Playa Tamarindo: Getting there & around

The airstrip is 3km (1.8mi) north of town; a hotel bus is usually on hand to pick up arriving passengers or you can take a taxi. Sansa has fourteen daily flights to and from San José, while NatureAir has five. Sansa (tel: 653 0012) has an office on the main road, and the travel desk at Hotel El Diriá can book trips on NatureAir. The airstrip belongs to the hotel and all passengers must pay US$3.00 departure tax to use it.

Buses from San José (6hrs) depart early from the Empresas Alfaro office next to the police station at 03:30 , 05:45 and 13:00 . Catch the following buses at any point on the main road: Liberia (2hrs) - departing at 05:30 , 09:00 , 11:30 , 15:00 and 17:00 ; Santa Cruz (1.4hrs) - departing at 06:00 , 09:00 , 11:00 , 15:30 and 16:00 .

If driving to Tamarindo, the best road is from Belén to Huacas and then south. It's also possible to drive from Santa Cruz to 27 de Abril on a paved road and then northwest on a dirt road for 19km (11.8mi) to Tamarindo - this route is rougher, though passable to ordinary cars.

Boats on the northern end of the beach can be hired to cross the estuary for daytime visits to the beach at Playa Grande. The ride cost depends on the number of people.

Many people arrive in rental cars. If you get here by air or bus, you can rent bicycles and dirt bikes in town. There isn't a gas station, though you can buy expensive gas from drums at the hardware store near the entrance of town. (It's cheaper to fill up in Santa Cruz or at the station in Huacas). Cars are available for rent from the following agencies: Alamo (tel: 653 0727) and Economy Rent-a-Car (tel: 653 0752).