One Uvita, Costa Rica — Discover the Heart of the Costa Ballena
Uvita Costa Rica Hotels — Stay at Hotel Three Sixty
Looking for hotels near Uvita, Costa Rica? Hotel Three Sixty in Ojochal puts you just 17 minutes from Uvita's best beaches, whale watching, and the iconic Whale Tail.
Why Uvita?
Uvita is one of Costa Rica's most extraordinary destinations — and one of its best-kept secrets.
Anchored by Marino Ballena National Park and its iconic Whale Tail sandbar, Uvita sits on the southern Pacific coast in a region known as the Costa Ballena — the Whale Coast — where humpback whales migrate through Pacific waters for nearly nine months of the year, scarlet macaws flash through rainforest canopy, and some of the country's most dramatic beaches stretch for miles without a crowd in sight.
Unlike the busier tourist corridors of Manuel Antonio or Guanacaste, Uvita offers something increasingly rare in Costa Rica: raw, extraordinary natural beauty without the noise. This is where travelers come when they want the real thing — and why the Costa Ballena has quietly become one of the most talked-about regions on the country's Pacific coast.
Top Experiences in Uvita
The Whale Tail — Nature's Most Famous Sandbar
At low tide, a natural sandbar extends one kilometer into the Pacific and curls into the unmistakable shape of a whale's tail. Walk to its tip, surrounded by open ocean, with the mountains of the Costa Ballena behind you and the Pacific ahead. One of Costa Rica's most iconic natural wonders — and one of its most photographed.
Whale Watching at Marino Ballena National Park
Recognized by National Geographic as one of the world's best whale watching destinations, Marino Ballena hosts two annual humpback migrations — southern hemisphere whales from July through October, and northern hemisphere whales from December through April. Dolphins are present year-round. Boat tours depart from Playa Uvita and run approximately three hours.
Hidden Beaches of the Costa Ballena
Beyond the Whale Tail, the coastline reveals a series of stunning, uncrowded beaches: sea caves at Playa Ventanas, a sheltered swimming cove at Playa Piñuela, and a sea turtle nesting beach at Playa Tortuga — all within minutes of Uvita along the coastal highway.
Nauyaca Waterfalls
Among the most spectacular waterfalls in Costa Rica, Nauyaca is a 4-kilometer hike through primary rainforest — arriving at two tiered falls with a natural swimming pool at the base. One of the most rewarding half-day adventures on the southern Pacific coast.
Wildlife Encounters
Scarlet macaws, howler monkeys, sloths, toucans, sea turtles, dolphins, and humpback whales — the Costa Ballena is one of the most biodiverse coastlines in the world, and wildlife encounters here happen with a frequency that consistently surprises first-time visitors.
One Tree Planted
One Tree Planted is a nonprofit on a mission to make it simple for anyone to help the environment by planting trees. Their projects span the globe and are done in partnership with local communities and knowledgeable experts to create an impact for nature, people, and wildlife. Reforestation helps to rebuild forests after fires and floods, provide jobs for social impact, and restore biodiversity. Many projects have overlapping objectives, creating a combination of benefits that contribute to the UN's Sustainable Development Goals. To learn more, visit
onetreeplanted.org