TAMARINDO COSTA RICA ❥

Initially, Kate and I had planned to spend the last few days of our trip in Puerto Viejo, but after talking to many travellers and locals it was not the best place to go if you’re interested in surfing (in summer months). We made the final decision to follow our amigos Shawna and Demtri to Tamarindo!

Since we travelled in late August, every blog we read and travel agents we spoke to informed us that Tamarindo was in their rainy season and that the best place for that time of year was the Caribbean Cost. I could not disagree more! The weather in Tamarindo was sunny and around thirty degrees Celsius everyday, with only one of the five days having an afternoon rain shower.

Our first day, Kate, Shawna, and I took a surf lesson with Kelly's Surf Shop. Our instructor was fabulous. I got up on my board on the first wave, which was such a successful feeling. I now have the constant urge to move somewhere tropical where I can practice everyday. After Surfing for two hours I only fell once, but while heading back out into the ocean I did manage to swallow roughly three gallons of salt water. I had the time of my life surfing, but the waves are really powerful and did beat us up quite a lot. Even though we wore rash guards, our legs were really scratched up and my rib and hipbones were tender for a few days after.

That night at Pura Vida Hostel our friends made us punch and we all chipped in to made some cocktails. The one I made turned out tasting like a fruit roll-up, yum! Demtri made us a wonderful dinner; he prepared tilapia topped with avocado, cilantro, and lime served with rice. I miss his cooking so much!! Demtri can take such simple ingredients and turn them into a beautiful meal. We had a huge group at the hostel that night and we all went out to a bar called Sharky's followed by a dance bar near the beach called Pacifico.

The next day we went to the beach early in the morning and played volleyball. We then rented a surf board from Kelly's and tried to practice a little more...didn't work out so well since we were so sore from the day before but we gave it a few tries regardless. In the afternoon Dan and I jumped on the crossing boat near Tamarindo beach and went over to Las Baulas National park for a look around. We found great seashells, but then forgot them on the beach!!

When you are sitting on Tamrindo beach and you look behind you there is a mountainside with different villas and hotels. We were told that there are tons of howler monkeys at the top, so Dan and I walked all the way up there. We saw ten howler moneys all playing and eating in the tree directly above us. An entire monkey family including a little baby, it was the cutest thing I’d ever seen!!

That evening Dan and I went for pizza at the Italian restaurant near Pura Vida Hostel, pizza is very popular in Tamarindo. We then join the rest of our friends who had a fire on the beach. We all laid out blankets, relaxed by the fire, had a few drinks, and shared stories.

The following morning, Kate, Dan, and I booked a tour to take a boat ride through Las Baulas National Park. We started the tour at seven in the morning because that was the best time to see crocodiles. We seen a baby crocodile, which was literally eight inches long, so tiny! Then we saw full-grown crocodiles, ranging from one to two meters in length. Finally, we saw more howler monkeys and the baby one peed on my arm, watch out for that!!

#backpacking #costarica #travel