Ballena National Marine Park

Location: South Pacific Coast, 11 miles south of Dominical

See South Pacific Tourism Region
Size: 272 land acres and 13,276 maritime acres

Date of Creation: July 1992

Part of: Osa Conservation Area

About:

In this underwater park, named after the humpback whales that migrate there from August - October and December - April, visitors can explore pristine beaches, mangrove forests and coral reefs. Protecting more than 5300 hectares of ocean and nine miles of coastline, the park also serves as a nesting site for endangered Olive Ridley and hawksbill sea turtles, which nest there between May and November.

The park’s rarely visited beaches are protected by a network of crescent-shaped reefs and a scattering of rocky islands called Las Tres Hermanas (The Three Sisters). Sea currents have swept aside portions of sand, forming shoals that shelter swimmers from large swells and dangerous surf.

Located south of Dominical on the Costa Ballena, the marine park has four entrances, each manned by park rangers. At low tide, visitors to the Uvita sector can walk out to Punta Uvita, the famous rock and reef formation that fittingly resembles a whale’s tail.

This park protects important habitats including beaches, mangrove estuaries, coral reefs, islands and rocky shoals. Visitors can observe bottle-nosed dolphins, humpback whales, iguanas and nesting sea birds in the marine park. 

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Weather:

Activities:

Swimming, sunbathing, snorkeling, scuba diving and dolphin and whale watching are popular activities. Camping is permitted within the park. 

Facilities:

There are four beach entrances to the park: Playa Uvita, Playa Colonia, Playa Ballena and Playa Pinuela. Bathrooms and picnic areas can be found at each ranger station.

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Flora & Fauna:

Flora: tea mangrove, red mangrove and wild anona.

Fauna: Bottle-nosed dolphins, humpback whales, green iguanas, sea-hare crabs, Olive Ridley sea turtles, hawksbill sea turtles, pale-billed woodpeckers, brown boobies, frigate birds, whimbrels, pelicans, white ibis, cormorants, great blue herons, tricolored herons and several species of terns, gulls and sandpipers.

Beaches:

The park encompasses roughly nine miles of spectacular coastline. Most days, the beaches are completely deserted. A short hike down the coast from Uvita Point Tombolo takes you to another pretty beach known as Pinuelas Point, home to the largest and healthiest collection of coral in Costa Rica.

Fees and Schedule:

Ranger stations are open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily. The entrance fee is $6 for visitors and $2 for residents.

Contact info:

ACOSA:  Osa Conservation Area

2735-5036

Playa Uvita Ranger Station

2743-8236

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