Park guides, catamarans, sportfishing, ziplines, rafting, and more. Every listing checked against live sources.
Costa Ballena's 47 verified tours are the most varied in this directory, led by 7 surf schools and 7 yoga and retreat centers, plus whale and dolphin watching out of Uvita's Marino Ballena National Park, waterfall tours, and a wildlife sanctuary.
Dominical
Non-profit wildlife rescue center between Dominical and Uvita, adjacent to the Savegre Biosphere Reserve and the Paso de la Danta biological corridor connecting the coast to the Osa Peninsula. Alturas has rescued roughly 210 species of native Costa Rican wildlife and runs guided tours, internships and volunteer programs alongside its rehabilitation work.
Dominical
An ATV tour operator based in Dominical, offering a full-day guided ride to Eco Chontales Waterfall through jungle terrain. The tour includes bilingual guides, all safety equipment, and a traditional Costa Rican lunch with countryside views. Duration is 4 to 5 hours.
Uvita
A Costa Rican-owned, CST-certified marine tour operator in Bahia Ballena, running humpback whale and dolphin tours inside Marino Ballena National Park since 2007. The same team also runs Cano Island snorkeling, Terraba-Sierpe mangrove kayak and wildlife trips, offshore and inshore sportfishing, and guided night and birding walks. Two whale seasons, July to October and late December to February, bring humpbacks from both hemispheres.
Uvita
Ecotourism company operating in Bahia Ballena, Uvita for more than 13 years, offering ocean kayak and snorkel tours, mangrove kayak trips, whale and dolphin watching, sport fishing, and Isla del Cano and Corcovado excursions. Bookings run through phone, WhatsApp or the company's Spanish-language website.
Uvita
Local, family-founded tour operator in Bahia Ballena started by fisherman Captain Maximino 'Chumi' more than 30 years ago, offering guided hikes and boat trips inside Marino Ballena National Park plus Corcovado and Isla del Cano excursions. The company describes itself as a pioneer of Uvita whale watching, now running mangrove, kayak and sportfishing tours alongside its park guiding.
Uvita
ICT-certified tour operator based in Uvita running guided trips inside Marino Ballena National Park, including a slothwatching coastal-trail walk, marine-station hikes, a night wildlife walk, and boat trips to Corcovado and Isla del Cano. Guides are described on the company site as certified naturalists.
Ojochal
Local mangrove boat tour company based about one kilometer south of the Ojochal entrance, running wildlife tours through the Terraba river mangrove system. The company is reachable by phone and email and maintains active Facebook and Instagram pages for booking and updates.
Uvita
Yoga shala 380 meters west of the BCR bank in central Uvita, offering daily drop-in Hatha classes and RYT200 yoga teacher training retreats. Owner Katherine leads classes with a focus on inclusion and holistic wellbeing alongside a yoga therapy and psychotherapy practice.
Uvita
Blacktip Divers Costa Rica is a PADI-affiliated dive shop based in Uvita, fully staffed and operated by Costa Ricans, running trips to Isla del Cano for certified divers and snorkelers. The shop offers PADI scuba, freediving, and snorkeling courses, air fills, nitrox, and equipment rental, with six PADI instructors on staff.
Uvita
Two-story open-air yoga studio at the Bodhi Surf + Yoga lodge in Bahia Ballena, offering daily Vinyasa Flow classes for guests and drop-ins alongside combined surf-and-yoga camps. The platform seats up to 15 students and looks out over the property's pool and creek.
Dominical
Family-owned access point to Nauyaca Waterfalls, run by the Jimenez Solis family since 1992 on land their parents Braulio and Ruth first worked as cattle ranchers. Offers hiking, 4x4 pickup transport, and the area's original horseback tour to the two-tier falls, with a natural pool for swimming at the base.
Uvita
Boat tour operator based in Bahia Ballena, Uvita, offering half day inshore and full day offshore fishing trips alongside whale and dolphin watching, Cano Island snorkeling, and Sierpe mangrove tours. The company runs its own boat out of Uvita beach and can be reached directly by WhatsApp for bookings.
Uvita
A waterfall rappelling and canyoning operator based in Uvita with over 15 years of experience. The shared tour covers six waterfalls with rappelling, cliff jumping, swimming, and jungle hiking, with certified guides, photos, and a traditional lunch included. Shared tours depart at 9 am and private tours at 1 pm.
Uvita
Rural tourism operator based in Bahia Ballena connecting visitors with local host families for traditional Costa Rican cooking classes alongside cultural exchange activities. Founded in 2013 by Noilyn Ramirez Arias, the outfit partners with about 20 host families across the Uvita area.
Uvita
A PADI 5-Star Dive Resort 200 meters from the Marino Ballena National Park entrance, operating since 2008 as the only PADI-certified dive center in the Dominical-Uvita area. Daily dive trips run to Cano Island and local reef sites, with PADI courses from Open Water through Divemaster, and the same certified team also offers surf lessons and board rental. A fleet of four dedicated dive boats serves the operation.
