SurfFrom $56Surf Lessons in Tamarindo, Costa Rica
★★★★★
4.9 (2,698)Tamarindo · Guanacaste · Costa Rica
Surf by morning.
Sail into the sunset.
Tamarindo packs 500+ bookable tours into one beach town — surf lessons, catamarans, volcano day trips, and the drivers to get you there. We sorted them so you don't have to.
- 500+ tours with live prices
- Ratings from verified Viator travelers
- Free cancellation on most tours
- No markup — book direct with operators
Pick your day
Find your kind of day
Water, dirt, jungle, or a seat with a drink holder — every category below has real, bookable tours behind it.
Traveler favorites
Booked again and again
The highest-rated tours in the area, weighted by how many travelers actually reviewed them — not by who paid for placement.
Shortcuts
Skip the research spiral
The inland day
Save one day for the volcano
The beach is why you came, but the day most people talk about afterward happens inland. Rincón de la Vieja — an active volcano roughly two hours from Tamarindo — packs waterfalls, hot springs, mud baths, and canyon ziplines into one long, excellent day.
Further out, Río Celeste's turquoise water is worth the extra drive, and Palo Verde's riverboats put monkeys and crocodiles in front of you with almost no effort. Most tours handle pickup in town, so your rental car can stay imaginary.
Beyond town
Know the coastline
Nine beaches within an hour of Tamarindo, each with its own personality — and most tours pick up at all of them.
Trip guides
Plan it like you've been here before
Good to know
Straight answers
What should I book before arriving in Tamarindo?
Sunset catamarans and the big day trips (Rincón de la Vieja, Río Celeste) are the first to fill in high season — book those a week or two out, along with your airport transfer. Surf lessons, ATV rides, and estuary tours usually have day-of or next-day availability, so leave room to decide in town.
When is the best time to visit?
Dry season (roughly December–April) brings reliable sun and calm seas, and it's also peak crowds and prices. Green season (May–November) means afternoon rain, greener hills, fuller waterfalls, and better value — mornings usually stay clear enough for tours. Surf runs year-round.
Do I need a rental car in Tamarindo?
Most visitors don't. The town is walkable, nearly every tour includes pickup or departs in town, and private drivers cover beach-hopping and airport runs. A car earns its keep mainly if you plan several independent day trips or a stay outside town.
Are Tamarindo tours family-friendly?
A lot of them, yes — estuary boat safaris, catamaran sails, ziplining, horseback rides, and beginner surf lessons all work well with kids. Check each listing's minimum ages: ATV driving and white-water rafting usually have real limits.
How does booking through this site work?
We're an independent guide: browse and compare here, then complete your booking on Viator, a TripAdvisor company, with their traveler protections and (on most tours) free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead. We may earn a commission on bookings made through our links — the price you pay is the same either way.
Can I see nesting sea turtles?
Playa Grande, across the estuary, is a protected leatherback nesting beach with ranger-led night tours in season — roughly October to March. Tours are tightly regulated and sightings are never guaranteed; any operator who promises one is overselling.
Sunset's around six. Book the boat.
500+ tours, filtered and sorted by people who actually took them.