Uvita de Osa is a small town in South Pacific Costa Rica, and it is the perfect combination between WIldlife and Beach vacations.
Uvita de Osa
This area is famous for whale watching, discovering wildlife in the national park, and relaxing on the beaches.
The Whale’s Tail beach is known as one of the world’s most beautiful beaches.
Uvita also has a beautiful small waterfall that you can visit (small entrance fee), and you are also allowed to swim there.
A different alternative is to visit Marino Ballena National Park.
Where you get a chance to see the macaws, sloths, monkeys, and much more and the trails are flat and easy for almost everybody.
As optional tours, we offer guided walks in the National Park, Whale and Dolphin watching, and of course, snorkeling in various places around Uvita.
Corcovado National Park and Caño Island Snorkeling
It is also possible to visit Corcovado National Park while staying in Uvita.
It’s a one-day trip, but we do not recommend visiting Corcovado National Park when you are traveling with (small) kids or when you don’t like hiking, also not recommended to people who do not like to hike for more than 2 hours or are physically limited.
An alternative option we offer Caño Island Snorkeling one-day tour, where after a couple of hours by boat having the opportunity to see whales and dolphins, among other sea animals, you will snorkel in one of the most beautiful and colorful coral reefs and open sea, where sea turtles and a great variety of fish species can be seen.
Where to stay?
We stayed at Hotel Cristal Ballena, which is a very nice boutique hotel with amazing ocean views.
You cannot walk to the beach from here, but the really nice pool makes up for that. We took day trips to the beach, which was also great.
The hotel is a family-owned hotel, the owners are originally from Austria, but the hotel has already been in their capable hands for generations.
We had the pleasure of meeting them during our stay and enjoyed a small chocolate treat from Austria.
The hotel has nice Junior Suites and Master Suites rooms with balconies, a large pool, their own restaurant called ‘Pura Vida’, a happy hour during the sunset, and a spa where you can book massages.
Although, it is not the only option we have for you.
Other hotels we can book for you are La Cusinga Lodge, which is more rustic and nature-oriented, it also has a marvelous view, especially from their restaurant, as well as nature trails around the property for those who enjoy birdwatching or just strolling through the forest.
There is also Cuna del Angel, although it is closer to Dominical beach, and if looking for more privacy or fewer people around you, Villas Azul, which are located close to Ballena Beach.
What to eat?
Fish, fish, fish!
Of course so close to the beautiful ocean makes it that you can eat delicious fresh fish, like ceviche.
Check our recipe to make ceviche at home to get into that vacation mood.
In the hotel restaurant, there was a large option of different fish and seafood dishes and typical Costa Rican dishes.
However, if you’re ‘homesick’ and feel like a Wiener schnitzel that is also something they offer here due to their Austrian owners.
Nearby Uvita and Ballena area, is Ojochal, known as a foodie community, and we highly recommend Heliconia restaurant, a small but delicious restaurant, make sure you make reservations.
Traveling in Costa Rica during August
We often get the question of whether it’s ok to travel to Costa Rica during the European summertime, as the official high season, the dry session in Costa Rica is from November through April.
The answer is, we had some amazing trips during July-August this year. Of course, there is rain, most likely in the afternoon.
However, the temperatures are great and we had a lot of Sun.
As with weather conditions, it is really a lottery ticket, but we had a great time traveling during these months in Costa Rica.
Also, because it is the rainy season, the opportunity to see more animals is bigger, since there is more water and more food in the forests.
Traveling during COVID19
For all information about traveling to and in Costa Rica during COVID19, you can check our COVID19 blog.
During our stay at the hotel, we were wearing masks when visiting the reception area and when close to other people.
The staff was wearing masks at all times, everything was cleaned regularly and hand gel was available when entering the reception and restaurant.
More information
If you are thinking about staying in this area, we recommend reading the book ‘Where Tapirs and Jaguars once roamed – ever evolving Costa Rica‘. This book is written by the owner of Hacienda Baru and gives you a unique view of the area, wildlife, and history. I have just read this book while traveling there and I loved it.
Feel free to contact us with any questions you might have.
