Costa Rica

Ballena National Marine Park

In this underwater park, named after the humpback whales that migrate here from August - October and December - April, visitors can explore pristine beaches, mangrove forests and coral reefs. Protecting more than 13,000 acres 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 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.  

Weather:

Average Temperature: 79 F
Annual Rainfall: 156 inches

Activities:

Swimming, sunbathing, snorkeling, scuba diving and dolphin and whale watching are popular activities. Camping is free (all visitors must pay the $6 park fee) and the setting can’t be beat. Showers and toilets, but no potable water, are available at the Ballena, Colonia, and Pinuelas ranger stations. Campfires are not permitted within the park, but gas or charcoal grills are allowed. 

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.

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.

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, pelicans, white ibis, cormorants, great blue herons, and several species of terns, gulls and sandpipers.

Getting There:

The quickest way to arrive is to take a domestic flight from San Jose to Quepos. From Quepos you may drive to the national park and points south on the Costanera Sur Highway. The 45-minute drive from Quepos is scenic and on a well-paved road. You can also take a public bus from Quepos to Bahia Ballena, which takes about an hour and a half.

If driving from San Jose, follow signs toward Jaco on the Caldera Highway and continue south on the Costanera Sur. The park and its beaches are approximately a three hour and a half hour drive from San Jose. A second, longer option takes you over the Cerro de la Muerte to San Isidro El General where you'll turn west toward Dominical. There, the road intersect with the Costanera Highway and you will continue south to Bahia Ballena.

Nearby Destinations

• Dominical

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