Uvita de Osa
The whale tail town and gateway to Marino Ballena
What is Uvita, Costa Rica?
Uvita is a coastal town on Costa Rica's South Pacific coast, in the Osa canton of Puntarenas province. It is the gateway to Marino Ballena National Park and its famous whale tail sandbar, with beaches, waterfalls, lodges, restaurants and tours year round.
Uvita is the heart of Costa Ballena, in the canton of Osa, Puntarenas province. It is best known for Punta Uvita, the natural sandbar shaped like a whale's tail that appears at low tide inside Marino Ballena National Park. Around it you will find waterfalls, rainforest ridges, farms and a small, relaxed town that works as the base for most tours in the southern Pacific.
History and people
Before the Spanish arrival, the region was inhabited by Boruca and Brunca indigenous peoples, who lived from farming, fishing and hunting and kept a close relationship with the land.
For most of the 20th century Uvita was a small agricultural and fishing community, isolated until the coastal road (Costanera Sur) was completed. The creation of Marino Ballena National Park in 1990 and the paved highway turned it into the service hub of Costa Ballena.
When to visit
Dry season runs roughly from December to April, with sunny mornings and calm sea. Green season (May to November) brings afternoon rain, lush forest, fewer visitors and the main southern humpback whale season between August and October.