The 15 Best Tamarindo Tours & Beach Days

1.Private Transfer Liberia Airport

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 227 reviews Our pick

Travel privately between Liberia Airport and your Tamarindo-area hotel with On The Road Costa Rica. Your driver meets you with a name sign, provides a clean, air-conditioned vehicle, and may have cold water, sodas, or beer ready. Drivers including Harnan, Rafael, Bianco, and Anthony are praised for friendly service and local advice.

“The communication and attention to detail was wonderful. Everyone we dealt with was friendly and knowledgeable. I would recommend this service to anyone. In addition to transportation, they also offer tours, excursions and can even help you find accommodations. We goRead more”

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2.Night Turtle Nesting Tour from Tamarindo

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 206 reviews · 4 hours (approx.) · from $46Best value

Meet Native’s Way in Tamarindo at 5:30 pm, then ride about 30 minutes to protected beaches near Playa Grande. Guides such as Ivan, Fabio, and Irving search the sand for Olive Ridley and Green Pacific turtles. Expect darkness, waiting, quiet observation, and possible beach walks. Red light is used to protect the turtles.

“We had a great guide who found 3 nesting leather back turtles, one of which was laying eggs. Very exciting and something my wife and I will never forget.”

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3.Turtle Nesting Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 132 reviews · 3 to 4 hours (approx.) · from $65

Meet guide Luis at 5 p.m. in Tamarindo for a 3 to 4-hour trip to Playa Mina. Ride rough tracks, walk 10 to 15 minutes to a dark beach, and spend about an hour looking for ridley, green, black, or leatherback turtles. Seeing turtles is never guaranteed, but the sunset, wildlife, and conservation lesson add real value.

“It was an adventure! Our guide was patient and knowledgeable. We got to see a turtle and it was a beautiful thing.”

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4.La Leona Waterfall Guided Tour+Transportation

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 124 reviews · 7 hours (approx.) · from $140

From Tamarindo, you’ll ride with a guide such as Alberto, Verny, Anthony, or Nacho to La Leona Waterfall. Expect a two-hour route through caves, rivers, rocks, and canyon walls formed by Rincon de la Vieja volcano. You’ll swim, use ropes, and finish with a waterfall plunge. Lunch in Liberia is extra.

“Verny was our tour guy and let me tell you something... He was amazing, funny, helpful, well-known about history of Costa Rica. He make sure that we are all enjoying, safe, well-protected and he treated us like family. I highly recommend this company and request Verny”

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5.Rio Celeste Waterfall Plus Sloths and wildlife Sanctuary

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 110 reviews · 7 to 11 hours (approx.) · from $220

From Tamarindo, you ride in a private air-conditioned car to Rio Celeste and Tenorio National Park. Expect a two to three-hour rainforest walk, a sloth and wildlife visit at Spring Paradise Bijagua Tours, and lunch at Doña Carmen. Guides may include Verny, Hernan, Allan, or Eric, and the pace can be tailored to your group.

“Our guide Hernan S and driver Alan were OUTSTANDING. Our guide Hania at the wildlife preserve was amazing as well. Hernan was very knowledgeable about the history, environment and flora/fauna of the region. Moderate hike. Beautiful waterfall. Wildlife abundant and pictures of a lifetime. Lunch was delicious and the butterfly garden was a lovely surprise and really well done. They will pick you up at your location, which was very helpful. Great day. Highly recommend.”

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6.Half-Day Snorkeling Experience in Tamarindo

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 108 reviews · 5 hours (approx.) · from $95

Start at 6:40 am at the Tamarindo center, test your mask and fins, then ride to Catalina’s Archipelago for two guided snorkeling sessions. Guides such as Lily and Clara help beginners, point out fish and rays, and keep the group together. Expect snacks, water, possible whales, and a boat ride that can be rough in windy weather.

“There are a lot of booze cruises that say you go snorkeling, but it’s an add on and not the point of their trip. This trip is about snorkeling! With great guides and an actual snorkel location our entire family had a blast. With kids 9,11,13 and 14, all of them loved it so much.”

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7.Hiking Tour of La Leona Waterfall with Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 106 reviews · 8 hours (approx.) · from $79

From Tamarindo, you’ll ride to Rincon de la Vieja for a private guided hike along Rio Blanco. Expect rocks, roots, pools, caves, rope sections, and a short swim to La Leona Waterfall. Life jackets, lunch, drinks, admission, and pickup are included. Guides such as Jason, Dylan, Steven, and Noel are often praised for their patience and local insight.

“Hike and waterfall was very good. Guides were very helpful, knowledgeable and fun. The meal provided was decent. Our only complaint was the ride from the tour office to the start of hike. They had to shuttle us in a small vehicle, which took awhile.”

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8.Blue Dolphin Catamaran Snorkeling Sunset Cruise from Tamarindo

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 97 reviews · 5 hours (approx.) · from $99

Set out from El Chiringuito at 12:45 pm for a five-hour Blue Dolphin catamaran trip along Guanacaste’s coast. You’ll have snorkel gear, kayaks, swimming time, snacks, lunch, and an open bar. The crew, often led by Carlos, keeps the mood lively as you head back toward Tamarindo for sunset.

