- The whale tailThe whale tail is a walk at low tide. Check before you leave, because at high water there is no path out.
- Marino Ballena National ParkMarino Ballena National Park is the beach and the water in front of it. Pay at the ranger station, not from the road.
- Uvita beachUvita beach is a swim when the wave is small. If it breaks hard, stay in the shallows. This is not Dominical.
- Whale watchingWhale watching runs about December to April, and again July to October. Book the morning boat, before the wind.
- Uvita waterfallsUvita waterfalls, at Cascada Verde, are a short walk to a cold pool. Start early and you are back before lunch.
- DominicalDominical is a short ride north, with more surf and more noise. It is not a second place to stay.
- Nauyaca waterfallNauyaca waterfall is inland from Dominical. From Uvita it takes the morning, so do not leave after lunch.
- Playa ColoniaPlaya Colonia sits just south of the tail, inside the park. Walk it in the morning, before the shade is gone.
- Sunset on UvitaSunset on Uvita drops into the Pacific off the sandbar. Come a little early. The tail may already be under water.
- Snorkeling the parkSnorkel the park on a calm morning, while the water is still clear. By afternoon the wind turns it white.
For breaks and seasons, see best surf spots in Costa Rica.
The landscape is a sandbar, a long beach, and forested hills behind the town. You are likely to see humpback whales in season, howler monkeys, and shore birds on the tail. The plants around them are beach almond, coconut, and the wet forest on the ridge above the highway.
Around Uvita, look for howlers in the first hour. The whales are offshore, not from the soda. Book the boat, and check which months they are actually here.
Marino Ballena National Park protects the sandbar and the water in front of it. Walk the tail at low tide, and do not leave the marked beach.
In Uvita, the tide is the rule. At high water the point is not a path, and the boats are supposed to keep their distance from the whales.
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. Uvita sits at sea level.
The whale months do not match the dry season exactly. July to October is the second season, and it is also the greener one. 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 Jacó and Quepos, about four hours. Dominical is the town just north if you are already on this road.
The last hour is slower than the map suggests. Do not start it late. Buses, shuttles, and rental cars are compared in getting around Costa Rica
