Tamarindo, a lively surfing beach town on Costa Rica’s North Pacific coast, is one of the most popular destinations for families. Thanks to its nearly year-round sunny weather, excellent restaurants and beautiful beaches, there are a plethora of fun things to do in Tamarindo with kids.
In this post, you will learn about the best things to do in Tamarindo with kids. We’ll include the minimum age requirements for each activity, so you can easily plan which adventures the whole family can enjoy together.
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What to Know About Tamarindo
- In the Guanacaste province
- About a 1 drive and 15 minute drive from Guanacaste Airport, 4.5 hours from San Jose International Airport.
- Popular surfing beach town
- Has its own local airport, 5 minutes outside town
- 4×4 not required to get to Tamarindo
- Best things to do: surfing, sunsets, walks on the beach, happy hour, partying, shopping, fishing
- Day time temperatures range from 80° – 95° F throughout the year (26° – 35° C). Rainiest month is October. Hottest month is March, April also has high temperatures, average day time can go up to 38º C or 100° F. Driest months are February and March. Read more about Costa Rica weather here.
Do You Need a Car in Tamarindo?
It depends. Are you only visiting Tamarindo and nowhere else in Costa Rica? If you are visiting other destinations, where are you going? How many kids and how old are the kids? How many days will you be in Costa Rica?
These will help you decide whether or not you need to rent a car in Costa Rica for those visiting Tamarindo. Already know you want to rent a car? Get our Costa Rica car rental discount here (along with extra freebies like free booster and baby seats, free cooler, free additional drivers and more).
Short trip (1 week or less) using Tamarindo as a home base
Since you will be staying in Tamarindo the whole time, you do not necessarily have to rent a car. You can book a private shuttle from the airport to your hotel in Tamarindo.
Then for excursions, you can book day trips with round trip transportation included to see the rainforest, go ziplining, hiking, etc. To get around town, you can rent a golf cart, walk or rent bikes.
Parents won’t have to worry about driving, parking or finding directions. They can just relax, enjoy the beach and do a couple of excursions here and there for an easy vacation.
Find out how to spend 5 days in Tamarindo to help you plan your trip (1 week total with 2 travel days and 5 full days in Tamarindo).
Longer trip (1 week+) visiting two or more destinations
Highly recommend to rent a car. This gives you more freedom and choices for different hotels and Airbnbs, to go at your own pace and do more self guided excursions.
If the places in your itinerary are not main destinations, or if your hotel is not right in town, renting a car is the best option. For the families that like to go out, explore and do things on their own, it will be better to have their own wheels.
However, if you do not want to drive, your destinations are main tourist destinations and your hotel is centrally located in town, then you do not necessarily need to rent a car. You can book private shuttles and excursions that include round trip transportation.
Check out our 2 week Costa Rica itinerary that includes Tamarindo, Bijagua and Monteverde.
Plan to visit Tamarindo and La Fortuna? Check out our post “things to do in La Fortuna with kids” to help you plan your days there.
Long trip using Tamarindo as your home base
If you’re planning a longer stay in Tamarindo with your family, you should rent a car. However, you don’t necessarily need one the entire time. If you know you just want to hang out at the beach for a few days, you can get a rental car later during your trip.
You can book a private shuttle to Tamarindo and then rent a car for when you want to. There are several rental car agencies in town such as Alamo. Our partners Adobe Rent a Car can deliver and collect your car at your hotel for free.
If you decide to rent a car, you can get our Costa Rica car rental discount here!
Shuttles
If you decide not to rent a car, then the next best option to get around Costa Rica is a private shuttle.
We don’t highly recommend the public bus or shared shuttles for families, especially if you have babies, infants and seniors or if you are only in Costa Rica for a short period of time. If you would like to book shuttles, feel free to contact us to assist you!
Read more about Costa Rica shuttles in the link.
Things to Do in Tamarindo with Kids
Here is our list of things to do in Tamarindo with kids and recommended day trips.