“We saw three impressive, humpback whales blowing and surfacing very near our boat during our return trip. Fantastic experience. Being an avid sailor, I was disappointed that this was primarily a motor launch experience rather than a wind powered sailing adventure. With some persuasion, the captain did unfurl the jib sale for the last 30 or 40 minutes of the ride home, but continued using engine power as well. Our catamaran did not even have a main sail and the captain said has not had one for several years. If we had truly sailed, I’d have rated 5-stars. The captain and crew were very pleasant and helpful in serving our…”

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9.Stellar 3 Day Surf Package

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 83 reviews · 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.) · from $360

Spend three days learning to surf at Iguana Surf in Tamarindo. Your instructor begins with an assessment, then adjusts each 90-minute lesson to your level. The package includes boards, wax, water, beach photos, unlimited board rentals for the week, and an Iguana Surf T-shirt. Lessons are limited to two people.

“Great experience with Edwin. Highly recommend. Tasha was great in the shop. Got up on the board my first day and was a gorgeous beach.”

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10.Private tours and transfer Costa Rica

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 82 reviews · 1 to 7 hours (approx.) · from $150

Start at Tamarindo Beach for a private, roughly six-hour trip to the Tempisque River. Expect about 90 minutes by boat to look for birds, crocodiles, monkeys, and other local species, followed by a meal prepared by a Costa Rican family and a pottery demonstration by local artisans. The tour returns to Tamarindo.

“I tried to contact the tour operator for a week. The first time 6 days before, then 5 days before, and finally the day before and said if I didn’t hear back by noon I would have to cancel because he could not confirm details of the trip, or pick up and drop off. He never responded. When I reached out to Viator for help they couldn’t get a hold of him either. The operator never confirmed details of trip, pick up or drop off. And his phone number was out of service. Viator denied my refund request. I was told I would get a refund unless this operator could…”

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11.Kayak to the Heart of the National Park

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 79 reviews · 3 hours (approx.) · from $65

Set out from Pangas Beach Club with guide Luis or Tom for a tide-timed kayak trip into Las Baulas National Marine Park. You’ll learn basic paddling, watch for monkeys, crocodiles, and birds, then leave the kayaks for a guided forest walk and climb to an indigenous archaeological site. Expect heat, mud, and moderate physical effort.

“Paddle was very cool up the estuary. We were taken into the park and on a short hike to see local flora and fauna. Would recommend to any nature enthusiasts. Luis was very knowledgeable.”

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12.PRIVATE Buena Vista: Zip line, Horseback, Hot Springs + Lunch

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 76 reviews · 9 hours (approx.) · from $275

Spend about nine hours at Buena Vista with a private guide such as Eugenio, Elial, or JB. Ride horses, tackle eight zip lines, try the water slide, sample Costa Rican treats, paint on volcanic mud, soak in hot springs, and finish with lunch. Pickup is available from Tamarindo-area hotels on the guided option.

“Our guide (sorry if I butcher the spelling) Eli was incredible, the staff in general was incredible, and the food was incredible. If you want an amazing experience that is exciting, delicious, and relaxing then there’s no other choice!”

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13.Coffee & Chocolate Tour+Sloths Park & Llanos de Cortez Waterfall

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 74 reviews · 8 hours (approx.) · from $210

From Tamarindo, this private eight-hour trip visits Spring Paradise Bijagua for rainforest wildlife, a coffee and cacao workshop, Llanos de Cortez Waterfall, and a traditional lunch at El Sabor de Doña Carmen. Guides such as Dayro, Fernando, Dido, and Anthony are praised for wildlife spotting, translation, local insight, and flexible pacing.

“First let me say Our private guide, Fernando, was exceptional! He was very friendly, attentive & informative all day. He even ensured the owner of the restaurant that we had lunch at was aware of my fish allergy so that I could enjoy the delicious lunch that was served with no fear of cross contamination in the kitchen. He also took us to The waterfall first thing in the morning as there were only a handful of other people there. He said if we went at the end of the day it would be so packed that we would not have had the room to move or take any personal…”

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14.La Leona waterfall Cliffjumping White water Tubbing PrivateTour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 71 reviews · 7 to 9 hours (approx.) · from $260

Spend 7 to 9 hours with a private guide exploring Guanacaste by water and trail. Jump from 25, 35, or 45-foot cliffs, scramble through the forest to La Leona Waterfall, and ride Colorado River rapids by tube. Guides including Paul, Sebastian, Alberto, and José are praised for friendly help, local stories, photos, and video. Closed-toe shoes are required.

“This was an absolutely amazing tour and a great company to use. After booking the company reached out via WhatsApp so we had a way of contacting them to ask questions in advance. The jump off the cliff was really fun! I never thought my wife or 17 year old would do it, but they did! Then the experience at La Leona waterfall was so amazing. We saw two different waterfalls and they were beautiful. We had about 30 minutes to hike to the waterfall and over rocks and limbs, but it was very easy but Definately don’t wear flip flops or loose fitting shoes. We had a quick lunch…”

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15.Surf Lesson in Tamarindo: Private and Group

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 68 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $70

Meet Blue Wave Surf & Tours on Tamarindo Beach for a two-hour lesson with instructors such as Andric, Jonathan, Johnny, and Pablo. You’ll get beach practice, equipment, safety guidance, and plenty of time in the water. Private instruction suits families, first-timers, and surfers ready for focused coaching.

“We had a great time! We opted for private lessons so there was an instructor for each of us. They taught us the basics and got us in the water right away. They are so patient and very professional.”

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