- You walk the sandbar only at low tide, as of 5 Oct 2026.
- Pay at the ranger hut, as of 5 Oct 2026.
Marino Ballena National Park
Costa Rica
The whale-tail sandbar at Uvita. You walk it only at low tide, and pay at the ranger hut.
Check before you go
Facts
Tide: The sandbar exists only at low tide.
Pay: At the ranger hut.
Hours: Open every day. Uvita 7:00–17:00, Colonia 7:00–18:00, Ballena and Piñuela 8:00–16:00.
Fee: Fees differ for foreigners and for residents. SINAC posts the figure, and it usually includes IVA, as of Oct 2026.
Contact
Phone: +506 2786-5392
Email: pnmarinoballena@gmail.com
Official page: SINAC park page
Checked with SINAC, as of 8 Oct 2026.
Map
- The whale tail: A sandbar. Walk it only at low tide. At high water there is no path.
The sandbar at low tide. Humpbacks are offshore from about July to October. Do not book the trip around a sure sighting.
Pay at the ranger hut, then the beach. The sandbar is the walk.
At low tide. Check the tide in Uvita before you leave.
Uvita is the town in front of the beach.
Check the tide. Pay at the ranger hut when you arrive.
Pay at the ranger hut. Fees differ for foreigners and for residents. SINAC posts the figure, and it usually includes IVA, as of Oct 2026.
The sandbar sets the hour, not the clock. Go at low tide.
No. Pay at the hut and walk the sandbar at low tide.
Low tide only. Pay at the ranger hut. Do not walk out when the path is gone.
Parks near
Chirripó
The highest peak in the country. A booked permit, a 3 a.m. start, and a night at the base lodge.
Manuel Antonio
The short Pacific park: monkeys, sloths, and a swim inside the gate. Closed Tuesdays.
Los Quetzales
Cold oak forest at km 76, for quetzals. Pair it with a night in San Gerardo de Dota.
Tapantí
River and rainforest at the end of the Orosi road, a day trip from Cartago.
Piedras Blancas
Rainforest on the Golfo Dulce, near Golfito. Rivers decide the day in the wet months.
Corcovado
The big lowland forest on the Osa. You go with a guide, by boat or a long beach walk.