Dominical
Costa Rica Surf Camp is a surf shop and school run by Cesar and Kaitlyn on the beach in Dominical, next to El Coco Restaurant, offering daily beginner and intermediate lessons plus multi-day surf camp packages. The shop rents a fleet of about 50 boards in fiberglass and epoxy, shortboards through longboards, and sells lightly used boards through its surfboard exchange.
Uvita
Costa Verde Surf Shop is Uvita's first full-service surf shop, selling new and used boards from Channel Island, Lost, Patterson, Torq, and Banzai, alongside rentals, beachwear, and accessories. It is open Monday through Saturday and serves as the town's main stop for surf gear rather than lessons.
Uvita
A private sportfishing charter at the Marino Ballena National Park harbor in Uvita, running full-day and 6-hour offshore trips plus half-day and full-day inshore trips. Offshore targets include Pacific sailfish, marlin, tuna, wahoo, and dorado; inshore trips work river mouths and rocks for roosterfish, cubera snapper, and jack crevalle. The boat takes up to 4 guests and all trips are private.
Uvita
A tour operator with over 20 years running whale and dolphin watching tours from Uvita inside Marino Ballena National Park. The same fleet also runs Cano Island snorkeling day trips and inshore and offshore sportfishing charters. Boats carry updated safety gear and liability insurance, and guides follow cetacean-sighting regulations.
Dominical
A locally owned surf school on Dominical and Dominicalito beaches since 2005, with ISA and ILS certified instructors. Lessons are capped at two students per instructor, and the school runs week-long camps that include accommodation as well as a dedicated women's surf camp. Board rentals are available independently of lessons.
Uvita
Freediving Uvita is a freediving school led by instructors Sylvain Lambrechts and Charline Pelz-Ferry, offering Molchanovs Wave 1 and Wave 2 certification courses, a half-day discovery session, and a dedicated spearfishing course. The school runs private ocean tours from its own boat that combine freediving with whale watching and reef exploration during the season.
Dominical
Head High Surf Shop is a surfboard rental and sales shop in Dominical carrying boards from Lost, Tomo, Slater Designs, Machados by Firewire, Hayden Shapes, and Torq, plus new boards from local shaper Genaro Garro. It also offers two-hour surf lessons for $70 with a local instructor and rents rooms on-site through its Surf Suites.
Uvita
An ATV and side-by-side UTV tour operator in central Uvita, with a 4 to 5 hour route that climbs to 4,000 feet through mountain ranges and jungle trails. The tour includes a stop at a family coffee farm, Whale's Tail views from the ridge, and a swim at a small waterfall. Tours depart from the Uvita headquarters with no van transfer.
Uvita
A family-run ATV and side-by-side tour operation founded by Alberto (Morete), running 4 to 5 hour guided tours that include San Luis Waterfall, mountain ridgelines with Whale's Tail views, a coffee farm tasting, and seasonal fruit stops. Tours begin at 8:30 am and a driver's license is required. Private tours are available on request.
Dominical
A separate private nature park entrance to Nauyaca Waterfalls, with a 2.7 km maintained trail through rainforest and a 4x4 trolley option for visitors who prefer to skip the hike. The park markets itself as the quieter of the two access points, with fewer crowds and river-protection projects underway.
Dominical
The official access operator for Cataratas Nauyaca, 10 km from Dominical, run by the same family for over 30 years. The site has two falls, a 45-meter upper cascade and a 20-meter stepped lower fall with a swimmable pool. Visitors choose a self-guided hike, a shared 4x4 truck tour, a sunset tour, or a guided horseback ride to the falls.
Uvita
Family-owned zipline operation on a 323-hectare private primary rainforest reserve on the Costanera Highway south of Uvita, overlooking the Terraba River mouth. The course covers seven cables (up to 1.1 km long), 13 platforms, three rappels and two hanging bridges, with a 230-pound weight limit.
Ojochal
Osa Jet Ski runs guided jet ski tours out of Ojochal, with an ocean route past sea caves and the islets of Isla Ballena and Las Tres Hermanas, and a calmer mangrove route suited to first-time riders. Both tours are guided and include stops for wildlife such as sea turtles, rays, and seasonal whales on the ocean route.
Uvita
Osa Travels is a tour operator based in Bahia Ballena offering diving and snorkeling trips to Isla del Cano Biological Reserve, along with whale and dolphin watching, mangrove boat tours in Terraba-Sierpe, sportfishing charters, and Corcovado National Park day trips. Its Cano Island dive trip includes two immersions with certified guides, professional equipment, and stops to see white-tip sharks, rays, and sea turtles.
Dominical
Family-owned operator giving guided access to Diamante, a roughly 600-foot waterfall on a private reserve in the cloud forest above Dominical, billed as one of the tallest in Costa Rica. Guides are local, rescue-certified and bilingual, and the outfit runs day trips and overnight camp-style stays at a midway garden lodge, with optional rappelling and canyoneering add-ons.
Dominical
Reptile and amphibian park a short drive from Dominical, holding one of the largest collections of snakes, crocodiles, turtles and lizards in Costa Rica. The park is open daily 9am to 4pm, no reservation required, with separate ticket prices for residents and foreign visitors and payment accepted in cash or by card at the gate.
