Tamarindo Beach

Tamarindo Beach is located on Costa Rica’s west coast on the Nicoya Peninsula, in the province of Guanacaste. Tamarindo is a beautiful tropical paradise well known for its natural beauty and excellent surfing. Many surf movies and documentaries have been filmed on Tamarindo Beach.

Nature is abundant in and around Tamarindo. You can find leather back turtles laying their eggs on the northern part of the bay and hear the howler monkeys echoing from the treetops.

This trendy town is the home of a multi-cultural community boasting around 5000 inhabitants that live here year round. You will find people from all over the world who have made Tamarindo their home or their favorite tourist destination.
Students can find most of the restaurants, hotels, tour operators, surf schools, supermarkets and other mayor businesses on the main roads. Almost all are within walking distance from the school and the student houses.
The white sand beach and crystal clear water of Tamarindo Beach attract nature lovers, surfers, giant-turtle watchers and sun-seekers year round. For the active, sports of all kinds are available: kayaking, surfing, snorkeling, diving, fishing, sailing, ATV, horseback riding, golf, tennis, yoga, hiking, canopy and mountain-biking.

Thanks to the warm weather conditions, Tamarindo attracts national and international tourists all year round. This growing town offers many amenities: art galleries, handmade crafts from all over the world and a wide variety of restaurants and cafes. Tamarindo’s night life includes: live concerts, discos, many bars and a casino.

Climate

Tamarindo, as with other beach towns on the north pacific coast, receives the least amount of rain in the country. The temperature ranges between 72ºF (22ºC) and 92ºF (34ºC) during the entire year. Cool winds from northern latitudes can lower the temperature pleasantly along the coast. It’s not coincidence that the majority of Costa Rica’s resort hotels are nestled along the shores of the Pacific Northwest where sun and great beaches are the name of the game.

The summer months or dry season are from December to the beginning of May. During this time is always sunny. The winter or rainy season lasts from May to the beginning of July and from the end of August to the end of November. A typical day at this time of the year has beautiful fresh mornings with sunshine and a blue sky until approximately 4 pm. when it might begin to rain. Showers are no more than one to two hours a day in the evening or at night, and it’s not unusual to have few days without rain. At the beginning of October some strong Hurricanes from the Caribbean side might cause heavy rainfalls in our area that could last for a few days, no more.

From mid-July to the end of August we have a mini-summer called “El veranillo de San Juan” (the little summer of St. John). The rain stops, and it is summer again until the end of August.

Guanacaste

Costa Rica’s national costumes, music, food and even the national tree “the Guanacaste”, all emanate from this region.

The province of Guanacaste is located in the northern part of the country on the Nicoya Peninsula, about 140 kilometers away from San José. The coast is indented with bays, peninsulas, and warm sandy beaches that are some of the least visited, least accessible, and yet most beautiful in the country. National parks like Santa Rosa, Arenal National Park, Refugio Nacional de Fauna Silvestre Ostional, Parque Nacional Marino Las Baulas de Guanacaste, Parque Nacional Palo Verde, Reserva Biológica Lomas de Barbudal, Parque Nacional Barra Honda and Rincón de la Vieja are part of this province. No region of Costa Rica displays its cultural heritage as does Guanacaste. The culture owes much to the blending of Spanish and Chorotega.

Guanacaste is famous for its-spirit filled typical fiestas with traditional corrida de toros (bull riding), topes (the regions colorful horse parades in which the Guanacastecans show their meticulously groomed horses), and nighttime dance parties with live music. The bands usually play Merengue, Cumbia and Salsa. Our students often go to the many villages in the area to participate with the local people in celebrating their “Patron Saints Day”. You could be part of the Costa Rican style rodeos and bull riding. This is an authentic experience to be in contact with the Guanacastecans and their rich culture and traditions. From December through May, there is a fiesta almost every weekend in a different town. After May the fiestas are not as frequent.

A common sight is the typical campesino life; horses, cattle ranches and dark skinned sabaneros (cowboys), shaded by wide-brimmed hats and mounted on well-groomed horses, with lassoes at their sides. For this reason, Guanacaste has been called Costa Rica’s “Wild West”.

Apart from this, Guanacaste has an International Airport in Liberia that is just 55 km away from Tamarindo. Many airlines offer direct flights from different cities in the USA, Canada and Europe. Liberia International Airport is expecting more flights from other countries in the near future.

Costa Rica

Costa Rica touches the heart and mind through its incredible natural beauty and its gracious people. No one feels a stranger here for long. It is one of the most biologically diverse countries in the world; a treasure house of flora and fauna unequaled within such a small area. Travelers fall under the spell of this natural wonderland with its tropical forests, rushing rivers, exotic animals, high mountains and impressive volcanoes. Come and visit the many national parks, famous throughout the world.

Costa Rica is known around the world for its national park system, now protecting about 20% of its total area. It is a country without an army. The national hero is not a general but a young, barefoot campesino (country person). It has one of the highest literacy rates in Central America and a Social Security system that offers health care to its entire population. Costa Ricans like to say they have gained through evolution what other countries try to attain through revolution.