Playa Uvita, Puntarenas Provice
Where is Ballena Marine National Park? What makes it special? How does it compare to other national parks in Costa Rica? Located on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, the Marino Ballena National park is home to whales, mangrove forests, and coral reefs. In this article, we lay out the significance and history of this national park and things to do if you’re visiting soon!
Ballena Marine National Park Background
Whale Tail Beach, Ballena Marine National Park
Ballena National Marine Park is known as a very important place in Costa Rica for locals and even tourists. This park is unique and it is located in a small town called Uvita. Marino Ballena National Park was established in June 1992 and is actually known as the first marine park in Costa Rica. It’s also known as one of the top 10 areas for whale watching and we’ll explain why shortly. As soon as you arrive here, you understand why it is such a special place.
Located south of San José near South Puntarenas in the Puntarenas province, Uvita is home to Ballena Marine National Park. The park, named after humpback whales, spans some 110 hectares of land and 5,375 hectares of ocean. There is more to Ballena Marine National Park, also known as the Whale Tail National Park, than just hosting whales during the summertime. This park encompasses and shields more than 13,000 acres of ocean and 9 miles of coastline and offers a load of popular activities to choose from, besides whale watching.
Marino Ballena National Park houses four different beaches on the Costa Ballena (coast of Ballena): Playa Baja Ballena, Playa Pino La Luna, Playa Colonia, and Playa Uvita. Uvita Beach is also known as the beach that is shaped like a Whale’s Tail. The beaches on Costa Ballena are beautiful but they are deserted because they are heavily protected by the National Park. However, if you’d like to go on a discovery trip, the beaches are calm, peaceful, and have a relaxing shoreline. Surfing can be dangerous, but there are small little swimming areas in the park that were created from sea currents that make the waters somewhat calm and safe. Just be sure to ask around to make sure you’re surfing in a safe area. There are many reasons why locals and tourists would visit this national park, ranging from golden sandy beaches, beautiful rocky shores, and stunning coral reefs. There are also several small, uninhabited islands to enjoy.
Why Ballena Marine National Park Matters
Established in the 90s, the idea behind creating this national park came from a group of local neighbors from Whale Bay and Piñuelas and small groups of fishermen. They wanted to protect this area due to massive and damaging projects that big fishing companies were unloading within the area. Knowing the damage being done to this area, they banded together and established this park to protect the noteworthy marine animals like whales, different types of dolphins like bottlenose dolphin or spotted dolphin, hammerhead sharks, manta rays, parrotfish, and maceral.
Ballena Marine (Marino Ballena), the name of the park, is a reference to the humpback whale migration that happens from July to November and December to April along the Pacific coast. Hundreds of Humpback Whales migrate to breed and give birth due to Costa Rica’s warm waters during this time of year. The literal translation of Ballena is whale. The whales return again to the same place where they migrated from, the cold waters near Antarctica and Northern America (Alaska and Canada) during the winter months. Marino Ballena National Park protects and preserves marine wildlife whilst providing a great and well-maintained area to visit and explore.
Is Ballena Marine National Park Worth Visiting?
The Ballena National Marine Park is known to be the most visited marine park in Costa Rica. In addition to whales, there are many species of turtles, birds like scarlet macaws, and mammals such as dolphins, manatees, otters, sea lions, and even sharks in the waters.
What makes the place truly unique is the shape of the park which is in the shape of a whale’s tail and how whales congregate to this park each and every year. The whale tail shape reveals itself every day during low tide. You can see it from a high viewpoint like walking on a sandbar. If you get a tour guide, they may be able to get you the best seat in the house for seeing the whale tail shape of the park.
If you’re into whale watching, beautiful nature, the proper preservation of marine animals, and interesting landmarks then visiting Ballena Marine National Park is a no-brainer. No matter what activity you choose, make sure to bring a towel, water shoes, sunscreen, and plenty of water because there is no shade and the sun will burn you fast. Also, make sure to bring a bit of cash as you will have to buy a ticket at the ticket office near the park entrance.
Activities in Ballena Marine National Park
Pacific Coast, Costa Rica
Here are some things to do in Ballena Marine National park. We have listed some of the best activities for you to enjoy while visiting the national park.
See The Whale Tail Shape of this National Park
The Marino Ballena National Park is located south of the city of San José. One of the best sights to see is the “Whale’s Tail”, a natural formation of rock and sand that resembles a whale tail sticking out into the sea. This Whale Tail beach is also known as the beach of Punta Uvita.
This spot is known for having the clearest waters and the most abundant marine life in Costa Rica. Here, visitors can see whales and dolphins playing in the waves, turtles basking in the sun, and colorful fish swimming among the corals. There are even some caves along the shoreline where people can explore. In addition to seeing the animals, visitors can also enjoy the beauty of the landscape, which includes white sandy beaches, lush green vegetation, dense rainforests, clear blue waters, and majestic mountains.
Stick Around For Whale Watching
During mating season, from November to July, visitors can watch the humpback whales perform ritualized behaviors such as head bobbing, tail waving, spy hopping, breachings, and spy hop breaches. These behaviors are meant to attract females and deter rival males. Male humpback whales also sing songs to communicate during mating season.
You can watch the humpback whales and their babies playing while the mothers nurse. This park is perfect for watching whales in their natural habitat and seeing the humpbacks jump out of the water. There are also guided tours you can purchase to get the best out of your trip. The whale watching tours leave at dawn and take 3 to 4 hours. It costs between $70-$100, depending on the length of the cruise and the size of the party.
Scuba Diving & Snorkeling at the Caño Island Biological Reserve
Snorkeling isn’t great at the park throughout the entire year, but that’s why you can hitch an hour boat ride to Caño Island. If you love snorkeling and are looking for an amazing place to go snorkeling in Costa Rica, then we highly recommend Caño Island Reserve located near the small town of Uvita. It’s a beautiful spot in Central America for snorkeling. There are also guided tours available which provide equipment, lunch, and a general tour. This is a full-day activity so be sure that you have an entire day’s time if you want to snorkel and scuba dive at this reserve.
Best Times To Visit Ballena Marine National Park
You can visit the park any time of year since it’s not known for getting super crowded. Even if it is a bit crowded, it is a very big park so it won’t really be crowded since everyone is likely going to be spread out.
Visiting in May, June, and September to mid-December would be best if you really don’t want to go when everyone else is going. It’s not as busy because these aren’t peak tourist months so the park will likely be extremely empty. However, these months are during the peak of the rainy season so it can get quite rainy. Most days it’s cloudy and dry in the morning and throughout the day, it gets more humid and rains throughout the night. The absolute best weather would be during December – April as that is the dry season, and it’ll be sunny and hot.
If you’re coming for whale watching, the best months would likely be August, September, and January – March. The annual Whale Festival is during the first few days of September so if you want to experience that, try and visit in early September.
Another beautiful National Park to see during your time in Costa Rica would be the Manuel Antonio national park. The time of year you visit the Ballena Marine National Park for whale watching is also a perfect time of year to visit Manuel Antonio and Corcovado National Park. For more information about the weather in Costa Rica and the best times to visit, feel free to refer to a different article by clicking here.
