Tamarindo, Costa Rica Explained

Tamarindo
Settlement Type:District
Pushpin Map:Costa Rica
Pushpin Map Alt:Tamarindo district location in Costa Rica
Pushpin Map Caption:Tamarindo district location in Costa Rica
Coordinates:10.2923°N -85.7982°W
Map Alt:Tamarindo district
Image Alt:The coastline in Tamarindo
Established Title:Creation
Established Date:27 November 1995
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Type1:Province
Subdivision Name1:Guanacaste
Subdivision Type2:Canton
Subdivision Name2:Santa Cruz
Area Total Km2:125.86
Elevation M:27
Population Total:6375
Population As Of:2011
Population Density Km2:auto
Postal Code Type:Postal code
Postal Code:50309

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.

"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 125.86km2[9] and an elevation of 27m (89feet).

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.[13]

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.[14]

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.[15]

Golf

Golf courses include the Hacienda Pinilla Golf Club, the Reserva Conchal Beach Resort, and Four Seasons Resort Peninsula Papagayo.[16]

Culture and arts

There is a night market, food truck park,[17] skate park, and features regular fire conclave performance shows at the beach.[18] [19]

Tamarindo is home to several electronic dance music festivals, including The BPM Festival;[20] [21] [22] [23] [24] and the Ocaso Underground Music Festival.[25] [26]

The town has a small gay bar.[27]

Weather

The town of Tamarindo has essentially two seasons: the wet, generally May to November; and the dry, December to April[28]

Demographics

Tamarindo's population grew from at the 2011 census[29] to 7,861 in the 2020 census.[30] [31]

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.

