The First Marine National Park
This is the first marine park in Costa Rica and Central America, and it's remarkable for more than the beach shaped like a whale's tail.
Located in Uvita on the southern Pacific coast of Costa Rica is a unique national park, famously created to provide safe space at sea for migrating humpback whales who come here to mate. Marino Ballena is one of two specially-designated national marine parks in Costa Rica, protecting over 13,000 acres of the Pacific Ocean and some 270 acres of land, including beaches and mangroves.
FAQs About Marino Ballena National Park
The Marino Ballena National Park is located in the southern zone of Costa Rica, south of Dominical. Small coastal town of Uvita is bordering the park land. Park entrance is less than 5 min away from Uvita's downtown. You can take the coastal highway south from Quepos, or the Cerro de la Muerte passage vĆa San Isidro and Dominical.
The best time to see whales in this part of Costa Rica is from July to November and again from December to April, when migrating humpbacks from the northern and southern hemispheres come to winter and mate.
You get to the Whale's Tail by entering the Marino Ballena National Park through the ranger station on Playa Uvita and taking a short walk along the trail to the beach. There, you'll see this famous formation.