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:
Pioneer of the jungle
In 1971, Don Walter Odio returns to Uvita after having studied Animal Science at Louisiana State University, and becomes part of the family enterprise of El Rancho La Merced. Due to his newly acquired know-how, […]
John Tresemer – La Cusinga Ecolodge
At the beginning of the 70’s and just 21, John, a college dropout, sensitive and idealistic, left the States feeling unable to adjust to militarism, materialism and racism. He overcame the turbulent 60’s of Civil […]
Sam Reidy Takes The Title
By Samuel Reidy /Dagmar Reinhard Photo ~ by Fabian Thousands of people watched as the best surfers in Costa Rica battled it out in Playa Hermosa Jaco’s extreme conditions for the National Surf Titles. Sixteen-foot towering waves […]
The Fate of the Chonta Palm
By Jack Ewing “Look what I found,” beamed the tractor driver, “a palmito from a chonta palm.It’s the first one I’ve seen in a long time.” The cylindrical palm heart about a meter long rested […]
Vida Auténtica
By Corey Walker Vida Auténtica would like to give a loud CONGRATULATIONS! to the graduates of the 2015 Pueblo Roots Initiative. We are very proud to announce that 56 residents in the communities of Platanillo […]
Guadalupe Urbina & Paloma Coronado Manrique
While Guadalupe was playing her guitar and Paloma her pre-Columbian instruments, and their voices melted into a vibrant hymn to life, we were able to film them and then ask them about their viewpoint of life.
Costa Ballena Raises Funds for the Lifeguards
The Costa Ballena Lifeguard committee reports that theLG7 lifeguards at Playa Hermosa have rescued 30 people in 2015, recently they started hosting monthly parties to raise the funds needed to continue the program at Hermosa and re-open the tower in Dominical.

Owl Butterfly at the Butterfly Reserve in Playa Tortuga!
Most people here in Costa Ballena are familiar with the beautiful owl butterfly. In Costa Rica they are the largest butterflies, and are represented by five species of the genus Caligo
News from La Patrona at Patron’s
In Dominical great things are happening at Patron’s. By Dagmar Reinhard We talked to La Patrona, and this is what she told us: “We are expanding our Events Center with regular performances of national and international […]
Experience in Costa Rica
by Dagmar ReinhardIndira Pintin and Patrice Racine are FrenchCanadians from Montreal; they decided to take a sabbatical from their jobs. Indira had been working as an IT business analyst and Patrice as a high school […]
Forging Wings: Our mission
By Ericka Sibaja Our mission is to promote the integral development of the children and teenagers of Uvita and Bahía Ballena through educational, artistic, and recreational programs so that they can choose to be responsible, […]
Costa Ballena Private Chef & Catering
By Dagmar Reinhard Private Chef & Catering will create an event that will make you look good, and your guests will never forget.
The Coyotes
By Dagmar Reinhard The Recreational Motorcycle Association Los Coyotes, founded in 1994, traveled from Cartago to Bahía Uvita. For some of the club members, this is their third time. Bon voyage friends! Pura Vida!

Alturas Wildlife Sanctuary Tour
Alturas Wildlife Sanctuary, it’s mission is to help preserve wildlife in southern Costa Rica through its rescue, rehabilitation, and reintroduction to…
MANOAS RENTAL VILLAS UVITA, a place of rest!
Steve & Tatum, Manoas Rental Villas´owners, came to Costa Rica after falling in love with it’s nature, beauty, pace of life and friendly culture. With a dream to build a unique place where guests can feel like they have escaped the world outside and are on a private getaway, they fell in love with Manoas.
Oxygen Jungle Villas
Oxygen Jungle Villas in Uvita, Costa Ballena Costa Rica is a great retreat for anyone looking to relax, for couples and honeymooners alike. And Oxygen makes the perfect venue for weddings.
Drugs and Love
By Shawnell Parker – Director DAWG A Winning Combination, One day, a nice lady was driving down the Costanera and saw a little white blob. The pup was unconscious, hairless, and breathing very shallowly. Frijolita […]
You Want to Get a Pet?
By Dr. Fernando Riera S. A dog? or a cat? Before getting a pet, please, ask yourself why do you want to have it, and if you can actually provide it with an adequate lifestyle. Invariably, the […]
Brighten the Christmas time..
“For it is in giving that we receive.” – Francis of Assisi Every year, as we approach the holiday season, families gather together to celebrate with festive decorations, feasts and fiestas, and often, an exchange of gifts. What is […]
The Lookout Hotel
By Scott Dinsmore The Lookout Hotel has been home away from home to many of the now staple residents of Ojochal. A place where people fell in love with each other and Ojochal. Marriage proposals, weddings, family reunions, couple’s […]
Big Waves #ZonaSur-F
By Cheme During the green season in Costa Ballena and the Osa Peninsula, the big waves season reaches its highest level. Get hold of this opportunity, and take a surf trip with the pals! The South Pacific is […]
Celebrating the Sierpe Wetlands
The Sierpe-Terraba Wetlands is a cause for great celebration, and the town of Sierpe knows how to celebrate! Music, food, dance, soccer, cultural art and The Tope (a gorgeous horse parade) were alive and in living color during […]
Culinary Artists at Hotel Vista Ballena Uvita
The Whales and Dolphins Restaurant offers an incredible selection of traditional food, and North American cuisine for breakfast lunch and dinner. Our passionate chefs will create decorative and mouth-watering dishes that will tease and satisfy all of your senses. The Whales and Dolphins Restaurant is quickly becoming recognized as the premier place in the South Pacific to enjoy an incredibly romantic or relaxing sunset dinner with 180 degree ocean view and sunset vistas. You may choose from our comprehensive and affordable menu, or choose to indulge in one of our chefs food creations offered through our nightly specials.
La Flor de la Sabana
Don Melvin Beita learned the business from scratch, when he was a six-year-old boy, he started working at the family business