Dominical
A kayak and stand-up paddleboard tour operator in Dominical, with a signature mangrove nature tour through the Matapalo system at an educational pace. The catalogue also includes a Whale's Tail combo snorkel-and-kayak tour, ocean kayaking through the Ventanas sea caves, and a Rio Baru river paddle.
Uvita
A hands-on cacao and chocolate tour on a private farm in Playa Hermosa near Bahia Ballena, 10 minutes from Uvita. The tour walks through the full bean-to-bar process using Mayan-style methods, including fermenting, roasting, and grinding cacao, followed by a tasting, on an 80-acre rainforest reserve.
Uvita
Farm-to-table cooking class run by chef Jazmin Godinez on her family farm above Uvita, using produce grown on site and seafood caught locally. Classes walk guests through traditional Costa Rican dishes, often followed by a multi-course dinner of what was prepared.
Uvita
A working cattle ranch and private wildlife refuge near Punta Uvita, adjacent to Marino Ballena National Park, offering horseback rides through pasture, forest trails and along Playa Hermosa. Rides run daily at set times, with a dedicated sunset tour scheduled around the tide, and helmets and children's saddles are provided.
Ojochal
Non-profit research and education center founded in 2009 that protects the olive ridley nesting beach at Playa Tortuga, moving threatened nests into a guarded hatchery and releasing hatchlings. On weekend mornings the reserve runs a public guided walk of its trails and hatchery led by biologist Oscar Brenes, and it also runs a longer-running volunteer program covering night beach patrols during the July-to-December nesting season.
Dominical
Yoga studio perched above Dominical between the river and the jungle, running music-driven Vinyasa classes six days a week with no reservation needed for drop-ins. Led by instructor Laura, the studio also hosts themed community classes and fundraising sessions.
Quepos
A private sailing and catamaran charter company departing from Marina Pez Vela in Quepos that offers morning, sunset, and full-day charters along the coast between Quepos and Manuel Antonio National Park. Whale watching is a seasonal specialty from July through October and December through February when humpbacks pass through. All boats carry snorkeling gear, fishing rods, and optional stand-up paddleboards.
Ojochal
Yoga studio on Calle del Jardin just off the main road of Ojochal, set on an elevated open-air teak platform overlooking the river canopy. Owner and instructor Katherine teaches classes suited to all levels and experience, from beginners to longtime practitioners.
Uvita
Yoga and meditation studio and event space in Bahia Ballena, recently relocated to the Invictus property near central Uvita. Hosts yoga classes, dance, breathwork, and cacao ceremony events accessible by foot, bike, or car.
Uvita
An ISA-certified surf school and board rental based at Playa Hermosa in Uvita, open daily 7 am to 5 pm. Group, semi-private, and private lessons use softtop and performance boards, and private lessons include digital photos, beach chairs, umbrella, water, and fruit.
Dominical
A surf school and board rental shop on Dominical beach with 16 years of operation, open daily 9 am to 5 pm. Lessons cover beginner through advanced levels and include a land session before water time. Week-long surf immersion packages and corporate retreat support are available.
Dominical
Yoga sanctuary in Dominicalito with a full weekly schedule of Vinyasa Flow, Hatha, Pilates, sound healing, and a bilingual kids yoga club taught by a rotating group of international instructors. Drop-in classes need no reservation for groups under five and mats are free to borrow.
Dominical
A family-run surf school on Dominical beach offering beginner through advanced lessons with a structured land-and-water method. The shop also handles surfboard ding repair and shaping, and has boards for rent and sale. Open 8 am to 5 pm daily.
Uvita
Uvita-based booking desk and tour agency acting as a one-stop shop for whale watching, Cano Island snorkeling, Corcovado day trips, car rental, shuttles and other local services. The agency books through a roster of area tour operators rather than running its own tours directly.
Uvita
Small local outfit combining a zipline circuit with rappelling, a monkey drop line, a natural pool and slide, and lunch, plus separate full-day waterfall tours in the area. Bookings run through WhatsApp and Instagram rather than a large storefront operation.
Dominical
An independent, French-speaking travel agency and tour operator founded by Emilie Verhee, a 14-year Costa Rica expat based in Dominical. Books nature excursions, guided national park visits, and whale/dolphin tours across multiple regions, plus custom day-by-day itinerary planning as a standalone paid service.
Uvita
Boutique yoga retreat center just south of Ballena Paradise Hotel, near the main entrance to Marino Ballena National Park. Offers vinyasa-focused classes, yoga teacher trainings, and private cabana stays for retreat guests.
Yes, Bahia Aventuras runs verified whale and dolphin watching tours from Uvita, home to Marino Ballena National Park and its whale's-tail sandbar.
Yes, 7 verified surf schools operate here, more than any other tour category in the zone, centered on Dominical's beach breaks.
Yes, 7 verified yoga and retreat centers serve the zone, tied with surf schools as the deepest category here.
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