Best things to do in Tamarindo
While surfing is the number one reason a lot of people come here, Tamarindo is also a great place for travellers who are looking for lively nightlife.
While you won't see much authentic Tico culture in Tamarindo these days, you can get to see extraordinary wildlife and natural attractions, and from some extraordinary angles, too,
#1 Go surfing
The Tamarindo area has always been a surfing paradise, and its credibility was upped several notches when Bruce Brown’s seminal surfing docudrama Endless Summer II was partly filmed here.
Most surfers ride the waves at Tamarindo, Playa Grande and adjacent Playa Langosta, an excellent surf beach a couple of kilometres south.
There are some hazards, however. In 2016, an American surfer was attacked by a crocodile, which had apparently swum out of the river into the sea in search of food. While attacks of this nature are very rare, they’re still something to be aware of.
All schools rent surfboards - typical prices are US$150–30 for a day’s rental of a long board, or US$100 plus for a week. You can also rent bodyboards, windsurfing equipment, and masks and snorkels.
#2 See leatherback turtles
Located on the Río Mata estuary between Conchal and Tamarindo, Parque Nacional Marino Las Baulas was created in 1995 to protect the nesting grounds of the critically endangered leatherback turtles.
Leatherbacks have probably laid their eggs here at Playa Grande for millions of years, and it’s now one of the few remaining such nesting sites in the world.
In leatherback nesting season (Nov to mid-Feb), you can head out on a turtle tour (US$350/person; about 2hr). Trips leave in the evening, the exact hour depending on the tide.
Turtle nesting takes place only in season and at night, with moonlit nights at high tide being the preferred moment. Note that you are not guaranteed to see a nesting turtle on any given night, but those who do are moved both by the sight of the turtles’ imposing bulk, and by their vulnerability. Numerous Tamarindo operators run these trips.
Officially, Tamarindo is within the boundaries of Parque Nacional Marino Las Baulas, insofar as the ocean covered by the protected area extends out in an arc, encompassing Tamarindo beach.
The Las Baulas park authorities have also bought up the beach south of Tamarindo to Playa Langosta, preventing further hotel development and allowing turtles to continue coming ashore along this entire stretch.
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