Place Archive

Tamarindo

Tamarindo is a Pacific coast town in Guanacaste province, on the northwestern shore of Costa Rica’s Nicoya Peninsula. The shoreline at Punta San Francisco, just south of the main beach, is defined by intertidal rock formations and low-lying coastal scrub shaped by salt exposure and erosion. Mangrove habitat along the tidal margins supports shorebird populations that rest among the exposed roots at the water’s edge. The Coast Hotel operates near the beach, one of several small properties catering to the accommodation trade that has grown alongside the town’s surf and tourism economy.

7 photos

Lighthouse at Punta San Francisco Beach, Costa Rica, illuminated at night with distant lights and mountains in the background. — Punta San Francisco Beach near Tamarindo, Costa Rica, is shown at night with a small lighthouse or navigational light on the rocky point offshore. Low lights along the coast and a ship at sea are visible beyond the shoreline, with mountains forming the background. Rippled sand and exposed rocks fill the foreground at low tide.

Rocky shoreline and tidal pools at low tide in Gujarat, India. — Rocky tidal pools and exposed shoreline at Punta San Francisco Beach near Tamarindo, Costa Rica, are visible at low tide. Shallow water surrounds the rock formations in the intertidal zone, with open water and a distant headland beyond.

The Coast Hotel sign on a black metal fence in Tamarindo, Costa Rica, listing amenities. — The Coast Hotel in Tamarindo, Costa Rica, is identified by a turquoise sign mounted on a black metal fence along a sandy path near the property entrance. The sign advertises beachfront access, kitchens, a pool, and WiFi at the hotel in Guanacaste province.

Rocky tide pools at Tamarindo Beach, Costa Rica, during low tide with calm Pacific waters and a soft sky. — Rocky tide pools at Tamarindo Beach in Costa Rica are exposed at low tide along the Pacific coast. The shallow pools and dark volcanic rock stretch toward the shoreline, with Punta San Francisco visible in the distance.

Shorebirds rest on a mangrove branch in Tamarindo, Costa Rica, with the ocean and coastal vegetation in the background. — Shorebirds rest on mangrove branches and rocks in the tidal shallows at Tamarindo, Costa Rica. The birds are gathered among exposed roots and driftwood at the edge of a coastal mangrove area near the beach.

A woman walks on the rocky shore of Punta San Francisco Beach in Costa Rica at dusk, with the Pacific Ocean waves visible. — A woman walks along the rocky shoreline at Punta San Francisco Beach in Costa Rica. The Pacific Ocean stretches across the background, with a low cliff face on the left and distant headlands along the horizon.

Gnarled trees with exposed roots are on the sandy shore of Punta San Francisco Beach in Costa Rica. — Wind-shaped coastal trees grow across the sandy edge of Punta San Francisco Beach in Costa Rica. Exposed roots and twisted trunks spread over low rock outcrops and sand, where erosion and salt exposure have left the vegetation close to the ground. Fallen leaves and scattered drift material collect around the base of the trees at the transition to coastal scrub.

Minneapolis Photographer