Discovering Osa de Uvita, Marino Ballena Reserve, and Drake Bay on Costa Rica’s Pacific coast (days 12, 13, 14 and 15 of our 15-day self-guided trip to Costa Rica).
See the best nature in Costa Rica from Marino Ballena marine reserve at Osa de Uvita Beach down to the tropical forest of Drake Bay on the Osa Peninsula. This is Costa Rica’s southern Pacific Coast where you’ll find the best wildlife in Central America.
Discover Costa Rica, Southern Pacific Coast
Juan and I caught the local bus down south along the Costa Rica PanAmerican highway to our next destination in Uvita Beach and the Marino Ballena ‘Whale Tail Beach’ marine reserve on the Southern Pacific Coast!
Dominical Beach
This is real backpackers’ territory, off the main tourist route. We stopped for lunch at Dominical, a surfer’s paradise – you can camp right by the pebbly beach here, or even sleep in a hammock in the trees listening to the waves break. There’s a gorgeous bohemian market on the coastal path which is great for getting everything for handmade jewellery to hammocks.
There is a hippy atmosphere, like California in the 60’s I imagine, with fun, sun and surf! I stopped to chat to members of the Soul Fire Project, a Californian band who were travelling in a psychedelic bus, heading down to Uvita Beach, to jam at the annual Envision music festival (March)!
Osa de Uvita ‘Whale Tail Beach’
Marino Ballena is unique, truly magical, it’s one of the most relaxing and beautiful places on Earth! The village of Osa de Uvita itself is not remarkable, but the surroundings are exceptional. As far as eating goes there are a few, reasonably priced, restaurants in Playa Uvita and ‘sodas’ in the village itself.
Cabinas Los Laureles
The hostel we had booked that same morning had given our room to someone else…a deep breath, and two minutes later up the lane, we found the most wonderful place you can imagine, Cabinas Los Laureles, ‘wood’ cabins located in a private forest with a trickling stream, and the most beautiful, peaceful surroundings you can imagine; all the wildlife of the best Costa Rican parks exclusively for us and a couple of other guests…sloths, monkeys, and TOUCANS!!! Yes, we saw them! You have to get up at dawn to see the birds but it’s worth it.
The proprietors, Victor and Lilieth are a lovely couple, nature lovers and really special, gracious people. Their son Victor Hugo runs a local tour company and takes guests on sea and mangrove kayak expeditions, cycle excursions and similar activities (it reminds me of kayaking in the San Juans, beautiful islands in the Northwest Pacific).
Cascada Verde Waterfall
The local waterfall ‘Cascada Verde’ was a short walk up the lane from our lodgings – there is formidable natural water slide and three beautiful rock pools hidden away in the forest which reflect the greenery. On private land, there is only a minimal fee to enter. It made the perfect afternoon respite from the sun, swimming in the cool clear fresh water.
Marino Ballena National Park
Playa Uvita beach is a couple of miles away, down a rough track and across a shallow river (it’s more convenient in the heat of the day to call a taxi or beg a lift off fellow travellers!). This beach is truly unique, at low tide waves part and you can walk across to a sand bar that resembles a whale’s tail… it’s sometimes called Moses way, and is actually part of Marino Ballena National Park.
Marino Ballena Marine Reserve is 15 kms of protected coastline and clear blue Ocean…with the biggest coral reef on the Pacific side of Central America! Huge Humpbacks whales come into the protected ‘Whale Tale Bay’ to give birth, an awesome sight, they migrate from as far as Hawaii or Alaska (December to April).
Playa Uvita Beach
At low tide the sea resembles a calm pool and is safe for swimming but as the tide turns the waves come in over the coral reef and the sea is more turbulent. The soft sandy beaches are edged with coconut palms and there are tropical birds fluttering over the woods.
Do check the tide times. The first day we went down was almost high tide, and there was only a thin strip of sand bordering the beaches, so we chilled out under the shade of a coconut tree (NOT a manchineel…). As the tide went out we walked along to Playa Hermosa beach, the scenery is truly stunning with tropic forest meeting the golden sands.
