Tamarindo, Costa Rica

District in Santa Cruz canton, 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. Once a small fishing village, it has boomed in the 21st century with surfing and eco tourism, and is now popular with surfers, digital nomads, and expatriates.

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.

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.

Tamarindo has an area of and an elevation of .

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.

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.

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.

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.

Tamarindo is known for world class fishing, and a variety of captains and charter 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.

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

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

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 festivals, including The BPM Festival, which moved in 2020 from Portugal; and the Ocaso Underground Music Festival. The town has a small LGBTQ+ bar and holds an annual Pride Festival.

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

Tamarindo is the most accessible location along the northern Pacific coast of Costa Rica with an airstrip. Liberia International Airport is the closest international airport to Tamarindo, about an hour away.

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.