Uvita: Beach Town on the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica

On our Costa Rican eco-tourism trip we left Valle Escondido and Monteverde to go south and to the beach. Our first beach destination was Uvita where we stayed in a modern hotel and explored the area on foot. It was noticeably hotter there and the other beach towns we went to, as compared to the mountains of Monteverde.

I'm not trying to advertise for anyone, but I am telling about my experiences in Costa Rica - most of which were absolutely fantastic.

Uvita Paradise Hotel

View of the Courtyard of Our Hotel Uvita Paradise With Two Pools and Lots of Trees in the Background

We had a great room with a balcony. There were a couple of outdoor pools which we took advantage of. There was a coffee maker in the room, which I always appreciate. We had a full kitchen and there were grills in the courtyard, but we went to restaurants while we were there. I usually crank up the AC whenever I am someplace hot, but I didn’t seem to need it so much in Costa Rica. I set it to 25 C and was usually quite happy with that, while at home I like it at 68 F.

The staff here spoke only Spanish but between my husband’s years of Spanish in school and my years of Duolingo and their few words of English, we did just fine. Big shout out to Emilia who desperately kept calling us after we left until we picked up. I left my wallet in one of the drawers in the room so we were able to turn around and pick it up before we got too far away.

Marino Ballena National Park: A Beach Adventure

The hotel is a little over 2 kilometers from the entrance to Uvita Beach, which is part of Marino Ballena National Park. As soon as we got to the room we trekked out to the beach.. The very first wave took one of my water shoes so on the way back to the hotel, I had to buy some flip flops. I’m not used to wearing flip-flops and they really annoyed my feet, although they were great protection for the bottom of my feet from the gravel.

Waves at the Beach on Uvita

On the beach, however, we could walk with our bare feet. It felt good to walk in the sand!


People in the Water on the Uvita Beach
Standing on the Whale’s Tail During Low Tide. You Can See Rocks That Will Be Underwater at High Tide

There’s the “Whale’s Tail” which is a piece of land that looks like a whale’s tail from above during low tide, but is covered with water during high tide. We were able to walk out there and back as the tide was coming in.

More Views From the Whale’s Tail of Rocks That Will Be Underwater at High Tide
Walking on the Beach to the Whale’s Tail While the Tide Is Coming On From Both Sides

You can sort of see in this picture how the tide is coming in from both sides of the whale’s tail.

Walking in Uvita

We were only there for two nights and we were taking a break from driving the car. So we didn’t go to any waterfalls and whale watching is not something I can do, although I’d recommend both if someone else was visiting. Uvita is a small town and it is quite easy to walk around. We enjoyed looking at all the buildings, but expecially liked the wildlife.

Fairly Large Bird in Uvita With a Red Body and Grey Neck

We saw a bird in a cocoa tree,

A Horse Standing on a Dirt Road at Night

a horse hanging out in the road,

A Sign by a Tree That Says Yo No Trio Basura – I Don’t Throw Trash

and a tree asking you not to throw trash there.

Grate off the Ground With Garbage in It and Vultures Hanging Out by It

Many places in Costa Rica have grates that the trash goes in. Someone told us these grates keep the trash off the ground so that all the dogs running around don’t get at it. But being off the ground doesn't prevent birds from picking in it.

White and Brown Kitty on the Ground Looking Up at the Camera

I made friends with a kitty. She came up to us as we were eating on the patio of a restaurant.

Iguana on a Dirt Road

And saw an iguana on the road.

We had a lovely meal at Sebas restaurant and enjoyed our short stay in Uvita during our eco-tourism trip to Costa Rica.

After two nights we hit the road again to get to Puerto Jiménez, close to the southern end of the Osa Peninsula. We stayed at the Corcovada Beach Lodge while in Puerto Jimenez.

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