Tamarindo, Guanacaste Province, Costa Rica

🇨🇷 Tamarindo is a district of the Santa Cruz canton, in the Guanacaste province of Costa Rica, located on the Nicoya Peninsula. The town of Tamarindo is the largest developed beach town in Guanacaste. Main attractions in the area are surfing and eco-tourism.

Settlements Besides Tamarindo, towns in the district include Villarreal, Santa Rosa, Garita Nueva, Hernández and San José de Pinilla.

Villareal The nearby town of Villareal has a both a public elementary school and a public high school, two full size soccer fields, multiple restaurants, two large stores, multiple hardware stores, a police station, a church, several car repair shops and a gas station.

Langosta Just east of the centre of Tamarindo, there is a three-way intersection. To the left is the road that leads to the Banco Nacional de Costa Rica, and also a secondary exit from Tamarindo. To the right is the road that leads to Langosta.

Tourist Industry Playa Tamarindo is a long, rocky beach with excellent waves near the mouth of the estuary. Currents can be strong, especially on a falling tide. Tamarindo has two main breaks for advanced surfers: Pico Pequeño, a rocky point to the right of the Hotel Tamarindo Diriá, and the excellent river mouth break across from Cabinas Tsunami called El Estero. The biggest waves can reach a height of up to 12 feet, although this is a rare occurrence and is only seen during June, July and August.

The beaches in the area are generally clean and recent efforts by the government and local business organizations are proving themselves. While the beach has not regained its Blue Flag Status, in September 2008 it did get a clean bill of health from the Costa Rican government. The town is trying to regain its Blue Flag Status.

Fishing Tamarindo is known for world-class fishing tourism, and a variety of captains and charters services are available. Costa Rica requires a fishing license from the INCOPESCA (Instituto Costarricense de Pesca y Acuicultura), the government agency that manages, regulates and promotes fisheries and aquaculture.