Costa Rica
Tamarindo
Sunset surf sessions where pelicans dive-bomb the lineup and howler monkeys heckle from shore.
The wave peels toward the estuary mouth, a pelican folds and hits the shallows beside you, and from the treeline a howler starts its guttural evening broadcast. Guanacaste runs hot, dry and salt-crusted, and Tamarindo is its most unapologetically social beach town.
Tamarindo curves along golden sand at the mouth of a mangrove-lined estuary where crocodiles bask within sight of sunbathers. A fishing village that grew into one of Costa Rica's established surf centres, it scales from beginner whitewash to the reef break off Playa Langosta, and its main strip of surf racks, open-air kitchens and bars mixing guaro with maracuyá runs late and loud by Costa Rican standards. Behind the coast, Guanacaste is cowboy country — working cattle ranches, dry tropical forest and kitchens built on hand-patted tortillas and fresh cheese.
Couple
Playa Langosta's quieter sand sits minutes from the main strip — sunset surf, then dinner with your feet near the tide line.
Family
Warm shallow water and patient instruction make first waves easy, and estuary boats show children crocodiles from a safe deck.
Friends
Surf mornings, estuary boat afternoons and a bar strip that runs late — the group fans out by energy level and reconvenes at sunset.
- Tamarindo's waves scale from first-lesson whitewash to the reef break off Playa Langosta.
- The estuary behind the beach is mangrove wilderness — boat tours drift past basking crocodiles and howler troops.
- Guanacaste's sabanero culture is next door: working ranches, rodeo fiestas and wood-oven corn kitchens.
- Stay out of the river mouth — the estuary is crocodile habitat, and the locals treat it that way.
Rosquillas — crisp corn-and-cheese rings from Guanacaste's wood ovens, eaten warm with black coffee.
A guaro sour shaken with maracuyá — the national cane spirit at its beach-bar best.
La Maddalena Archipelago
Italy
Pink granite islands in water so transparent boats appear to hover above the sandy seabed.
Santa Maria
Cape Verde
Kites carve the trade wind; the morning catch sells straight off the wooden pier.
Lefkada
Greece
White cliffs plunge into water so absurdly turquoise it looks digitally altered from every angle.
German Channel
Palau
A reef passage dynamited by German colonists for phosphate cargo, now a manta ray highway.
Arenal & La Fortuna
Costa Rica
Hot springs steaming through jungle beneath a volcano's perfect cone at dusk.
Sarapiquí
Costa Rica
Poison dart frogs glow neon on the forest floor while rapids thunder through lowland jungle.
Punta Islita
Costa Rica
Every surface in this village became a canvas — walls, fences, even the trees.
Drake Bay
Costa Rica
Scarlet macaws wheel over a rainforest bay where the day's traffic is boat wakes.