Costa Ballena Guide, Osa, Costa Rica Free Digital Magazine and Travel Guide
Costa Ballena is where the forest meets the South Pacific Ocean in the Osa Canton. It comprises the area from the Barú River, crossing the bridge at Dominical to the mouth of the Térraba River in Coronado.
The area includes the following small towns: Dominical, Dominicalito, Hermosa Beach, San Josecito, Uvita, Bahía, Ballena, Ojochal, and Coronado.
Visit Uvita Beach at Marino Ballena National Park, the famous Whale’s Tail, with a length of about 2296 feet and a width of 820 feet; it is the world’s third-largest sandbank. During the low tide, you can walk to its very end.
Discover the wonders of Costa Ballena, and keep browsing to learn all you need to know about Costa Rica vacations in the South Pacific Region.
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Ballena Tales is a digital and interactive magazine and travel guide covering Costa Ballena in the Osa Canton and the South Pacific region of Costa Rica. On this site, you will find helpful information such as what to do, services, experiences, natural attractions, wildlife, tide charts, events, restaurants, and hotels in Costa Ballena, Osa, and the South Pacific of Costa Rica.
Our editorial priority is to satisfy our readers by publishing attractive content and highlighting the value of our advertisers' brands. The magazine, available in digital and print formats, highlights the local community. We collaborate free of charge with positive community initiatives and environmental organizations. It also includes interviews with pioneers, writers, and artists from the South Pacific region of Costa Rica.
The magazine goes beyond traditional print publications. Each issue, whether print or digital, is part of a robust digital ecosystem. Issues are accessible online, advertorials are featured on our blog, and brands are listed in the business directory on our website. The ads also include links to the advertising companies' websites and social media profiles.
The digital version has a worldwide reach with tens of thousands of opens. The print edition has a dedicated readership of more than 8,000 readers in the South Pacific Costa Ballena region. According to a study conducted in hotels, restaurants, pharmacies, offices, rental houses, supermarkets, and other places, the average readership for the print version was 2.3 local readers and 18 visitors per issue, totaling approximately 142,000 readers. This result corresponds to the printing of seven thousand copies per year.
MAGAZINE
Costa Ballena includes the three towns Dominical, Uvita, and Ojochal.
They have much to offer, from yoga retreats, surfing competitions, and culinary events to a nature walk in the jungle. The tropical climate of the South Pacific of Costa Rica and the happiness of its people make the great atmosphere in bars and restaurants to enjoy a good meal, a cold beer, and generally a pleasant evening.
Come and enjoy! READ MORE:
The South Pacific paradise of Costa Rica is one of the most beautiful places in the country. Ballena Tales is always there to help. Whether it's finding transportation or a good spa in the area, we know how to reach them or where to find them! By browsing through our Services Section, you can learn more about the services Costa Ballena offers. READ MORE:
Costa Ballena offers you the best surfing conditions: Sunshine almost every day, big waves, and a laid-back atmosphere and lifestyle. Dominical has specially developed into a real surfers' paradise.
The tides chart is one of the favorite pages of our visitors. It is essential to know the ideal time to visit the whale tail at the Marino Ballena National Park, and also useful for lovers of sports fishing and surfing. READ MORE:
Surf Season has arrived on the Ballena Coast!
