Filed Under: Surfing
Playa Grande lies just north of the Rio Matapalo esturary and within sight of Tamarindo. Playa Grande as its name suggests is a very long and wide beach. The surf here is mostly beach break and relatively free of any hazards except occasionally strong rip currents south near the river mouth. It lies within the Parque Nacional Marino Las Baulas de Guanacaste. Other than fine surfing, this beach is also the country's most important nesting area for the very large leatherback turtles.
The surf, like that of Playa Tamarindo is fairly consistent and offers a much more peaceful setting than the busy Tamarindo surf spot. There is some lodging within the park, but most people access Playa Grande from Tamarindo. It is about 15-18km by car or just 1km along the beach. If you travel along the beach you'll have to cross the esturary. This can be much easier during low tide, but still requires you to paddle your board across the river - which are said to have crocodiles and/or caimans.
At night you can take guided tours of the beach and watch the huge leatherback turtles come ashore and lay eggs. Most hotels in the area will help you arrange to get a turtle watching tour.
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