Costa Rica Part III: Uvita

From San Gerardo we headed back through San Isidro and over to the Pacific Coast, to the little town of Uvita, home of Marina Ballena National Park. We did not see any of the humpback whales that the area is known for (we didn't try very hard), but it is a gorgeous beach nonetheless, with soft, fine sand lined by coconut palms and mountains in the background. The water is as warm as bathwater, and protected by a spit of land known as the "whale's tail", making for a very relaxing swim.

We had a great hike to swim in a waterfall in Uvita, but forgot to take a spare set of camera batteries there with us. So you'll just have to take our word for it that it was big and beautiful, and that we saw a nest with baby hummingbirds in it on our way there.

Our hotel in Uvita was Los Laureles. The folks running it lived in Frederick, MD for 9 years -- it gave us quite a chuckle to meet a guy in Costa Rica who went to high school down the road from our friends in Frederick. This was perhaps the nicest place we stayed -- with a real bed, A/C, a hot shower, and even a little fridge, which was really nice, because Uvita is really hot. Plus they had a bit of land, on which we saw toucans, trogons, morpho butterflies, and a sloth. They're 2 km from the beach, but closer to the waterfalls. I think I'll take that trade.