The most convenient route to Playa Tambor is to take the Paquera ferry from Puntarenas and from there the 45 km paved road to Paquera-Playa Tambor. Another option is to take the Tempisque ferry and take the 107 km route from Puerto Moreno.

This white sand beach is located in Ballena Bay in the southern portion of the Nicoya Peninsula. It is set amid hills of volcanic origin dotted with trees. The narrow, sandy strip is bordered to the south by rock platforms and to the north by the Pánica River, which separates it from the wide Pochote Beach that extends as far as the estuary of the same name.

The road that leads to Tambor, the beach itself and Ballena Bay traverses a scenic mosaic of great contrasts from the blue coastal waters beneath swooping and diving seabirds, to the lush littoral woodland, to the sere grases of the hills thick with corozo palms, to the green pastures of the little alluvial valleys.