- Avellanas beachSand, a wave, and forest behind, with no shop strip. Do not assume it is a swim. Watch a set before you get in. Noon shade is almost gone.
- Avellanas surfIt is cleaner early. Learners stay inside. The outside is not a first lesson. The afternoon breeze chops it, so do not wait on the wind.
- Playa NegraThe next break south is a rockier point, and heavier. Give it the morning. It is not a twenty minute look, and it is not the lesson wave here.
- The estuaryBehind the beach: birds and still water, not another swim. Get out of the car. Walk the edge in the morning, when the birds are actually out.
- TamarindoNorth is groceries and a night out. The road is slower than it looks. Sleep on this quieter beach. Go to town only when you need town.
- Dawn walkEmpty sand before the heat, and before the tide fills the rocky pockets. Go while the sand is still cool. The beach is yours for that hour.
- Howler monkeysThey call from the trees behind the sand at first light. Stop, and look up. By noon they have gone quiet. Do not save this for the afternoon.
- Tide poolsPools sit in the end rocks, and only at low tide. If the water is up, there is nothing to see. The footing is wet. Do not turn your back on a set.
- Sunset at AvellanasThe beach faces west, and there is no town crowd. Arrive while the sand is open. If the breeze is up, you will want a layer after the sun drops.
- Playa GrandeNorth of Tamarindo is the leatherback beach, a longer trip than the south point. It is a different wave. Go for the long sand, in the morning.
For breaks and seasons, see best surf spots in Costa Rica.
The landscape is an open surf beach and dry forest behind the sand. You are likely to see howler monkeys, pelicans and shore birds. The plants around them are tropical dry forest, coconut and beach almond.
Around Playa Avellanas, look for howlers in the first hour of light. Later they are harder to find.
The forest behind Avellanas is what keeps the beach from becoming a strip of buildings.
In Playa Avellanas, stay on the paths through the trees, and do not drive on the sand.
The climate is tropical dry. It is hot, about 28–33°C. Little rain falls from December to April. Afternoon showers fall from May to November. Playa Avellanas sits at sea level.
In the greener months the morning is still usable, and the rain tends to wait until afternoon. The countrywide calendar is in the best time to visit Costa Rica.
The nearest airport is Daniel Oduber in Liberia. From there the road runs through Tamarindo and then south on a slower track to the beach.
Do not start the last part late. It is slower than it looks. Buses, shuttles, and rental cars are compared in getting around Costa Rica
