//
Photo: Jorge Antonio Leoni de León, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons
This large coastal national park is famous for the Humpback Whales that migrate here each year from December to April to mate. The enormous pristine beaches here are rarely crowded and perfect for swimming, snorkeling, and sun-bathing. At low tide, a land bridge appears to Punta Uvita, and visitors can walk out to the tip which resembles a whale tail. There is also a small estuary which many people swim and fish in despite signs that warn of crocodiles. Walking through the main entrance will cost foreigners about US$6, but there are many unmarked trails that lead to the beach as well. Try the road by Flutterby House, or take the little road towards Playa Hermosa and turn left at the beach towards the peninsula.
Ballena Marine National Park, is a national park of Costa Rica, part of the Osa Conservation Area created as a safe area for migration of humpback whales, hence its name, as Ballena is the Spanish word for whale.
© OpenStreetMap contributors
Near the top of the hill on the left, there is a little restaurant which charges US$2 to access the lovely waterfalls in the canyon behind their property. A steep path leads down to the waterfalls and several swimming holes which are surrounded by bamboo and flowering trees. A perfect place to get out of the sun for a while and read a book, swim, and relax.