Marino Ballena National Park | Manu Villas and Spa Costa Rica

Parque Nacional Marino Ballena (Whale Marine National Park) located near Uvita on the southern pacific coast has four separate beaches, stretching for about 10 km (6 mi), and encompasses a mangrove estuary, a coral reef, and more than 12,350 acres of ocean, home to tropical fish, dolphins, and humpback whales who use it as a nursery.

Marino Ballena National Park is named after the Humpback Whales that migrate here each year from December to April to mate before returning to the frigid waters to the north. Playas Uvita and Ballena are relatively unvisited stretches of white and golden sand. Green marine iguanas (iguana verde) bask in the sun between dives to feed on the algae growing on the rocks and coral. The largest coral reef on the Pacific Coast of Central America forms a crescent necklace with the three small islands known as Las Tres Hermanas (three sisters) and Ballena Island as the center piece. The park stretches from the southern end of Playa Hermosa to the northern end of Playa Piñuela and about 9 miles (15 km) seaward.

Things to do in the area:

Visit La Merced National Wildlive Refuge and take a horse back ride on the beach or up the mountains in Uvita. Phone: 8861-5147

Take a look at the Oro Verde Private Reserve and take a private two-hour birding tour at 6am to 2pm for $35 per person. Phone: 2743-8072

Go to the Uvita Beach