Taking a stroll along the Whale Tail is one of the most popular things to do in Uvita. The Whale Tail is a sand spit which only appears around low tide, and allows you to walk along the thin sliver of sand with the ocean on either side of you. Its whale tail shape can only really be seen from the air, so it’s best viewed from a drone or a scenic flight.
However, a visit here is not all about the whale tail itself, as Uvita Beach (where the tail is located) is absolutely beautiful. It’s huge, backed by palm trees and has a wonderful wild vibe. The views looking back towards the forested mountains are stunning, and worth the visit alone.
Here’s everything you need to know about the walk to the Whale Tail.
The Whale Tail
A note on tides
We made the mistake of thinking the whale tail could only be viewed at low tide itself, and ended up walking out there in the hottest part of the day which coincided with low tide.
When we got to the entrance we saw the sign which mentioned that the whale tail would be visible between 11am and 4.30pm - far before and beyond low tide itself, which was at 2pm that day. Therefore although you cannot visit at high tide, you have far more flexibility than thinking you must be very close to low tide.
If you get the chance it would be perfect to try and line your visit up with sunset, the sun will be less intense and the spit faces west, so you’ll get a wonderful sunset view.
To check the tides times for your visit, you can use this website.
The walk to the Whale Tail
The stats
Distance: 1.8km each way
Elevation gain: 0m
Difficulty: Easy
The walk
From the entrance gate you have a couple of minutes walking along a dirt road before you cut onto the beach. There are no signposts, but you just head right along the sand and you will probably see it in the distance.
Although the beach is backed by palms and a little bit of forest, there is no shade on the walk itself. You can take little breaks in the shade, but you’re otherwise fully exposed.
I’d recommend walking barefoot in the water to keep you cool - Uvita is a seriously hot part of Costa Rica! The ocean is really warm, but at least it’s a touch more refreshing than the sand!
Once you’ve been walking for 1.3km you’ll reach the start of the tail. You can then walk along the sand spit for a further 500m until you reach the rocks.
Although you could walk further, over the rocks, there’s no real need to as you don’t really get any better views.
As mentioned you won’t really feel that you’re on a whale tail as it’s only visible from the air, but it’s a gorgeous spot and the views from the tail looking back across the beach are stunning. It would also be a lovely place to watch the sunset if the tides are in your favour.
You can also swim at the beach, there are waves, but it was relatively calm on our visit. We saw some people snorkelling, although visibility didn’t look great.
Overall, it’s a lovely spot for a stroll and walking along the sand spit itself it fun!
The entry fee and opening hours
The Whale Tail is located in Marino Ballena National Park and as such there’s an entry fee. At time of writing you don’t need to book online like you do for parks such as Tortuguero. The entry fee is USD $6 plus tax for adult foreigners. You can pay at the ticket booth by the entry gates and credit cards are accepted.
The park opens at 7am and though it stops people entering by 4pm, if you’re already inside the park you can stay until 6pm (which is how you’re able to watch the sunset).
Parking and how to get there
There are several entry points for Marino Ballena National Park and you need to go to the entry gate just by Uvita beach (you can find it on Google Maps by clicking here). This is located 3km from Uvita town centre. There are two roads, one is paved and one is dirt, but neither require a 4WD, or anything other than a normal car.
There is no official car park at the national park, but a number of private car parks are located along the road leading up to the entry gates. We parked at the closest one, which was literally 20 seconds from the gate, and we were charged USD $5. This was for all day parking.
There were other options further away from the gates which may be a little cheaper.
If you don’t have a car you could probably hire a bike in Uvita and cycle to the park as it’s really not too far away.
Facilities
There are flush toilets and showers located beside the ticket office. The showers weren’t overly clean, but they’d do to rinse off. They also had hoses outside if you just want to wash your feet.
There are many restaurants lining the road to the park and a drinks seller just beside the entry gates.
Alternative to the walking to the Whale Tail
If you don’t want to walk out to the Whale Tail, you can also visit by boat. Tours combine the Whale Tail with other things such as snorkelling and whale watching (generally mid July - mid November, and mid December - April). As we walked out we can’t speak for how good the tours are, but this one includes paddling out by kayak and snorkelling.
Where we stayed in Uvita
Madre Terra, Uvita
We stayed at Madre Terra in Uvita. It’s a good option with small, but clean rooms in a quiet setting. The AC was great, but as the windows and door were fully screened, we slept with them open instead. The shower had good pressure and the location was very close to town. We did hear a bit of noise from the surrounding area until around 10pm, after which it was completely silent. In the morning you’ll hear the Howler monkeys, which is always special.
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