Surfing
Tamarindo’s gain to fame is for its constant surfing waves, perfect for beginners. Paired with soft sand, long shore and epic sunsets, many families choose Tamarindo to take their kids surfing, or try it for the first time together as a family.
If your family has never surfed before, we highly recommend a private lesson (Alvaro is an awesome instructor) so you can have all the attention. Lessons are around 2 hours with surfboard rental and rash guard included.
Kids as young as 3 years can take a surf lesson as long as they’re comfortable in the water. If they don’t have water/swimming experience, kids normally must be at least 5 years old.
Tamarindo has several different surf breaks so if your family has surfing experience, you can rent boards and go out together.
If you do not have any surfing experience, please don’t try to go on your own. It can be dangerous if you don’t know what you’re doing because there are usually a bunch of lessons going on at the same time and it can be very crowded.
Estuary Boat Tour
Tamarindo Bay is actually part of the Marino Los Baulas National Park, which was created specifically to protect the nearby mangroves and the Leatherback sea turtles that nest on Playa Grande, Playa Langosta and Playa Ventanas.
Crocodiles, herons and monkeys are the most common animals in the mangroves and visitors can take a 2 hour safari boat ride to see them.
Approximate cost is $50 USD per person. Boats are covered, motorized river boats and is around 1-1.5 hours long.
If you want to do a river boat cruise and want to see more animals, the better option is Palo Verde National Park. There are a lot more birds and more wildlife in that national park, as it protects the precious Tempisque Valley and River. 1.5 hour drive. Click the link above to request a tour!
ATV Tour
For families that like adventure, book an ATV tour! You can do a short one to ride around Tamarindo and Langosta or venture further out on longer tours to see different beaches and ride up to several view points.
Teenagers who are at least 16 years old with a drivers license can drive their own ATV. Kids younger than 16 must ride with an adult as a passenger.
Sunset Sailing
Setting sail through Tamarindo Bay and watching an epic sunset with the family is one of the best things to do in Tamarindo with kids.
There are many catamaran tours that depart in the afternoon to sail through the bay, stop at a calm spot to swim and snorkel, have lunch and then sail back under an incredible sunset sky.
The shared catamaran tours are great for families who are looking to be with other people, enjoy a few hours on a boat and swim a little. Included are drinks, light lunch, boat captain, snorkel equipment, paddle boards and kayaks.
They depart right from Tamarindo beach, which is very convenient. You will have to get on a small boat first, which will bring you to the large catamaran.
We’ve done the Blue Dolphin sunset sail before and it was a nice family friendly atmosphere on a smaller catamaran.
Private Boat Tour for Snorkeling and Fishing
In case your family prefers to have a more intimate experience, then we highly recommend a private boating tour instead. A private tour is awesome if your family is really into snorkeling or fishing, and want to do more than what a shared catamaran tour can offer.
We did a private snorkel tour from Flamingo and also a private boating tour in Playas del Coco. Both are fantastic for a more exclusive experience out on the water. You’ll have the boat for just your family, all the attention from the boat staff and get to do more of what you want to do.
If you are interested in just fishing, there are many private fishing charters based in Tamarindo for half or full day, inshore or off shore fishing.
Flamingo is 30 minutes from Tamarindo, Coco is 1.5 hours from Tamarindo.
Playa Grande by Boat
If you want to visit Playa Grande and don’t have a car, a fun way to get there is by water taxi. The same guys who drive the boats for the mangrove tours can bring you across the estuary from Tamarindo to Playa Grande for around $3-5 USD a person.
Then when you get to the other side, you can walk to Playa Grande and visit the beach. There is a hotel very close to where they drop you off called The Grateful Hotel, and it has a restaurant open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
This will be a better idea for families with older kids. If your family is younger with babies, infants or toddlers, it will be better to visit Playa Grande with a car so you can easily bring all your baby equipment.
Do NOT walk in the estuary. There are crocodiles so please do not walk across, swim or jump into the estuary.