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: es . Declara oficial para efectos administrativos, la aprobación de la División Territorial Administrativa de la República N°41548-MGP . Sistema Costarricense de Información Jurídica . 26 September 2020 . 19 March 2019 . 26 October 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201026094325/http://www.pgrweb.go.cr/scij/Busqueda/Normativa/Normas/nrm_texto_completo.aspx?param1=NRTC&nValor1=1&nValor2=88416&nValor3=115607&param2=1&strTipM=TC&lResultado=1&strSim=simp . live .
  2. Book: es. División Territorial Administrativa de la República de Costa Rica. 8 March 2017. Editorial Digital de la Imprenta Nacional. 978-9977-58-477-5. 17 September 2020. 3 June 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210603061212/https://www.imprentanacional.go.cr/editorialdigital/libros/historiaygeografia/division_17.pdf. live.
  3. Web site: 2021-07-04 . Surf Sunday: Watch 'Endless Summer II,' A film that popularized Tamarindo . 2024-03-21 . The Tico Times Costa Rica News Travel Real Estate . en-US . 2024-03-20 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240320203807/https://ticotimes.net/2021/07/04/tbt-watch-endless-summer-ii-the-documentary-that-popularized-tamarindo-2 . live .
  4. Web site: Gartside . Luke . 2020-08-19 . After The Endless Summer II: What Happened To The Surf Destinations Featured In The Film? . 2024-04-01 . Wavelength Surf Magazine - since 1981 . en-GB . 2024-04-01 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240401150441/https://wavelengthmag.com/after-the-endless-summer-ii-what-happened-to-the-surf-destinations-featured-in-the-film/ . live .
  5. Web site: 2007-11-23 . Tamarindo Loses Blue Flag Designation . 2024-04-01 . The Tico Times Costa Rica News Travel Real Estate . en-US . 2024-04-01 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240401162128/https://ticotimes.net/2007/11/23/tamarindo-loses-blue-flag-designation . live .
  6. Web site: 2012-11-30 . Tamarindo Costa Rica News . 2024-04-01 . 2012-11-30 . https://web.archive.org/web/20121130164604/http://tamarindonews.com/Tamarindo_Community_News/tamarindo_let_s_get_the_blue_flag.html . bot: unknown .
  7. Web site: 2017-02-14 . Tamarindo Goes For Ecological Blue Flag . 2024-04-01 . Q COSTA RICA . en-US . 2024-04-01 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240401163608/https://qcostarica.com/tamarindo-goes-for-ecological-blue-flag/ . live .
  8. Web site: Tamarindo Beach Receives its Hard-Earned Blue Flag . 2024-04-01 . www.stayintamarindo.com . en . 2024-04-01 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240401163519/https://www.stayintamarindo.com/blog/tamarindo-beach-receives-hard-earned-blue-flag . live .
  9. Web site: es . Área en kilómetros cuadrados, según provincia, cantón y distrito administrativo . Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos . 26 September 2020 . 24 October 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201024225203/https://www.inec.cr/anuario-estadistico/anuario-estadistico-geografia . dead .
  10. Web site: Tamarindo. 2015-03-28. 2015-04-02. https://web.archive.org/web/20150402130413/http://www.costaricadatabase.com/crdb/city.asp?action=2&q=TAMARINDO&b=SANTA+CRUZ&p=5. live.
  11. Web site: Home . blueflag.org . 2008-09-29 . 2008-05-29 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080529165244/http://www.blueflag.org/blueflag . live .
  12. Web site: Tamarindo News . 2010-08-20 . 2010-08-09 . https://web.archive.org/web/20100809185048/http://tamarindonews.com/Tamarindo_Community_News/tamarindo_let_s_get_the_blue_flag.html . dead .
  13. Web site: Tamarindo Surf Guide - Surfline .
  14. Web site: 2022-10-15 . Reseña Histórica de INCOPESCA . 2022-10-15 . Instituto Costarricense de Pesca y Acuicultura . es . 2022-10-15 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221015170302/https://www.incopesca.go.cr/acerca_incopesca/index.aspx . live .
  15. Web site: Visiting the Catalina Islands of Costa Rica . 17 October 2021 . 2024-03-23 . 2024-03-23 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240323071734/https://ticotimes.net/2021/10/17/visiting-the-catalina-islands-of-costa-rica . live .
  16. Web site: Golf Courses Near Tamarindo Costa Rica . 2024-03-23 . 2024-03-23 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240323005021/https://www.coldwellbankertamarindo.com/article/golf-courses-near-tamarindo-costa-rica . live .
  17. Web site: Jardín Tamarindo Food Truck Park . 2024-03-23 . 2024-03-23 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240323004022/https://foursquare.com/v/jard%C3%ADn-tamarindo-food-truck-park/6032f9fac5bdba56b36fc606 . live .
  18. Web site: About us . 2024-03-20 . 2024-03-20 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240320194503/https://www.pyrodanza.com/about-us.html . live .
  19. Web site: Fire Conclave . 2024-03-22 . 2024-03-22 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240322234626/https://burningman.org/event/participate/art-performance/performance-opportunities/fire-conclave/ . live .
  20. Web site: Archived copy . 2024-03-20 . 2024-03-20 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240320201925/https://thebpmfestival.com/ . live .
  21. Bain . Katie . 2023-09-27 . The BPM Festival Releases 2024 Phase 1 Lineup: See Who's Playing . 2024-03-21 . Billboard . en-US . 2024-03-20 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240320201217/https://www.billboard.com/music/music-news/bpm-festival-2024-lineup-gordo-bedouin-1235427119/ . live .
  22. Web site: The BPM Festival: Costa Rica - Festival Lineup, Dates and Location Viberate.com . 2024-03-21 . www.viberate.com . en-gb . 2024-03-20 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240320201927/https://www.viberate.com/festival/the-bpm-festival-costa-rica/ . live .
  23. Web site: BPM Festival Costa Rica 2024 | Music Festival Wizard . 2024-03-20 . 2024-03-20 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240320202223/https://www.musicfestivalwizard.com/festivals/bpm-festival-costa-rica-2024/ . live .
  24. Web site: Tamayo . Daniel . 2023-12-18 . Highlights of BPM Festival: Costa Rica 2024 in Tamarindo . 2024-03-21 . Ultrazonic Magazine . es-CR . 2024-03-20 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240320200031/https://www.ultrazonicmag.com/bpm-festival-costa-rica-2024-lineup/ . live .
  25. Web site: Ocaso Festival 2024 – Underground Music Festival | Ocaso Festival 2024 . 2024-03-22 . 2024-03-22 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240322231212/https://ocasofestival.com/ . live .
  26. The Battle of Tamarindo: How Two Dance Music Festivals Are Vying for the Same Costa Rican Beach Town . . 2024-03-22 . 2024-03-22 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240322232534/https://www.billboard.com/pro/battle-of-tamarindo-dance-festivals-costa-rica/ . live .
  27. Web site: Kinky Tamarindo Gay Bar . 2024-03-21 . Kinky Tamarindo Gay Bar . es-US . 2024-03-20 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240320193443/https://kinkytamarindo.club/ . live .
  28. Web site: Picking the Season for Your Tamarindo Surf Vacation | Iguana Surf . 19 March 2020 . 2024-03-20 . 2024-03-20 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240320213512/https://iguanasurf.net/blog/tamarindo-surf-vacation-how-to-pick-when-to-go/ . live .
  29. Web site: Censo. 2011. Población total por zona y sexo, según provincia, cantón y distrito . 26 September 2020 . Instituto Nacional de Estadística y Censos . es . 28 September 2020 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200928013144/https://www.inec.cr/censos/censos-2011 . live .
  30. Web site: Tamarindo (District, Costa Rica) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location . 2024-03-21 . www.citypopulation.de . 2024-03-20 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240320221555/https://www.citypopulation.de/en/costarica/distr/admin/santa_cruz/50309__tamarindo/ . live .
  31. Web site: 2013-01-16 . 7 luxury travel destinations in Costa Rica . 2024-03-21 . CNN . en . 2024-03-21 . https://web.archive.org/web/20240321031703/https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/costa-rica-luxury-travel/index.html . live .

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