Private Whale Watching Tour in Uvita from San José

Overview

Set out from San José on a private ocean adventure along the Pacific coast near Uvita in search of humpback whales, dolphins, and sea turtles, with a chance to walk the tide-dependent Whale's Tail sandbar.

A private ocean adventure along Costa Rica's Pacific coast near Uvita, guided by local experts, in search of humpback whales, dolphins, and sea turtles in their natural habitat. If tide conditions allow, you'll also walk the Whale's Tail sandbar, a natural formation only revealed at low tide. Marino Ballena National Park is one of the few places on Earth where humpback whales from both hemispheres pass through, giving it real whale activity for as much as 8 to 9 months of the year — a Southern Hemisphere migration roughly from July to November, and a separate Northern Hemisphere migration roughly from December to April — though sightings depend on the season and the day, and can never be guaranteed.

Highlights

• Humpback whale watching Search for humpback whales with local naturalist guides on the water, with a real (not guaranteed) chance of a sighting.
• Whale's Tail sandbar If the tide allows, walk the iconic sandbar shaped like a whale's tail, visible only at low tide.
• Dolphins & sea turtles Keep an eye out for dolphins and sea turtles along the way.

What Stops Does This Tour Make?

A popular starting point — every Voyzo itinerary is fully customizable, so we'll shape the order and stops around your group.

Important Information

Frequently Asked Questions

About This Tour

Set out from San José on a private ocean adventure along the Pacific coast near Uvita in search of humpback whales, dolphins, and sea turtles, with a chance to walk the tide-dependent Whale's Tail sandbar. A private ocean adventure along Costa Rica's Pacific coast near Uvita, guided by local experts, in search of humpback whales, dolphins, and sea turtles in their natural habitat. If tide conditions allow, you'll also walk the Whale's Tail sandbar, a natural formation only revealed at low tide. Marino Ballena National Park is one of the few places on Earth where humpback whales from both hemispheres pass through, giving it real whale activity for as much as 8 to 9 months of the year — a Southern Hemisphere migration roughly from July to November, and a separate Northern Hemisphere migration roughly from December to April — though sightings depend on the season and the day, and can never be guaranteed.

Marino Ballena National Park, just offshore from Uvita, has a distinction most visitors don't realize: it's one of the very few places on Earth where humpback whales from both the Southern and Northern Hemispheres migrate through the same waters. Southern Hemisphere whales, many coming from as far as Antarctica — a migration of well over 8,000 kilometers — pass through roughly July through November, while a separate Northern Hemisphere population moves through roughly December through April. Between the two, this stretch of Pacific coast can see real whale activity for as much as eight or nine months of the year, not just a single short season.

The park itself was first decreed in 1989 and formally established in 1992, making it the first marine park in Costa Rica and Central America, created specifically to protect marine resources rather than land. The Whale's Tail — Punta Uvita — is a natural tombolo, a roughly kilometer-long sandbar built up over time as converging ocean currents deposited sand between the shoreline and a rocky outcrop. It's fully exposed at low tide, when you can walk its length, and partly submerged at high tide, which is why your guide needs to check conditions on the day rather than promise it outright.

Beyond the whales, the waters here support a real resident population of dolphins and regular sea turtle sightings on top of the migratory whale traffic — it's a genuinely biodiverse stretch of coast, not just a seasonal whale-watching strip.