Tamarindo, Costa Rica

Tamarindo
District
The coastline in Tamarindo
The coastline in Tamarindo
Tamarindo district
Tamarindo district location in Costa Rica
Tamarindo district location in Costa Rica
Tamarindo
Tamarindo district location in Costa Rica
Coordinates: 10°17′32″N 85°47′53″W / 10.2923417°N 85.798175°W / 10.2923417; -85.798175
Country Costa Rica
ProvinceGuanacaste
CantonSanta Cruz
Creation27 November 1995
Area
 • Total125.86 km2 (48.59 sq mi)
Elevation
27 m (89 ft)
Population
 (2011)
 • Total6,375
 • Density51/km2 (130/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC−06:00
Postal code
50309
View of Tamarindo Beach.

Tamarindo is a district of the Santa Cruz canton, in the Guanacaste province of Costa Rica, located on the Nicoya Peninsula.[1][2]

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.

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.[3]

Tamarindo was incorporated as a town on November 27, 1995, by Decreto Ejecutivo (English: Executive Order) 24820-G.[2]

"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 magazine wrote in 2020.[4]

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.[5] After years of work,[6][7] the town reportedly regained the Blue Flag in 2018.[8]

Geography

Tamarindo has an area of 125.86 square kilometres (48.59 sq mi)[9] and an elevation of 27 metres (89 ft).[1]

Settlements

Besides Tamarindo, towns in the district include Villarreal, Santa Rosa, Garita Nueva, Hernández, Hucus, Flamingo and San José de Pinilla.[10]

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,[11] 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.[12]

Surfing

Tamarindo and nearby areas are very popular for surfing, and feature waves from beginner to advanced.

There are many popular surf breaks along the 2.4km stretch of Tamarindo Beach, with difficulty levels ranging from beginner to expert, including:
Witch’s Rock, Isla Capitan,[13] Capitán Suizo,[14] Henry's Right,[15] Henry's Left,[16] Pico Grande,[17] Pico Pequeño,[18] Beach Break,[19] River Mouth,[20] Casitas,[21] Palm Beach,[22] Playa Grande,[23] Las Palmeras[24] and many more.[25][26]

Fishing

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.[27]

Scuba

The Catalinas Islands are one of the most popular spots for scuba diving, due to its wide variety of sea life and spectacular views.[28]

Golf

Popular golf spots include the Hacienda Pinilla Golf Club, the Reserva Conchal Beach Resort, and Four Seasons Resort Peninsula Papagayo.[29]

Culture and arts

There is a night market, food truck park,[30] skate park, and features regular fire conclave performance shows at the beach.[31][32]

Tamarindo is home to several electronic dance music festivals, including The BPM Festival, which moved in 2020 from Portugal;[33][34][35][36][37] and the Ocaso Underground Music Festival.[38][39]

The town has a small LGBTQ+ bar[40] and holds an annual Pride Festival.[41][42]

Weather

The town of Tamarindo has essentially two seasons: the wet, generally May to November; and the dry, December to April[43]

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
20003,525—
20116,37580.9%

Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos[44]
Centro Centroamericano de Población[45]

Tamarindo's population grew from 6,375 at the 2011 census[46] to 7,861 in the 2020 census.[47][48]

Transportation

Road transportation

The district is served by:

Airport

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.

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

Panoramic view of Las Baulas National Marine Park and Playa Grande, located 2 km from downtown Tamarindo.
Panoramic View of Tamarindo City Centre
Panoramic Aerial View of Tamarindo, Looking North
Tamarindo Beach View, Looking North

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Declara oficial para efectos administrativos, la aprobación de la División Territorial Administrativa de la República N°41548-MGP". Sistema Costarricense de Información Jurídica (in Spanish). 19 March 2019. Archived from the original on 26 October 2020. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
  2. ^ a b División Territorial Administrativa de la República de Costa Rica (PDF) (in Spanish). Editorial Digital de la Imprenta Nacional. 8 March 2017. ISBN 978-9977-58-477-5. Archived (PDF) from the original on 3 June 2021. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  3. ^ "Surf Sunday: Watch 'Endless Summer II,' A film that popularized Tamarindo". The Tico Times | Costa Rica News | Travel | Real Estate. 2021-07-04. Archived from the original on 2024-03-20. Retrieved 2024-03-21.
  4. ^ Gartside, Luke (2020-08-19). "After The Endless Summer II: What Happened To The Surf Destinations Featured In The Film?". Wavelength Surf Magazine - since 1981. Archived from the original on 2024-04-01. Retrieved 2024-04-01.
  5. ^ "Tamarindo Loses Blue Flag Designation". The Tico Times | Costa Rica News | Travel | Real Estate. 2007-11-23. Archived from the original on 2024-04-01. Retrieved 2024-04-01.
  6. ^ "Tamarindo Costa Rica News". web.archive.org. 2012-11-30. Archived from the original on 2012-11-30. Retrieved 2024-04-01.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  7. ^ "Tamarindo Goes For Ecological Blue Flag". Q COSTA RICA. 2017-02-14. Archived from the original on 2024-04-01. Retrieved 2024-04-01.
  8. ^ "Tamarindo Beach Receives its Hard-Earned Blue Flag". www.stayintamarindo.com. Archived from the original on 2024-04-01. Retrieved 2024-04-01.
  9. ^ "Área en kilómetros cuadrados, según provincia, cantón y distrito administrativo". Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 24 October 2020. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
  10. ^ "Tamarindo". Archived from the original on 2015-04-02. Retrieved 2015-03-28.
  11. ^ "Home". blueflag.org. Archived from the original on 2008-05-29. Retrieved 2008-09-29.
  12. ^ "Tamarindo News". Archived from the original on 2010-08-09. Retrieved 2010-08-20.
  13. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2024-02-28. Retrieved 2024-03-23.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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  34. ^ Bain, Katie (2023-09-27). "The BPM Festival Releases 2024 Phase 1 Lineup: See Who's Playing". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2024-03-20. Retrieved 2024-03-21.
  35. ^ "The BPM Festival: Costa Rica - Festival Lineup, Dates and Location | Viberate.com". www.viberate.com. Archived from the original on 2024-03-20. Retrieved 2024-03-21.
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  40. ^ "Kinky Tamarindo Gay Bar". Kinky Tamarindo Gay Bar (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2024-03-20. Retrieved 2024-03-21.
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  44. ^ "Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos" (in Spanish).
  45. ^ "Sistema de Consulta de a Bases de Datos Estadísticas". Centro Centroamericano de Población (in Spanish).
  46. ^ "Censo. 2011. Población total por zona y sexo, según provincia, cantón y distrito". Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 28 September 2020. Retrieved 26 September 2020.
  47. ^ "Tamarindo (District, Costa Rica) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location". www.citypopulation.de. Archived from the original on 2024-03-20. Retrieved 2024-03-21.
  48. ^ "7 luxury travel destinations in Costa Rica". CNN. 2013-01-16. Archived from the original on 2024-03-21. Retrieved 2024-03-21.


External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tamarindo.
  • Tamarindo Beach Videos
  • Information about surfing conditions in Tamarindo
  • Tamarindo Directory
  • Tamarindo Visitors Guide
  • Incopesca
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