TAMARINDO: OVERVIEW

Tamarindo: Population: 6,000-10,000
Tamarindo: Location: Guanacaste Area (Pacific side of Costa Rica)

Playa Tamarindo, on Costa Rica’s west coast on the Nicoya Peninsula in Guanacaste, is one of the country’s most spectacular beaches. The white sand and crystal clear waters attract nature lovers, surfers, giant-turtle watchers and sun-seekers all year round. For the active, sports of all kinds are available: kayaking, surfing, snorkeling, diving, fishing, horseback riding, hiking, canopy and mountain biking. The town also offers art galleries, handmade crafts from around the world and a wide variety of restaurants and cafes. Tamarindo’s night life includes discotheques, live concerts, many bars, a casino and local "fiestas" that move from town to town but are never far away.

Tamarindo as other beach towns on the north pacific coast receive the least amount of rain in the country. Temperature range between 72ºF (22ºC) and 92ºF (34ºC) during the whole year. Cool winds from northern latitudes can lower the temperature pleasantly along the coast. It’s not coincidence that the majority of Costa Rica’s resort hotels are nestled along the shores of the pacific northwest were sun is the name of the game. The winter or rainy season begins in May. A typical day at this time of the year has beautiful fresh mornings with sunshine and a blue sky. Showers are no more than one to two hours a day in the evening or at night and it’s not unusual to have few days without rain. From mid July to the end of August we have a little summer called "El veranillo de San Juan". It stops to rain and it is summer again until the end of August. September brings the rain until the beginning of November.

A little about the province of Guanacaste: The province of Guanacaste is located in the north of the country , it is about 100 mile from San José.

The coast is indented with bays, peninsulas, and warm sandy beaches that are some of the least visited, least accessible, and yet most beautiful in the country. National parks like Santa Rosa, Monteverde Biological Cloud Forest Reserve, Arenal National Park or Rincón de la Vieja are part of this province.

No region of Costa Rica display its cultural heritage as does Guanacaste. The culture owes much to the blending of Spanish and Chorotega. Guanacaste is famous for traditional fiestas. The schools takes students to one of the many villages in the area to participate with the local people in celebrating their "Patron Saints Day". You will be part of the Costa Rican style rodeos and bull riding. This is an authentic experience to be in contact with the Guanacastecans and their rich culture and traditions.

The typical campesino life revolves around the horse and cattle ranch and dark skinned sabaneros (cowboys) shaded by wide-brimmed hats and mounted on horses with lassoes at their sides are a common sight. For this reason Guanacaste has been called Costa Rica’s "Wild West".

Much of the information on our site as it relates to Costa Rica is:

Courtesy of Christopher P. Baker and Avalon Travel Publishing.
© 2004 Christopher P. Baker. All Rights Reserved.

Spanish Abroad, Inc. highly recommends Christopher P. Baker's book: Moon Handbooks Costa Rica. Click on the image to visit his website where you can purchase this book or find out more about the author.