Playa Avellanas
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Surf Spot: Playa Avellanas
Break Type: Beach break and reef break
Difficulty Level: All surfers
Best Swell Direction: North, Northwest, West
Ride Direction: Right and left
Tide: All tides
Description
Playa Avellanas is situated on the golden coast of Guanacaste Province in Tamarindo, Costa Rica. Featuring remarkable offshore waves, huge swells and a serene beach, Playa Avellanas is a sanctuary for surfers. Tourists can reach Playa Avellanas either from Tamarindo or Paraiso. There are no villages, lavish accommodations or large shops around the area. There are a handful of budget oriented hotels, cabinas and camps perfect for surfers. The biggest attraction of Playa Avellanas is its amazing surf spots. Luring surfers from all over the globe, Playa Avellanas offers an incredible oasis of waves.
Playa Avellanas has a perfect weather for surfing all around the year. Big swells are raised from North, Northwest and West direction with great winds blowing from the East and Southeast. The waves often ride up to 18 feet! There is a wide range of breaks on the beach. Even though most breaks are suitable for seasoned surfers, intermediate and beginners can also take a ride. Be it weekdays or weekends, the beach hardly ever gets crowded.
Avellanas has one amazing restaurant/bar that everyone goes to to hang out and watch the surfing. The design is very beautiful and the food is the best around the area so it’s got it all: location, food, and style. Plus a huge pig, their mascot named for the restaurant. So no surprise it’s very popular. All things considered, I’d have to say that Lola’s may be the best beachfront surf restaurant in Costa Rica.
Surf enthusiasts will find 5 great surf spots on the beach:
La Purruja is a left hand reef break right in front of Lola’s. The break is inconsistent and best surfed during the rainy seasons between May and November.
A little north to the bar, El Parqueo is located. It is beach break with consistent waves that break in both directions. Unlike La Purruja, dry season offers best conditions to surf the beach break. The waves are best generated during a mid tide. El Parqueo has an idyllic base for novices who have just started to learn as the waves are smooth and forgiving.
A few steps further, surfers will find a dead Mangrove tree on the beach. There is beach break in front of it called El Palo. El Palo breaks in both directions creating small barrels and generating superb waves at a high tide.
The last two breaks are often referred to as Twin Peaks. There is a rivermouth on the northern end of the beach boasting peaks, big swells and waves reaching up to four feet! The waves ride high and almost never drop below 2 feet making it an ideal place for practicing carves and cutbacks. Across the rivermouth, Little Hawaii is present. The spot is quite popular among the locals. It is a right handed rocky inlet that breaks over rocks. The best time to surf is at low to mid tide. Little Hawaii has challenging waves with shallow reefs and should only be ridden by experienced surfers.
Avellanas is just north of another great break… Playa Negra Surf Spot and south from the surf spots of Tamarindo.
Surf Camps Near Avellanas
Playa Avellanas has a number of reputable surf schools and shops. Visitors can also join the surf camps based in Tamarindo as they usually organize surf expeditions to Playa Avellanas. The popular surf camps are:
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Surf Camp Mediterraneo
Hotel Cabinas Las Olas
Tamarindo Surf School
La Oveja Negra Surf Camp
Waves Costa Rica Surf School and Adventures