Playa Negra is one of the world’s greatest beaches. Located in the Guanacaste Province of Costa Rico, this beach is known for its great surfing. This beach was popularized in the movie Endless Summer, and has become quite popular with tourists.
With its black sands, this beach is enjoyable to relax at and watch the surfers. For the surfers, this beach has wave forms challenge beginners to advanced surfers. Playa Negra has a rock reef bottom that produces natural right-hand barrels. The beach has a definite channel that makes it easy for surfers to get out to the larger waves. The beach has a strong current that takes surfers through the the swells back to the beach.
With its location at the center of North and South America, this beach receives swells in both directions. While not as common as the right-hand barrels, under the proper conditions, surfers may also experience left-hand barrels as well. The beach has come areas that have low swells that are perfect for beginners. Surfing schools abound on the beach, and one surfing club also has camping and overnight accommodations for those using the beach.
From Playa Negra, there is also great snorkeling to see the reefs and sea life of the Costa Rica area. Hiring a boat to out to sea, the area is renowned for its deep sea fishing of marlin, sailfish and giant tuna. Shoreline fishing for nook and jack is also quite popular, and there are a number of schools that will teach the basics of fishing.
Horseback riding is available along the beaches with guided tours. Water skiing, jet skiing, kayaking, and wind surfing are also available at Playa Negra. Any needed equipment can be rented from the retail stalls at the beach.
Playa Negra is next to the town of Tamarindo. This is a small town, but it has several hotels and resorts near the beach. Tamarindo makes a great jumping off point to see the rest of the wonders of this area.
Here are the departure points to tour the local volcanoes, rain forests, turtle breeding grounds and the National Park. Tamarindo has plenty of dining; consider Longboards BBQ and Le Petite Cafe. For the eventing, consider the Monkey Bar, Aqua or Pacifio Bar.
To reach Playa Negra, it is best to fly directly to the international airport at Liberia (a city in Costa Rica) and take a taxi to Tamarindo. The city is small enough that you can walk to many locations, or use a local taxi. Temperature is reasonable the year around. The issue with weather in Costa Rica is rainfall. This country receives over 200 inches of rain in some of its mountains each year. The dry season runs from December to April each year. The wet season is indeed wet; if visiting during this time don’t stray to far from cover.
