The southern province of Puntarenas in Costa Rica is home to Playa Uvita, a Pacific coast beach that backs up to the Parque Nacional Marino Ballena (The Marine Whale National Park). Playa Uvita Costa Rica is therefore a splendid place to watch whales come in amongst other aquatic fauna.

Playa Uvita is a somewhat strangely shaped beach with Punta Uvita juxtaposing itself as a arrow pushing into the sea. The beach is to the south of Playa Hermosa. Playa Hermosa seems to cater to a larger tourist scene than that of the more laid back Playa Uvita.

Whales enter the area of Playa Uvita Costa Rica in the months from December to April. There are many whale watching expeditions run out of the Parque Nacional Marino Ballena as well as individual companies in this region. Another sea creature to look for in the months between May to October are Sea Turtles. Both the Hawksbill and Ridley Sea Turtle will come in bales upon the shore and lay their eggs to be hatched in about seven to ten weeks.

Finding accommodations in the Playa Uvita locale isn’t difficult. Some of the Uvita Beach lodgings consist of Hotel Bahia Azul, Villas Tekoa, Las Terrazas de Ballena and TikiVillas Rainforest Lodge. There are many hotels in the Playa Hermosa area as well.

You will definitely want to pack a pair of binoculars for watching all the critters in the national park and the sea. Along with binos, you should bring sun screen, a swimsuit, trekking shoes and sandals and your camera or cell phone. Getting shots of incoming green sea turtles will be easier with certain lenses, so all of you photographers should take note.

Reaching Uvita is not difficult with many buses and hotel shuttles serving the neighboring Hermosa Beach. You can always rent a vehicle as well. Playa Uvita is about two hours and fifty minutes from San Jose city, and four hours and ten minutes from the international airport in Alajuela. From Daniel Oduber Quiros International Airport in Liberia, Playa Uvita is around five hours and five minutes.

Beach: Playa Uvita
Location: Puntarenas, Playa Uvita
Items to bring: binoculars, sun screen, swimsuit, trekking shoes, sandals, flip flops, camera, cell phone
Distance from San Jose: 2 hrs 50 mins
Distance from Liberia: 5 hrs 5 mins
Hotels nearby: Hotel Bahia Azul, Villas Tekoa, Las Terrazas de Ballena, TikiVillas Rainforest Lodge
Ways to get here: taxi, bus, hotel shuttle, rental car, scooter, motorcycle