Things to do in Tamarindo Costa Rica

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Tamarindo’s mainly known as a surf town, but we found plenty of other watersports, great restaurants, and a bustling night market, as well as zip lining, ATVs and horseback riding on the beach.

Sure, Tamarindo gets a bad rep occasionally. It can be busy and touristy, and when compared to some other Cost Rican areas, a bit on the expensive side. Even so, Tamarindo is a beautiful place, with a long, sweeping public beach, and clean clear waters.

Things to do in Tamarindo Costa Rica

Like most vacation destinations in Costa Rica, you’ll need to spend a little time on the road to get here. The trip from San Jose to Tamarindo takes four or five hours by car, but you can also take a commuter flight to Tamarindo airport.

Here are some of our favorite activities in Tamarindo.

Spend Time on The Beach

Tamarindo’s main beach, called Tamarindo Beach, is long, sandy, and perfect for everything from sunbathing to surfing, to sand castle building, to even enjoying a delicious meal outdoors under a palm tree. Hanging out on the beach is our favorite of the many cheap things to do in Tamarindo. We’ve spent many hours just walking up and down the beach, enjoying the scenery and the water.

Surfing

Tamarindo is one of the top surfing destinations in Costa Rica. It’s a wonderful place to learn to surf, with consistent waves almost every day. There are plenty of surf shops offering lessons, but Carlos’ Surf Shop is probably the best known in the area. Group lessons are pretty inexpensive at around $50 USD for a couple of hours and almost guarantees you’ll get up and going at least a few times.

Beginner surfers catch waves off Tamarindo Beach itself, just in front of the town. As you improve, you’ll surf off the Estero river mouth for faster breaks, and beyond.

Boogie Boarding on Playa Langosta

While Playa Tamarindo is the most famous beach in Guanacaste, Playa Langosta is just a short walk away. The waves at Playa Langosta are generally smaller, and better for families and newbie surfers.

Teaching our then five year old son to boogie board was one of our favorite family things to do in Costa Rica on that trip.

That said, we caught the waves at Langosta at high tide on a big swell day, and managed to smash a boogie board in two.

Stand Up Paddle Boarding and Kayaking

Stand up Paddle Boarding (SUP) is hugely popular with tourists now, but it…