Tamarindo?

There are many ways to get to Tamarindo from San Jose.

Ride the shuttle: You can take a shuttle from the door of your hotel directly to your destination in Tamarindo. This trip may take around 4 hours. Shuttles are comfortables, safe and affordable.

Fly on an airplane: You can also fly from the domestic airport Tobias Bolaņos in San Jose to Guanacaste, the flight takes only 48 minutes.

Drive a rental car: Rent a car in San Jose and drive it all the way to the beach at your own pace. It is a 5-hour drive. Renting a car gives you the freedom to stop along the way and admire the nature. There are other beaches very close to Tamarindo you shouldn’t miss such as Flamingo, Conchal, and Ocotal.

Ticos and Ticas

Costa Rican people refer to themselves as “Ticos” for male and “Ticas” for female.

People are very well educated and extremely friendly. They know how to party and how to make the traveler have a fun time. As a foreigner, you will feel very welcome here.

Because its economy is based on tourism, most Costa Rican people speak English as their second language.

Men and women greet each other with a kiss on the cheek. Men shake hands only.

Safety tips

Even though Costa Rica is considered one of the safer countries in Latin American, crime increases every day, just like any other place. Make sure to carry a copy of your passport instead of the original, avoid carrying a lot of cash, and watch for your belongings all the time especially at bus stops, beaches, and public places. Just be cautious and you will have an enjoyable trip.

[tours style=”list” type=”latest” title=”Things to do around Tamarindo” count=”6″ class=””]

Do not miss this experience!

Ask us any questions.

Julie N
Julie N
2022-12-04
River tour Super tour with a great guide on the river followed by an amazing meal cooked by the family. Would definitely recommend anyone to go.
Patricia M
Patricia M
2022-08-18
Best personalized tour experience ever. I don’t normally write reviews, but I really have to do this!!! I just returned from a fabulous week in Costa Rica. Stayed at the W Hotel Reservation Conchal. Hired Issys Tours to pick me up from the airport to the hour drive to Guanacaste. The driver, Adolfo, was excellent. My sister and I were a bit hungry and he was nice enough to stop at a fruit stand for us to buy fresh fruit. We weren’t interested in tours but he convinced us to do one tour to Palo Verde. Michael was our driver to Palo Verde and was so knowledgeable of historical information, when he dropped us off at the hotel, we booked another tour. Michael was absolutely phenomenal. Best experience ever. We had last minute flight changes as we decided to take a flight to Panama at 5:00 am. I contacted Esteban who arranged to have a driver arrive promptly to the hotel at 3:00 am. I highly recommend Issys tours. I will be returning to Costa Rica in June 2023 and will be making all my transportation arrangements with Issys Tours. They are flexible, professional, knowledgeable and have excellent work ethics.
John C
John C
2022-08-14
Issys Tours treated our family like their own family...Thank you so much for the wonderful memories. We will cherish them foreve Spectacular experience in Costa Rica thanks to Issys Tours Costa Rica!!! My family and I want to thank Esteban and his staff for treating us like family!!! Highly recommended if you are interested in visiting Costa Rica!!! Issys Tours Costa Rica catered to all our needs, from reliable round-trip airport transfers to private boat excursions and more!!! Their private round-trip transfer was punctual, friendly and safe. Issys Tours booked our Buena Vista Mega Combo tour and their awesome private concierge, Michael, went above and beyond to make sure my family and I were safe and had an enjoyable experience. Thanks to Esteban, Issys Tours was able to book us on a few last minute excursions to visit the sloth sanctuary at Bijagua Rana with our wonderful and knowledgeable guide, Manuel, where we had many sloth encounters as well as other wild animals. This was a major highlight of our visit thanks to Issys Tours. Following our awesome visit to the sloth sanctuary, Esteban added a special visit for my family to the Café&Cacao Tour, where we learned about coffee and chocolate. Next, we headed to El Sabor De Doña Carmen for a delicious and authentic Costa Rican lunch and visited their majestic butterfly sanctuary. To top off our wonderful and perfect day, Esteban offered my family a private sunset boat tour with Captain Eduard and Carlos, who safely brought us to visit the mangroves and swim at the beautiful Playa Nacascolo. Again, my family and I are so grateful for taking care of us and treating us like your family!!!
Haroldtruckie
Haroldtruckie
2022-08-10
Costa Rica Rain Forest, Hot Springs and Volcano Traveling with a Group of 6 can be challenging but not for the Issues Tour Group. This tour required a long drive with a very early departure from our hotel. Our guide Mike made it fun and interesting pointing the special feature of Costa Rica as we drove. The vehicle was comfortable, clean and had more than enough room for our group. Plus our guide gave us full instructions on the must haves as we prepared for our trip. We made a stop for breakfast and it was delicious. Our weather was not the best but our guide didn't let that stop him from making it the best possible for us. The rain forest was amazing in the off and on morning rain was we were prepared with all the correct gear. The hot springs was refreshing and eased the pains in our sore joints and muscles from the rain forest hike. The volcano was buried in clouds all day but that didn't detract from a great day had by all in our group. We finished with a wonderful meal that was absolutely amazing. The flavors in the foods and drinks were simply amazing!!!!
Josh B
Josh B
2022-07-30
Great time in Costa Rica First, they picked us up at the Airport round-trip, also we did fishing, captain Eduard and sailor Carlos provide me an amazing techniques and tips so I caught a rooster fish, we did 2 more excursions (Mega Combo and Palo Verde ) Michael our guide was very attentive and kind with us, he explained us a lot about Costa Rica and the best of all was the food. I highly recommend Issys Tours, of course I will contact these guys again.
Alexandria L
Alexandria L
2022-07-25
Waterfall and sloth encounter tour Michael did a fantastic job at giving us the tour of the waterfall and the sloth encounter. His knowledge of where to find sloths, monkeys, frogs and many other animals made our tour nothing short of memorable. We even got to see a sloth on the ground. We recommend him and Issy’s tours for your Costa Rica experience!
SylviaI
SylviaI
2022-07-12
Awesome Coffee and Cacao Tour We took a private coffee and chocolate with Issy’s Tours. Our guide Norberto picked us up at our resort and was very knowledgeable about the area we drove through. Danny and Wilson fro the Coffee and Cacao Tours in Alajuela gave us a great experience. We finished up with an authentic Costa Rican lunch and a butterfly garden. Truly enjoyed our time. Would recommend 100%!
ezequiel
ezequiel
2022-07-07
increible paseo excelente atencion de parte de esteban y sus colaboradores , siempre amables y dispuestos para que la pasemos genial, muy buena atencion y execelentes precios , cuando vuelva a costa rica los elegiremos de nuevo por supuesto
benjamini s
benjamini s
2022-07-04
Great company to work With without any doubt , I have no words for these guys , my wife and I planned a family trip to costa rica , with my 2 children of 6 and 10 years old ,we decided to book with Issys Tours for our excursion in Arenal volcano , we had a lot fun , we crossed the suspension bridges, my children enjoyed the butterfly garden a lot,we also had a delicious costa rica lunch and the incredible hot springs. Excellent company , very responsible ,experienced and attentive to my request.
Lashanya I
Lashanya I
2022-06-28
Costa Rica My cousin and I had an amazing tour guided by Isis. He was so professional and took pride in his work. We saw waterfalls, coffee/cocoa tour, sloth, and ate a great authentic meal. We highly recommend this tour.