Travel Guide Costa Rica South Pacific

Ballena Tales is a Magazine and Travel Guide for the South Pacific region of Costa Rica, based in Uvita on the Costa Ballena since 2008. It connects companies of Costa Ballena and Osa - South Pacific with the rest of Costa Rica and the world. We are a multilingual, multidisciplinary team and are proud of our open, long-standing cooperation with national and international partners.

In Ballena Tales Magazine & Travel Guide, you will find useful and entertaining information about sights, hotels, restaurants, bars, lifestyle, wildlife, and adventure of the Osa Peninsula and Costa Ballena.

Stay up to date - Here you will find our latest articles and posts of the current issue

We are not just a magazine; each edition (print and digital) is linked to a robust web platform; the editions are published online, and the advertorials are included in our blog and the brand in the commercial directory. We also add links to the advertising company's website and social networks. At this time, the openings of digital publications in all their expressions exceed 80 thousand openings, and the advertised brands have a global reach.

We have a loyal audience of over 8,000 readers in the South Pacific's Costa Ballena region who will view your news in each printed edition.

We prioritize our readers' satisfaction by delivering a variety of engaging content while showcasing the value of our advertisers' brands.

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The Neotropical Rattlesnakes – Jingle bells of the Snake World

Neotropical Rattlesnakes, does this word ring a bell to you? I think everyone has heard of them or seen them on television, stealing the show in cowboy movies or nature documentaries. Famous for their rattling tail tip, actually modified scales, being a series of hollow interlocking segments made out of keratin (the same substance as your fingernails.)

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Climate, Mood and Environment - Clima, estado de ánimo y ambiente

Sure Climate, Mood, and Environment are connected!

Sure they are connected! Climate, Mood, and Environment. We are all interested. Today no one can ignore the weather news.
Our weather apps show what’s happening here and in the intercontinental sky up to the minute.

Without looking at the weather every day, nothing is planned anymore, no excursion or event, especially no trip.

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mangrove

Sierpe Mangrove Boat Tour Costa Rica

The mangrove boat tour with “Kokopelli Mangrove Tours” was amazing and pretty exciting. I was able to see so many animals that I have never seen before in real life. I would highly recommend enjoying this tour if you are interested in the wildlife of Costa Rica and want to learn more about mangroves.

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Maintenance outdoors, mantenimiento de exteriores

Maintenance outdoors, Do it Yourself

The dry season is here! The best time to perform maintenance outdoors. We have just faced one of the strongest rainy seasons in recent years. We can observe a more significant deterioration in our buildings and mainly in outdoor areas that were spaces exposed to inclement weather.

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Urban Life vs. Life in the Tropics, Vida Urbana vs. Vida en los Trópicos

Life in the Tropics vs. Urban Life

We, lovers of our Tropical Properties, see life here as a big trade up from where we used to be. If you feel ready for your life in the tropics, too, contact me for more information about what the dream life is like in South Pacific Costa Rica.

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YOU’VE GOT TO BE TOUGH TO BE AN AGOUTI

When you’re walking through the rainforest and surprise an animal that goes bouncing through the undergrowth emitting panicked, bark-like grunts with every bounce, you’ve certainly startled a Central American Agouti (Dasysyprocta punctata). After 20 years of living here, I finally saw one standing still. Once the hunting was under control on Hacienda Barú National Wildlife Refuge, their fear of humans diminished considerably.

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“Entangled in Costa Rica” A Documentary about whales rescue 2021

It is not unusual for residents on the South Pacific side of Costa Rica to witness humpback whales swimming along the coast with their newborn calves during migratory whale seasons. For anyone, being able to rescue a female whale and her calf’s life is a once in a lifetime encounter. Innoceana, in association with filmmakers The Vegan Pirates, produced a short documentary “Entangled in Costa Rica.”

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Veganism is on the rise – and it is far more than a food trend!

It leads to a lifestyle based on sustainability and compassion.
The three pillars of veganism are:

1. Compassion for all animals (i.e. an understanding that there is no difference between a chicken or a dog, a calf, or a cat).
2. The concern and care for environmental issues (i.e. massive land use and pollution caused by life stock farming, pesticides, antibiotics, etc.); and
3. The positive effects on health (i.e., low cholesterol, no lactose intolerance, a pure conscience, etc.).

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Being on the first page of Google

Before the Internet’s availability, people consulted countless non-digital sources such as phone books and shared friends’ opinions about hotel and restaurant services.
Today consumers have an Internet connection 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, to search for information from their computer or cell phone.