The sun goes down quite early in Costa Rica, around five in the evening, throughout the year. This day the sunset coincided with low tide – the heavens shone shades of red and reflected on the ocean as it parted to reveal the sandbar – I walked over, the waves parting under my bare feet to the ‘whale’s tale’…it seemed almost biblical!
By the rangers’ office, there’s a warning sign for crocs where the brook meets the Ocean, but our taxi driver with usual Tican humour dismissed the warning saying, “oh, they’re not very big…you’ll only lose one limb!” Well, we didn’t see any crocs while we were there but we didn’t go looking for them either!
Aerial View of the Whale Tail at Uvita Beach
Drake Bay (Osa Peninsula)
The journey down Costa Rica’s Pacific Coast, from the cloud forests of Monteverde highlands to the beaches of Manuel Antonio National Park and Uvita Beach marine reserve, runs entirely through Puntarenas Province.
Southwards from here the adventure heightens as you approach the tropical jungle of Corcovado. Totally off the tourist map, this unspoiled and rarely trodden nature reserve is one of the most ecologically diverse on the planet – hundreds of species of colourful wild birds, bright butterflies, unusual mammals, tropical fish, whales and turtles, and some splendid but deadly reptiles and creepy crawlies!
Not far as the birds fly from Uvita beach, the shuttle bus first thing in the morning takes around 2 hours to reach the small port town of Sierpe. Then it’s an hour’s ride on the 11.30 boat to Drake Bay on the Osa Peninsula. Francis Drake sailed into this place in the 16th century to conceal his bounty, and although the legendary treasures have never been found the remote bay still keeps the English explorer’s name.
It can’t have changed a lot from then, a close knit community who traditionally live off the land or from fishing, a convenience store or two in the unpaved ‘town’ of Agujitas, and a handful of newer eco lodges along the coast.
El Progreso is a friendly ‘community’ just a walk away from the beach (Latin American term for a hamlet). Sleeping at one of the ‘Homestays’ is an incredible chance to see the villager’s way of life, to learn about their culture, while chatting to the family and sharing home-cooked meals.
Costa Rica wildlife is famous the world over but it’s actually here in the Osa Peninsula that you see fauna in such abundance. An afternoon out with a local guide is the best way to observe the multitude of exotic birds which inhabit the woods around Drake Bay. Then head down to Drake Beach for a stroll along the sands, some snorkeling in the ocean or a scuba diving trip. A ‘night insect tour’ is a slightly scary but interesting way to end the day – wear long sleeves and trousers stuffed into some borrowed wellies
Shuttle from Drake Bay to San José
Reluctant to leave the Osa de Peninsula, it was time to return to San José for the long-haul flight home. There is time to get the morning boat and the shuttle minibus to get back by the afternoon. Alternatively, there are flights from Drake Bay to San José which only take 40 minutes.
Like most cities around the world, Costa Rica’s capital is a crazy potpourri of historic sites and fast food modernity. There are some interesting day trips from San José which make it the ideal base for a holiday if you’re only here for a few days and can’t spare longer to explore the whole country. Excursions out to the rain forest, coffee plantations and the volcanic hotsprings are our personal favourites.
We have seen a lot in Costa Rica, learnt about the country and wildlife, made some good friends, fellow travellers and local residents… but we’d like to come back to spend a few days in Guanacaste and enjoy Montezume, for example. I particularly regret not having sufficient time to stay longer in the virgin forests of Corcovado National Park. In fact, taking a couple of months off work to backpack Nicaragua appeals or making our way down to Panama for a luxury break in paradise Pearl Island.
Discovering Costa Rica: Related Posts
Read about the fabulous places we visited on our travels through Costa Rica:
- Cahuita and the Caribbean Coast
- Tortuguero Waterways
- Arenal Volcano and La Fortuna
- Monteverde Cloud Forest
- Manuel Antonio National Park
- Uvita and Ballena Marino (Pacific Coast)
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What a gorgeous place! I’ve always wanted to go to Costa Rica and I’m so inspired reading your post!
Sleeping in a hammock hearing the waves sounds like
paradise! Never been to Costa Rica but now know to
spend extra time here when I do. Your photos are gorgeous!
What a beautiful place!! I loved all the animals and birds you saw! And plus, the beach is stunning :)