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Tamarindo, Costa Rica

Stay in Tamarindo: see the trip Its beds, the way there and every spot near it.

Also within 20 km of Tamarindo

All 13 on Tamarindo's map

Watch this spot We email you when Tamarindo is worth the trip.

Our beach
Near Tamarindo, 1 km away. Photo: Bob Henricks from Charlottesville, United States, CC BY-SA 2.0, Wikimedia Commons

About Tamarindo

Facing, offshore wind, exposure, level and swell range are estimated. Facts: verified, surf details estimated.

The spot faces W (287°), so it takes swell from the W. The wind blows offshore from the E (107°). It is sheltered to the open swell. It suits beginners and up. It works in 4–16 ft of swell. The sea floor shelves moderately: 10 m deep about 200 m out (1 in 22). On a typical 5 ft, 11 s swell the waves here would break hollow. The sea is about 28°C in January, its coldest month (no wetsuit), and 30°C in May, its warmest (no wetsuit). The town to stay in is Tamarindo, 4.3 km away (about 10 min by car). Within 5 km we also list 6 surf spots.

Water about 29°C: no wetsuit. Typical sea temperature for the time of year, not a forecast.

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Book the trip

From Chicago: about 10 h 40 door to door, one way. An estimate; the journey never changes the score.

  1. Fly. Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) to LIR, direct.

    See flights ORD → LIR · Skyscanner from about £250 returnAd

  2. Getting there. 1 h 45 from the airport to Tamarindo.

    Car hire · Discover CarsAd

  3. Accommodation.

    Stay in TamarindoAd

    Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote.

    Room photos are examples, not these hotels (credits).

    See all places to stay on Booking.com →

    Closest towns to stay in

    Typical prices for a double room that month, not a quote. Drives are estimates.

  4. Hire and lessons.

    Surf lessons in Tamarindo · GetYourGuideAdBoard and wetsuit hire in Tamarindo · GetYourGuideAd

Everything else for the trip

Where it is

Tamarindo on Google Maps · Directions

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One finger scrolls the page; two fingers move the map. Pins are our own positions. Map OpenFreeMap, © OpenMapTiles, data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Forecast

The score for experts, coloured as on the area pages:GoodFairPoorToo bigToo small

DayScoreSwellEnergyWindTemp
Sun 18Oct546 ft13 shollow995kJ30°C
Mon 19Oct385 ft11 scrumbling603kJ30°C
Tue 20Oct294 ft12 shollow331kJ28°C
Wed 21Oct254 ft12 shollow328kJ30°C
Thu 22Oct324 ft12 shollow374kJ30°C
Fri 23Oct264 ft11 shollow303kJ29°C
Sat 24Oct183 ft11 shollow213kJ30°C
Sun 25Oct143 ft10 shollow140kJ31°C
Mon 26Oct153 ft9 shollow109kJ32°C
Tue 27Oct113 ft8 smushy76kJ30°C

Day scores here are the conditions out of 80; a trip's score on the results is the same conditions out of 100. The journey never scores. The forecast reaches about 10 days. Energy is the swell's power in kJ per metre of wave, from its height and interval: it grows with the square of each, so a long-period swell hits far harder than a short one the same size. The word under the swell is the wave's shape, our estimate from the sea floor. Wind is in knots: 10 kn is about 19 km/h. The arrow points where the wind blows to; offshore wind, blowing from the land out to sea, is green and says so.

Your trip, day by day

6 nights from Mon 19 Oct, leaving from Chicago, for expert surfers. Change dates

  1. Mon 19 Oct
    Travel out

    Direct flight ORD to LIR, then 1h 45 by road. About 10h 40 door to door

  2. Tue 20 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 4 ft at best.

  3. Wed 21 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 4 ft at best.

  4. Thu 22 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 4 ft at best.

  5. Fri 23 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 4 ft at best.

  6. Sat 24 Oct
    Rest day

    Too small: 3 ft at best.

  7. Sun 25 Oct
    Travel home

    Direct flight ORD to LIR, then 1h 45 by road. About 10h 40 door to door

The plan picks the best of 8 spots near Tamarindo each day: El Estero- Tamarindo, Little hawaii, Pico Pequeno, Playa Avellana, Playa Avellanas, Playa Langosta, Suizo, Tamarindo.

The trip from Tamarindo, with every spot near it

Rough cost

About £755–£1,405 each for 6 nights, 2 people sharing a room. A guide from typical prices, not a quote: check the real prices before you book.

WhatHow we worked it outEach
Flightsreturn ORD to LIR, estimated from distance and season, 2 airlines on the route, with a hold bag£250–£520
To the UK airportparking or the train, there and back£35–£65
Hire car6 days, shared£70–£120
Stay6 nights, a mid-range double, shared£170–£280
Food7 days eating out£160–£300
Board and wetsuit5 days, or about £85 to fly your own£70–£120
Total£755–£1,405

Prices from public sources, checked in 2026: where they come from. Lessons, lift-pass deals and insurance are extra.

Places to eat near Tamarindo

  • Soda MarcelaSeafood · 0.1 km from the centre
  • Bar Villa CostaBar and grill · 0.2 km from the centre
  • Entonces PizzaPizza · 0.2 km from the centre
  • Pollolandia VillarealChicken · 0.2 km from the centre
  • Rancho Marion Bar Restaurante y PizzeríaPizza · 0.3 km from the centre
  • Pizza ExpressPizza · 0.5 km from the centre

Within 2 km of the town centre, listed by how complete the listing is (website, opening hours, cuisine) and whether two sources name it. Not a judgement of the food: we have no reviews. Listings © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL) and Overture Maps Foundation. Credits

Book the trip

Getting thereAd

Flights · Skyscanner Car hire · Discover Cars

Where to stayAd

Places to stay · Booking.com

In the waterAd

Surf lessons · GetYourGuide Board and wetsuit hire · GetYourGuide

Links marked Ad may pay us a small commission if you book. You pay the same price, and it never changes a score.