Nosara & the south · Costa Rica
Surfing Playa Avellana
A right reef in Nosara & the south, Costa Rica, for intermediate and advanced surfers.
Playa Avellana is a long beach south of Tamarindo in Guanacaste, with a right reef nicknamed Little Hawaii, beach-break peaks and a rivermouth. The reef gets hollow and holds size, while the sand peaks are easier.
It's best on a clean south-west swell at mid tide. The reef draws a good local crowd on the better days, so give them space and watch the shallow inside at low tide.
It's a quiet, rural beach with forest behind it and a couple of beach restaurants. Lola, the pig that lived on the beach for years, made it famous with visitors.
When to surf
Playa Avellana
Playa Avellana is at its best from December to April. Conditions it likes: SW swell, mid tide.
December to April: Prime
Dry season, offshore mornings, sunshine, clean NW-fed 3-4ft waves almost daily
May to July: Good
Green season begins; bigger SW groundswell, afternoon showers, fewer crowds
August to October: Good
Peak SW swell and empty line-ups, but the wettest, muddiest roads
Nov: Quiet
Transition, rains easing, swell easing, a quiet shoulder month
The year across Guanacaste
Waves near Playa Avellana
Playa Negra
3 kmNosara & the south · Right Reef · Intermediate / Advanced
Langosta
8 kmTamarindo · Beach Break · Intermediate
Tamarindo
10 kmTamarindo · Beach Break · Beginner / Intermediate
Straight-line distances. By road it is usually further.
Getting there
Where to stay: Base around Playa Guiones for the most consistent beachbreak, schools and cafés; Playa Negra puts you on the reef but is a bumpy drive south. This whole coast suffers petty theft, never leave anything on the beach or visible in a car.
Transport, costs, where to stay and the rest of the waves in the area are in the Nosara & the south guide.
Nosara & the south surf guideSurf it often and something here is wrong? Tell us and we will fix it.