“We travel, some of us forever, to seek other states, other lives, other souls” – Anais Nin
Our third stop on the Pacific coast is Uvita. This little village is about 10 miles south of Dominical. It's home to the Cola de Ballena (Whale's Tail) and the closest village to Marino Ballena National Park. The tiny village consists of some dirt roads lined with farms, guesthouses, gift shops, a cluster of strip malls along the main highway and a scattering of hotels in the jungle-covered hills above. It's a very low key area...definitely not the heavy touristy beach area you'll find around Jaco, Tamarindo Beach or the Nicoya Peninsula. Many expatriates from North America and Europe have made Uvita their home. Tours available in the area range from whale watching, ATV tours, surfing lessons and snorkeling excursions...and of course there are waterfalls to explore.
Marino Ballena National Park has become famous for its migrating pods of humpback whales and its virtually abandoned wilderness beaches. Humpback whales meet and mate here every winter and spring. If we can catch the tide right we will wake out there tomorrow.
Vista Ballena and it's amazing view is our home for the next few days.
Our check in wasn't till 2:00 so we went to the Uvita Waterfall while we waited. It's not the tallest or biggest in the area, but it has something else that most waterfalls don’t have...a natural slide. The water has smoothed out the rocks to create a little pocket that people can sit in or lie down on and slide over the waterfall. Vista Ballena and it's amazing view is our home for the next few days.
The upper falls and pool
The lower falls and pool
Jumping into the lower pool
The purple-stained Daggerwing butterfly
Many-banded Daggerwing Butterfly
The waterfall slide looks like a hoot. We recently spend a short 3 week stay in Costa Rica and found it managed it's naturnal assets well. Have to check out more of the coast next time.
ReplyDeleteThe slide was fun to watch and there was plenty of room for swimming. We wanted to visit a few more beaches, but it was pretty warm for walking in the sun on a dark sand beach.
Delete