Tamarindo, located on the Pacific Coast, is a popular vacation destination in Costa Rica. Tamarindo is surrounded by national parks to its north and south, and mountains to its east. The beach is a long stretch of white sand and warm blue water. The town stretches along the beach and shops and restaurants are within a short distance. Tamarindo is known as a surf town with ideal conditions for surfing and windsurfing.Leatherback Turtles come at night to lay their eggs in the northern part of the bay. Once a sleepy fishing town it has quickly grew up after being featured in the cult favorite movie about surfing called Endless Summer. Since then surfers from around the world have visited and now some move there. While it has many surf breaks and schools for learning how to surf, it is also considered a "jumping off" point to the other nearby surf locations. The population numbers are impossible to verify as they rise and fall dramatically as the seasons change from high to low. While a famous town, it is probably smaller than most think.