Tamarindo is a

district A district is a type of administrative division that in some countries is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municip ...

of the Santa Cruz canton, in the Guanacaste province of

Costa Rica Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as Maritime bo ...

, located on the

Nicoya Peninsula The Nicoya Peninsula () is a peninsula on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. It is divided into two provinces: Guanacaste Province in the north, and the Puntarenas Province in the south. It is located at . It varies from in width and is about lon ...

. The town of Tamarindo is the largest developed beach town in Guanacaste. Once a small

fishing village A fishing village is a village, usually located near a fishing ground, with an economy based on catching fish and harvesting seafood. The continents and islands around the world have coastlines totalling around 356,000 kilometres (221,000 ...

, it has boomed in the 21st century with

surfing Surfing is a surface water sport in which an individual, a surfer (or two in tandem surfing), uses a board to ride on the forward section, or face, of a moving wave of water, which usually carries the surfer towards the shore. Waves suita ...

and eco-tourism, and is now popular with surfers, digital nomads, and expatriates.

History

Tamarindo began as a small village of several families who largely depended on fishing. In 1985, Texas businessman Russell Wenrich purchased land in the village of Tamarindo and began to develop beachside cabanas. Five years later, Wenrich met Robert August, star of the 1966 surfing documentary '' The Endless Summer,'' who moved to town. Still later, Wenrich persuaded the Costa Rican tourism agency to subsidize filming in Tamarindo for the 1994 sequel '' The Endless Summer II''. This film, which began with scenes from Tamarindo, is generally credited for launching a tourism boom that transformed a small fishing village into the tourism center it is today. Tamarindo was incorporated as a town on November 27, 1995, by ''Decreto Ejecutivo'' (English: Executive Order) 24820-G. "Another watershed moment came in 2003 when the nearby airport at Liberia started handling international flights, putting the town within five hours reach of Miami," ''

Wavelength In physics and mathematics, wavelength or spatial period of a wave or periodic function is the distance over which the wave's shape repeats. In other words, it is the distance between consecutive corresponding points of the same ''phase (waves ...

'' magazine wrote in 2020. In 2004, the town's beach was stripped of its Blue Flag designation for pollution. It regained the designation in 2006, but lost it again the following year after water-quality tests conducted by Costa Rica's National Water and Sewer Institute determined that some areas had more than 7,000 times the level of fecal matter considered safe by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. After years of work, the town reportedly regained the Blue Flag in 2018.

Geography

Tamarindo has an area of and an elevation of .

Settlements

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

Villareal

The nearby town of Villareal has a public elementary school and 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 Playa Langosta.

Playa Grande

To the north of Tamarindo is Playa Grande, typically accessed by crossing the marine park estuary via a water taxi, or via a 17km drive through Villareal.

Tourism

Beaches

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.

Surfing

Tamarindo and nearby areas are very popular for

, and feature waves from beginner to advanced.

Fishing

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

Scuba

The Catalinas Islands are one of the most popular spots for scuba diving, due to its wide variety of sea life and its views.

Golf

Golf courses include the Hacienda Pinilla Golf Club, the Reserva Conchal Beach Resort, and Four Seasons Resort Peninsula Papagayo.

Culture and arts

There is a night market, food truck park, skate park, and features regular fire conclave performance shows at the beach. Tamarindo is home to several

electronic dance music Electronic dance music (EDM), also referred to as dance music or club music, is a broad range of percussive electronic music genres originally made for nightclubs, raves, and List of electronic dance music festivals, festivals. It is generally ...

festivals, including The BPM Festival; and the Ocaso Underground Music Festival. The town has a small gay bar.

Weather

The town of Tamarindo has essentially two seasons: the wet, generally May to November; and the dry, December to April

Demographics

Tamarindo's population grew from at the 2011 census to 7,861 in the 2020 census.

Transportation

Road transportation

The district is served by: * CR RNS 152

National Route 152 * CR RNS 155

National Route 155

Airport

Tamarindo is the most accessible location along the northern Pacific coast of Costa Rica with an

airstrip An aerodrome, airfield, or airstrip is a location from which aircraft flight operations take place, regardless of whether they involve air cargo, passengers, or neither, and regardless of whether it is for public or private use. Aerodromes in ...

. Liberia International Airport is the closest international airport to Tamarindo, about an hour away.

Public transportation

There is a scheduled daily bus service to and from San José, as well as a paved highway to San José, with driving time of 3.5 to 6 hours depending on traffic.

Gallery

Las Baulas National Marine Park Panorama 3 CRI 08 2009

References

External links

{{commons category, Tamarindo
Tamarindo Beach Videos

Tamarindo Live Surf Cam

Information about surfing conditions in Tamarindo

Tamarindo Directory

Tamarindo Visitors Guide

Incopesca

Updated Guide for Building in Tamarindo Costa Rica
Districts of Guanacaste Province Populated places in Guanacaste Province Districts of Costa Rica Surfing locations in Costa Rica