Tamarindo Travel Guide

Tamarindo, Costa Rica is fast becoming a premiere travel destination worldwide. And thanks to the many types of transportation available, traveling to and around Tamarindo has never been so easy.

Traveling to Tamarindo by Air

If you want to come and explore the rainforest, culture and landscape of Tamarindo, the best and fastest way to get there is by the Liberia International airport (LIR). Just 3 km north of Tamarindo, LIR is home to approximately 30 airlines including: America Airlines, Delta and US Airways.

Flying from the UK, Canada or Europe you will find options in LIR limited, so it is best to fly into the Juan Santamaria International Airport in San Jose. After this, you will have to take a local airline such as Nature Air or Sansa to get to the Pacific coast where Tamarindo is located.

Traveling to Tamarindo by Vehicle

Once you've reached the coast you can take a rental car, a taxi or a bus (public or private) to get to your hotel. Generally, traveling to Tamarindo by vehicle takes about 4 hours from the airport especially in high tourist seasons when the streets are crowded with tourists. Also the dirt road and narrow roads of Costa Rica makes traffic to Tamarindo move slowly. But the time will go by so quickly when you are a tourist taking in the new and exciting sites of Costa Rica; it will seem like just minutes ago that you first took out that camera snapping as you go along the streets of Costa Rica.

The best road to travel to Tamarindo is to take the road from Belen to Huacas, heading south. Another route to take is to drive from Santa Cruz to 27 de Avril on a paved road, then northwest on a dirt road for 19 km to Tamarindo.

Getting Around Tamarindo

In Tamarindo there is much transportation available so that you can see all the sights. You can travel by your rental car, taxis, and buses, on foot, bicycles, mopeds and by boats. Buses are a great way to travel if you are on a budget. They are really cheap and they run from the hotel zones to the center of town to shopping areas and popular tour sites. So just ask your hotel or get a bus schedule.

You can rent a car from well known agencies such as Avis and Budget while in Tamarindo. You must hold a valid driver's license and have a major credit card to rent a car. Taxis in Tamarindo are affordable and found at most hotels, and the fare depends on the distance. Another way to get around Tamarindo is by foot and many crosswalks can be found all over Tamarindo.

You can also rent a moped or scooter at one of the local shops in town and travel that way to popular sights. Here are also many shuttle boats and ferries to help you get to sites. Ferries and boats go to Isla Mujeres daily and you cam board a boat at the Zona Hoteleria at the Emabarcadero or the Xcaret docks.