Kai MacMahon had lost himself to the urban life in NYC, taking up running but putting down the surfboard. That is, until recently when he bit the bullet and flew himself to Costa Rica to drive, sleep and surf wherever he damn well pleased. All this week, Kai will share his experiences on the beaches and the breaks, and how he made it happen.
Touching down at Liberia Airport in northern Costa Rica was somewhat of an adventure in itself. The terminal itself is modest (OK, it’s a shack), and although there’s a shiny new terminal built and waiting to open, when I arrived they were still waiting for the paperwork to be complete [Ed note: the new terminal finally opens this Thursday!].
Within 30 minutes or so I’d gone through immigration (and some sort of weird security check where they scanned my bags as they came in to the country…why would they do that?), and was on the way to pick up my rental car. A word on this: driving in Costa Rica is not for the faint of heart. It’s not that drivers here are bad; certainly they’re no worse than you find in New York City. It’s just that the roads are—how to put it—somewhat unpredictable. You have to assume that there’s a horse in the road around every corner, because in many cases, there is in fact a horse in the road just around the corner.
The roads themselves are actually much improved in recent years (some of them even have asphalt!), but they are mostly bumpy, littered with pot holes, and in some cases no more than dirt/dust tracks. In the rainy season of May through mid-November, they are even more unpredictable. If you do choose to drive, do so carefully, and remember that you're in a developing country, even as quickly developing as Costa Rica is. Also, keep an eye out for hazards in the road, equine or otherwise.
With a little planning it’s perfectly easy to get around without a car: most hotels will arrange shuttles and taxis are plentiful and inexpensive. I rented a SUV because I planned on travelling around a good deal, but it’s by no means a necessity. If you do the same, I would advise against driving at night if at all possible (horses in the road are particularly hard to see at night), and you absolutely have to get the full rental insurance. Do you really want to be dealing with your credit card coverage when you’re on vacation in Central America? Pay the few bucks extra each day that entitles you to peace of mind.
Once I secured my sweet, sweet ride (I didn’t even know that Daihatsu made cars, did you?), I set off to what most people consider to be the surf capital of Costa Rica, the town of Tamarindo, about an hour’s drive southwest from the airport. Sure, there are bigger surf towns like Jaco, to the South, and there are definitely better known surf spots, like the world famous Witches Rock, but Tamarindo really remains the beating heart of the surf scene in this country.
This town is the perfect spot for kicking off a surf trip, especially if you’re new to the area. It’s been featured in movies (ex:Endless Summer 2), has great facilities and amenities, and most importantly there’s a fantastic beach break steps away from the main road.
Another important consideration, particularly for couples or families, is that there’s lots to do here other than surf. There’s yoga everywhere, daily tours and much more. For my sake, however, I'm using Tamarindo as the perfect place for me to get on my board for the first time in five years. Gulp.
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