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Le French Café – Plaza Bahía Moana

Le French Café at the brand new Moana Plaza Bahía stands out for its innovative decoration. The large terraces welcome the sea breezes, and there are comfortable seats, a well-equipped bar, and display cases with delicacies in bread, desserts, and sweets.

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Alma de Ojochal Hotel

The Alma De Ojochal Hotel is, as the name says, “the soul of Ojochal” and is in tune with the spirit of Pura Vida on the South Western coast of Costa Rica. Here you will have the feeling of enjoying life to the fullest, embracing experience and adventure in a very relaxed atmosphere.

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Ventanas Beach

What a beautiful spot. You will now understand why people love this secluded beach, surrounded by lush rainforest and lined with palm trees. It mostly has calm waves. The shallow waters are safe for children (always under their parents’ observation and paying attention to the lifeguards’ alerts.)

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local economy - economía local

How YOU can help the local economy

Indeed, most of the Costa Ballena region is dependent on tourism. Given that as the background, we hear from our homeowners, clients, and the social media channels: What can we do to help with the local economy?

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Where does your native timber come from?

Where does your native timber come from?

Most of the construction on the Costa Ballena and Osa Peninsula is done by hotels and second-home builders drawn by the lush rainforest. Native timber feels like an obvious choice: who doesn’t love a handcrafted Cristobal door’s luxury?

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travels by bicycle

In Osa the history travels by bicycle

It is an exhibition with identity, designed by and for the inhabitants of the Osa Canton. It is a temporary exhibition “In Osa history travels by bicycle,” which you can admire at the Finca 6 Museum site, in Palmar Sur.

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teenage monkeys, monos adolescentes

The Strange Behavior of a Gang of Teenage Monkeys

The whole gang of teenage monkeys turned tail, ran for the fig tree, scuffled for a position, and ascended to the crown. Once safe from the mother raccoon, they seemed to lose interest in her, like a person trying to forget an embarrassing incident and pretending it never happened. The monkeys returned to their vagrant behavior, and mama continued about her business with her cubs at her side.

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Piper Umbellatum

The surprising benefits of Piper Umbellatum

Before pulling it out as an ordinary weed, I took a photo with an app called PlantNet. And in a second, I had its name; Google told me the rest. I am impressed by the surprising benefits of Piper Umbellatum. It is a plant growing in tropical áreas, and you can find it along our rural streets and in your garden. It can flower all year round if there is sufficient moisture.

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Basilisk

Most probably, you have seen a creature crossing a stream with high speed on his hind legs. This runner is a basilisk, also called Jesus Christ lizard. Basilisks can do this because of their large feet and specialized flattened toe fringes. These fold out when the foot presses down on the water surface.

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sharks - tiburones

The Secret Life of the Sharks

After four years of research, the first results of the project The Secret Life of Sharks of Costa Rica are published in the Scientific Reports journal of Nature Research, a journal with a high impact worldwide.

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slow cooker - cocimiento lento

The Slow Cooker – Making Life Easier

Enter the idea of food prep and a slow cooker. This contraption is a game-changer in my life. Instead of just throwing together a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a banana and calling it lunch, I am eating heartier, more satisfying meals now. I am spending so much less time at the stove and cleaning up after. I make large portions at a time and freeze whatever I don’t eat.

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Stone spheres esferas de piedra

THE DIQUIS STONE SPHERES

The stone spheres are a representative sculptural element of the chiefdom societies of the Diquís delta. These artifacts were used as symbolic, ritual, socio-political objects, and possibly as chronological, status, and power markers. Its manufacture constituted an extended tradition, approximately between 300-400 BC. until 1500 A.D. During this period, its production and use reached its maximum development.

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Ballena Tales is an essential free digital magazine in Costa Rica, valid for travelers, residents, and investors covering Costa Ballena in the Canton of Osa in the South Pacific of Costa Rica. It is a fully bilingual, bi-monthly, and full-color digital magazine.

The magazine introduces the reader to the life of the local community, with interviews of pioneers, writers, and artists, as well as extensive information on restaurants, hotels, experiences, natural attractions, and wildlife of the South Pacific of Costa Rica.

Dare to Discover and Enjoy…

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Need help planning your next trip? Let us help you with your Costa Rica vacations!

Email: carlos@ballenatales.com
Phone: +(506) 8946 7134