Day Trips from Tamarindo
Here are some recommended day trips from Tamarindo for families. These all require at least 1+ hour of driving time.
Diamante Eco Adventure Park
For a full day of fun, head to Diamante Eco Adventure Park.
This park has a little of everything for everyone with a ziplining tour with an ocean view Superman cable, animal sanctuary, cultural house, ATV tours, horseback riding tours, beach, jungle gym and restaurant with a buffet lunch.
It’s a fantastic place for families with an organized operation, clean facilities, friendly staff, fun guides, yummy lunch, beautiful view and activities suitable for all ages.
If you are traveling with multiple families or multi-generational families, it is easy to split the group up. Little kids and infants can go with parents down to the animal sanctuary while the older kids and other adults go ziplining.
Then if you have any seniors in the family who just want to chill, they can hang out in the welcome center that has an ocean view, WiFi and juice, water and coffee.
It is about an hour drive from Tamarindo. Want to go? Get our 10% Diamante discount for any activity in the link!
If families want to stay closer to Tamarindo, check out Black Stallion. It is just a 15 minute drive from Tamarindo and have ziplining, horseback riding and ATV tours. The park also offers gourmet dinner BBQs.
Rincon de la Vieja Adventure Combo Tours
For a one day excursion, visit the Rincon de la Vieja volcano area to embark on a full day adventure!
Rincon de la Vieja is an active volcano about 1.5 hours from Tamarindo and there are several private lodges and adventure parks in the vicinity that offer day passes for fun, adventure and relaxation. These adventure parks are not in the actual national park, which only has hiking trails.
Hacienda Guachipelin: In addition to cabins, this property offers a ziplining tour, horseback riding, white water tubing, hot springs and mud baths. Their one day pass includes all those activities including a buffet lunch. They also offer a nature pass that goes to their blue pools, waterfalls and hot springs. 2 hour drive one way.
Buena Vista: This lodge has rooms and their property offers ziplining, horseback riding, a waterslide, mud baths, waterfall, a cultural tour, hanging bridge and hot springs. 2.5 hours drive one way.
Vandara: This adventure park has ziplining, hot springs, water slide, horseback riding and lunch. 2 hour and 15 minute drive one way.
Best for older kids as the minimum age for the zipline is usually 5. White water tubing at Guachipelin requires kids to be at least 8 years of age.
Rincon de la Vieja National Park
If you are more of a hiking family, the Rincon de la Vieja National Park is an excellent place for the parents and kids hit their step goal.
There are two sectors: Las Pailas and Santa Maria. Las Pailas is more popular and has two main trails.
One is a ~2 km loop (1.2 miles) to see volcanic boiling mud pots. The other is a 6-7 kilometer (3.7-4.3 mile) loop to a beautiful waterfall.
The drive from Tamarindo to Rincon de la Vieja National Park Las Pailas sector is around 2 hours one way. You must purchase national park tickets on the SINAC website beforehand.
La Leona Waterfall Hike
The La Leona waterfall hike is one of the best things to do in Tamarindo with kids for the active family. La Leona’s one of the coolest waterfall in Guanacaste, as it requires swimming through a bright blue river to get to the waterfall cave!
The hike requires guests to be in good shape and to have an adventurous spirit. You’ll be crossing rivers, swimming in caves, climbing up rocks and hiking through the tropical dry forest.
All visitors must make reservations to go with a guide. Kids should be at least 8 years old, active and comfortable in the water.
If you have your own rental car, you can make reservations directly with the waterfall park. If you require transportation, feel free to contact us to help you book your tour.
For tours, the pick up time is usually around 7 AM, return around 2 PM with lunch included.
If you have seniors with limited mobility or those who do not want to do the hike, they can hang out at the blue pools while the rest of the family goes on the hike.
Rio Celeste – Tenorio Volcano National Park
If your family wants to add another hike or are looking for one breathtaking rainforest hike, visit Tenorio Volcano National Park to hike Rio Celeste.
