Tamarindo · Backpacking
ON A BUDGET
A surf town that got expensive, but the waves, the sunsets and the estuary are still free.
One street back
Hostels sit one street back from the main drag, towards Villa Real and the Langosta end; the beachfront rooms cost three times as much.
What a day costs
Roughly 25,000–48,000 colones, about $48–92: dorms 9,000–14,000, sodas 4,000–6,000, a board rental 8,000–12,000 for the day.
Buses and shared shuttles
Public buses leave the main street for Santa Cruz and Liberia several times a day, and shared shuttles run to Nosara, Sámara and Monteverde.
Free by day
Playa Tamarindo and the quieter Playa Langosta cost nothing, and the sunset from the rocks at the Langosta end is the town's daily event.
The sunset stretch
Everyone converges on the beach in front of the surf schools an hour before dark — boards, dogs, drums and the cheapest beer in town.