Tamarindo Estuary (crocodile spotting)

Tip

Walk to the north end of Tamarindo beach around low tide and scan the sandbars with binoculars; a guided boat or kayak trip takes you deeper into the mangroves.

Be careful

Crocodiles live here: keep well back from the water's edge, never swim, wade or cross the channel on foot, and keep kids and dogs close. Never feed them.

Places nearby

• Tamarindo Estuary Tours (Mi Rey)Parks & WildlifeLocal outfit running covered boat tours, kayak rentals and horseback rides through the Tamarindo estuary mangroves - crocodiles, howler monkeys, birds, raccoons and bats.
• Maryola Tours - Tamarindo Estuary Boat SafariParks & WildlifeSmall operator for a roughly two-hour boat safari in the Tamarindo estuary with an English-speaking guide - migratory birds, howler monkeys and crocodiles - plus fishing trips.
• Pangas Beach Club TamarindoFood & CoffeeOpen-air beach restaurant where the Tamarindo estuary meets the ocean, with seating on the sand under big trees and good sunsets.
• Soda Buffet El EsteroSodas & Local FoodSmall family soda a few blocks from the beach where you build your own casado from a daily buffet, with a 4.9 Google rating.
• Nacho ToursTours & AdventureLocal tour and transfer company in Tamarindo with a perfect 5.0 on Google that sells the main Guanacaste day trips, from the Rincón de la Vieja volcano to Rio Celeste.
• Iguana Surf Camp & Surf ShopSurf, Boats & DivingTamarindo's long-running surf shop and school (open since 1989) in front of the beginner break, now with a surf camp.