Rio Celeste is a sky blue river and the color is 100% natural! Visitors can walk to the Rio Celeste Waterfall and along the rest of the trail to see the river.
To do the entire ~7 km (4.34 mile) hike in the national park, we recommend only for the older kids. If you have little ones, we recommend a baby carrier for the entire trail. No strollers allowed.
Or you can go to just the waterfall which is around 3.5 km (~2 miles).
You must purchase park tickets on the SINAC website – they do not sell park tickets at the door. If you do the entire national park, estimate to take around 3 hours.
Bijagua Rainforest Tour (Hanging Bridges + Sloths)
If you want to see the “jungle” or rainforest or sloths, you won’t find that in Tamarindo, as that is tropical dry forest.
To see the rainforest, you’ll need to drive inland. Sloths do not live in tropical dry forest, so you will also need to go inland. The closest place is a town called Bijagua, near the Tenorio Volcano National Park.
A great day trip to see the rainforest and sloths from Tamarindo is to visit a private reserve in Bijagua that has 3 hanging bridges through the rainforest and then a second private reserve with easy trails to see sloths.
Walking distance is about 4 kilometers total (2.5 miles). The hanging bridges walk is around 3 km (1.8 miles) and sloth walk is around 1 km (.62 miles).
This is a fantastic day trip from Tamarindo for families with kids who want to see the rainforest and wildlife. Recommended for kids at least 5 years of age.
The drive from Tamarindo to Bijagua is approximately 2.5 hours. If you have your own rental car, you can contact the reserves to make reservations for a guided walk. If you do not have your own rental car, you can book a tour with round trip transportation included.
Read more about this rainforest tour and request to book in the link!
Want to see Rio Celeste and sloths? You can skip the hanging bridges to hike the Rio Celeste Waterfall first in the morning, then go to a private reserve in Bijagua for a short walk to see sloths and birds. Due to time constraints, it is not possible to do the hanging bridges, Rio Celeste and the sloth walk in one day.
Recommended Hotels for Families
Although Airbnbs and vacation rentals are more popular for families in Tamarindo, here are some hotel options.
Tamarindo Diria: The really only beach front resort in Tamarindo. This upscale hotel has three sections: adult only, beach front and family. The family pool section has a huge pool and kids club. Hot buffet breakfast included in the rate. Central location in town. Rooms can hold up to 4 people max.
Hotel Arco Iris: Centrally located right in town so close to shops, restaurants and stores. About 10 minute walk to the beach. They have deluxe rooms with two king beds for up to 4 people. Has a pool.
Hotel Pasatiempo: They are centrally located in town and have villas and quad rooms for up to 4 people. The villa has a fully equipped kitchen. Has a pool.
Ten North Tamarindo Beach Hotel: 2 minute walk to the beach. Has a pool and a variety of rooms that hold up to 5 adults, including apartments with a furnished kitchenette.
Sample Tamarindo Itineraries
We have written several sample itineraries that include Tamarindo that range from 5 days, 1 week to two weeks. You can use these as a jumping point and tweak them to your needs.
Costa Rica Two Weeks: Tamarindo, Monteverde, Bijagua and Rincon de la Vieja
MUST BRING: sunscreen, mosquito repellent, swimming goggles for the kids, swim/sun shirt, hat, dry fast/moisture wicking clothes, water shoes or sturdy walking/tennis shoes. Get our FULL Costa Rica packing list and our FREE packing check list in the link.
Costa Rica Vacation Checklist
- First time to Costa Rica? Read our First Time in Costa Rica guide.
- Not sure how to move around Costa Rica? Read our How to Get Around Costa Rica guide to find the best transportation method for you.
- Click the link to get our detailed Costa Rica Packing List so you know what essential items to bring.
- Do not forget to purchase Travel Insurance for your trip to Costa Rica.
- Stay connected by purchasing a prepaid SIM Card in Costa Rica.
- Save money with Mytanfeet Deals for tours and hotels. Save more money with our Costa Rica Car Rental Discount.
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