Surf Season has arrived on the Ballena Coast of Dominical in Costa Rica! Much like our summer and winter seasons change, the seasons of big surf also changes. The summer months of hot sunny days […]
Avoid fines respect wildlife. Wildlife Conservation Law of Costa Rica, Article 3
The Osa Conservation Area reminds you, that Article 3 of the Wildlife Conservation in Costa Rica, Law No. 9106 declares public domain the wildlife that constitutes a renewable natural resource, which it is part of the National […]
Hacienda Barú: A Short Fat Tree with Big Roots
“This tree is famous,” declared the University of Costa Rica professor. “There’s not another like it in the entire country”. The tree he was referring to is a chilamate (Ficus tonduzii). Its photo has appeared […]
Tips: Safety on the Beach
Over the last 20 years, I’ve heard the same stories multiple times. Here is the first one “I locked up the car and hid my bag under the seat. But when I came back, one […]
La Ceiba Cargo Ship: The Keel has been laid
In January 2019 we reached an important milestone – the keel has officially been laid, bolted and secured down. This has been a hugely exciting moment that will go down in the history of Ceiba. […]
Stories Painted with Light
A nation without visual stories is a country without history. From George Melies, one of the first visual narrators, to the modern film industries, where Costa Ricans begin to appear. The seventh art is consolidated in […]
Reptilandia: A New Amazon Habitat
At Parque Reptilandia, we are always improving the enclosures for our animals. A study is made of the habitat of the concerning species by available literature and photographs. Sometimes the photographs are from my own […]
Butterflies: Casa Alegria is an Unforgettable Experience
On the slopes of Cerro Chirripó, in the town of Canaán de Rivas, Pérez Zeledón, Casa Alegría opens its doors to an unforgettable and fascinating experience. A recommended stop for all the people who visit […]
Environment: Cleaning the Canton of Osa
The volunteers who participated in the recent Beach Cleanups along Costa Ballena enthusiastically agreed that they were incredibly interesting actions: «We collaborated with a meritorious initiative, met new beaches and roads, made friends and enjoyed delicious meals […]
Training: Fit in Dominical
Dominical is not only a town known for its surfing, it’s known for the many activities that it offers. Just within the small town, you have many options for fitness activities aside from surfing, stand-up […]
Sports: Rugby in Costa Ballena
Are you familiar with Rugby? It is a high contact sport, created in England and popular in Europe, Asia, the Americas and Africa. It is the fastest growing sport in the United States and is […]
Tara: A Sirena Saving Lives
Tara had just finished surfing at Dominical and was watching the waves and the sunset. It was after 5 p.m. and the lifeguards had already headed home for the day. Suddenly she noticed two people […]
Beth Sylver: The Lifeguards’ Ambassador
Costa Ballena has come to greatly appreciate Beth Sylver´s dedicated input to improving the circumstances of the Guardavidas Costa Ballena Lifeguards. Beth and her husband, Gene, are from California where they used to produce fine […]

The Safest place in Costa Rica
Costa Ballena is growing and with that comes a need for greater community security and essential services. Because development and infrastructure take time, it falls on the community itself to meet the most urgent needs. […]
Surf: 8th Annual Dominical Semana Santa Classic
Once you have crossed the bridge of the Barú River, you have arrived at Dominical, a small coastal city where three regions are coming together: the Central Pacific, Pérez Zeledón and the South Pacific. Every […]
El Camino de Costa Rica
What began as a personal challenge recently became a record setting milestone for Lagunas resident Caryn Steele. After hiking the Camino de Santiago in Spain last year, Caryn decided to attempt the recently established El […]
DAWG: The Legacy Continues
Many who have lived in the Costa Ballena area knew Shawnell Parker as the “visible face” of DAWG for over 11 years and her tireless efforts made DAWG an important part of the Costa Ballena […]
Environment: Shark Secrets
The Isla del Caño Biological Reserve is one of the most biodiverse environments in the South Pacific of Costa Rica. it offers refuge to sharks and rays such as the white tip shark (Triaenodon obesus), […]
Botanica Landscape Service: “Your Garden, Our Passion”
Brimming with plant life, the Ballena Coast of Costa Rica is where you come to restore and refresh. You’ll find it easy to get lost in the moment when surrounded by this much beauty. Your […]
“OUT OF THE BLUE” Sings your Favorite Song!
When Scott Stephens founded Liquid Blue in 1996, his first hire was guitarist Michael Vangerov, who had recently departed from Elektra recording artist Chain Reaction. What started as a four-piece San Diego bar band grew […]
Vitamin C Megadosis
The hypothesis of the use of vitamin C for cancer treatment arose for the first time in the 50s. This therapy with high doses of intravenous vitamin C, came to be revealed at the end […]
Sanctuary Playa Tortuga
It is perhaps the most emblematic beach of the southern communities of Costa Ballena. It has a most dramatic appearance due to the particular mouth of the Térraba, Tortuga and Balsa rivers in its frontal […]
Plaza Tangara: A Place to Enjoy in Ojochal
Plaza Tangara, at the entrance of Ojochal, was built with passion. It is a small gem with its green courtyard and colorful benches, hinting for you to stay.
Birdwatching Cotingas Species: From White to Blue
Among the beautiful birds in Costa Rica, the cotingas deserve the name of South Pacific jewels. Their name derives from the term tupí-guaraní Catingá which was used to refer to the birds that by their […]