Tamarindo, Playa Grande

• Description of Tamarindo
• Map of Tamarindo with Hotels
• Activities in Tamarindo
• Surf in Tamarindo and Surroundings
• Playa Grande

Map of Playa Grande :

[ Hyperlinks on the map are marked in orange color ]

Playa Grande is only a shell's throw away from Tamarindo but the atmosphere feels totally different.
Vacationers here are mostly eco-tourists and surfers who wish to escape the crowds enjoying instead tranquility, nature attractions and perfect surf. The beach of Playa Grande is a mile-long crescent of fine, white sand backed by a coastal vegetation which the constant ocean breeze has shaped into a conical form.

Walking bare-foot you sink deeply into the soft sand. Avoid however to walk on the upper part of the beach as you might destroy turtle egg layings. The beach of Playa Grande forms part of the National Park Las Baulas which protects Costa Rica's most important nesting site of leatherback sea turtles.
Construction is set back from the beach to conserve the shoreline and at night lights have to be shielded so that turtles are not disturbed.

The neighborhood of Playa Grande consists mainly of foreigners who use their luxury villas only for vacations. A scattering of tranquil hotels and restaurants cater to eco-tourists or those who come for the surf — Playa Grande boasts one of the best surf breaks of the North Pacific.   See   -> Surf in Tamarindo and surrounding beaches

Swimming however is not advisable as strong rip currents can draw even experienced swimmers into the open sea.

A short walk north of Playa Grande is another pristine beach in a small bay: Playa Ventanas which offers tidepools for a safe and lazy bath.
On the north end of Playa Ventanas is a rocky point backed by a wooded promontory: Cabo Velas, Costa Rica's most western point. At low tide you can walk from Playa Ventanas along the beach to the next cove, the black-sand beach of Playa Carbon surrounded by dramatic beach wilderness and caves in the rocks.

Playa Grande: Las Baulas National Park

Las Baulas National Park seeks to protect one of the world's most important nesting site of the leatherback sea turtles. Leatherbacks are the world's largest reptile, growing to over 2 meters in length (7 feet or more) and weighing up to 600 kilos.  (See in the Wildlife Guide: Sea turtles)

Leatherback Sea Turtle on Playa Grande

These gentle giants of the oceans are on the brink of extinction. Egg poaching and encroaching development threatens their nesting spots, but the major culprit for their rapid decline are commercial shrimping vessels and long-line fishing boats in whose nets the turtles drown. Therefore, the larger portion of the national park isn't terrestrial: 22,000 hectares of the ocean in front of Playa Grande belong to Las Baulas National Park.

Most turtles nest on Playa Grande from Oct to Feb and at night visitors are only allowed on the beach with a guide.

Don't take it for granted however to see a leatherback on a turtle tour - in 2006 only 58 leatherbacks came to nest on Playa Grande - the lowest figure since record keeping began.