• Tambor bayThe bay is where Tambor swims: calm water, without the break out at the cape. Bring your own shade. At noon there are no trees over the sand.
  • Curú Wildlife RefugeThe refuge is private forest beside the bay. You see monkeys and deer if you enter when it opens. Hours are whatever they tell you that day.
  • Tortuga IslandBoats leave in the morning. The snorkel is at the island, and there is no shop when you land. If you reach the dock late, the boat is gone.
  • Tambor beachThe town shore, in front of the houses, is smaller than the whole bay. It is a short swim, and where you watch boats leave. Carry shade for noon.
  • Bahía BallenaThis is the wider bend, still bay water, more open than the inner shore. You swim here. You do not surf. Afternoon breeze can add a chop.
  • Howler monkey trailsWalk the forest edge before breakfast if you want the calling. They go quiet once the day heats up. The swim can wait until you have heard them.
  • Snorkeling at TortugaClear water is off the island, from the morning boat, not off the town sand. If the breeze is already up at landing, expect the water to be milky.
  • Tambor sunsetThe bay gives a wide, calm drop. Come early enough to sit on the town sand, and carry a light. The town dock is a working pier, not the best seat.
  • Montezuma day tripThe coastal road south is slow, and the waterfalls are the reason to go, not another bay swim. You want that drive back while the light holds.
  • Fishing boatsBeach boats leave in the morning, before the breeze fills the bay. Ask the evening before. You can watch the launch and still swim after.

The landscape is wide bay, calm beach, and forested hills. You are likely to see howler monkeys, white-faced capuchins, deer at Curú, pelicans and reef fish at Tortuga Island. The plants around them are dry-to-moist forest, mangrove and coconut palm.

Around Playa Tambor, howlers are in the hills behind the bay at first light. Deer at Curú are a morning when the refuge opens. Reef fish are at Tortuga Island, not from the town shore.

Curú Wildlife Refuge, a long-running private refuge, and the biological reserve around Tortuga Island.

In Playa Tambor, stay on the trail and do not feed what you came to see. That is the rule that keeps this place the way it is.

The climate is tropical, milder surf and a bit drier than the central Pacific. It is hot. It is drier from December to April. Tambor 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.

Most people start at Juan Santamaría in Alajuela and continue by car. From the Central Valley, add time for the mountain roads.

The drive is simple until the last kilometers. Arrive in daylight if you do not know the road. Buses, shuttles, and rental cars are compared in getting around Costa Rica.