- Ojochal villageA few roads in the hills, not a beach grid. Walk them before dinner. Tables fill after sunset. The beach is below town, not on the main street.
- Playa VentanasThe beach is down the hill. Swim when the wave is small. If it is dumping, stay out of the whitewater. The cave depends on the tide.
- The sea caveYou walk into the rock, and only at low tide. At high water there is no way in. Check the tide first, wear shoes, and do not linger as it rises.
- UvitaA short ride north reaches the park beach. Treat it as a morning, not a place to unpack. The sandbar there still needs low tide, not a clock time.
- The whale tailThe sandbar is inside the marine park, and you still need low tide. High water leaves you on the shore. It is a walk, not a roadside view.
- DominicalFarther north means heavier surf and more noise. It is a real drive, not a walk to the beach. Read the sets there. Do not expect the same water.
- Nauyaca waterfallInland you get a cold pool and an uphill walk back. Leave early so the drive home is still in daylight. It will not fit after time on the beach.
- Hill walkThe roads climb, so use the morning, before the heat. You are walking for the view, not toward a swim, and there is not a shop on every corner.
- Sunset in OjochalFrom the hills you see water, but the sand is down at the beach. Go early if you want to sit there. The road back up is dark and has no lamps.
- Ballena parkThe marine park is a short ride north. Pay at the station. Low tide gives you the sandbar. The rest is beach and water, not the cave.
The landscape is a forested ridge, a rocky beach, and the sandbar farther north. You are likely to see howler monkeys, shore birds and, in season, humpbacks offshore. The plants around them are ridge rainforest, coconut and beach almond.
Around Ojochal, look for howlers in the first hour of light. Later they are harder to find.
Marino Ballena National Park protects the sandbar north of town. Playa Ventanas is the cave beach below the village.
In Ojochal, walk the cave only at low tide, and do not leave the marked beach inside the park.
The climate is tropical wet and dry. It is hot, about 24–32°C. Little rain falls from December to April. Afternoon showers fall from May to November. Ojochal sits in the hills just above the coast.
In the greener months the morning is still usable, and the rain tends to wait until afternoon. The countrywide calendar is in the best time to visit Costa Rica.
The nearest airport is Juan Santamaría in Alajuela. The drive is the coastal highway south, past Quepos and Uvita, a little over four hours. Dominical is the town before this one.
The last stretch is slower than the map says. Do not start it late. Buses, shuttles, and rental cars are compared in getting around Costa Rica
