If you’re interested in Costa Rica whale watching tours during your vacation, this post will help you plan your visit. You’ll read about the different whales you can see in Costa Rica, the best places and times to see them and the best whale watching tours in Costa Rica.
**If you’re ready to book a whale watching tour in Uvita, click here to jump down to the booking form to reserve your tour!*
What Whales in Costa Rica Can You See?
The most common whale to see in Costa Rica are the humpback whales as they pass by Costa Rica more than 6 months of the year. In fact, Costa Rica has the longest humpback whale watching season in the world thanks to both the Northern and Southern hemisphere whales passing by.
The other whales that pass by Costa Rica are deep ocean dwellers. Bryde’s Whales are also seen in Costa Rica. Orcas have been seen but are not common in Costa Rica.
Another whale you may see are pilot whales, which are actually the second largest oceanic dolphin.
Best Time to Go Humpback Whale Watching in Costa Rica
The humpback whale season in Costa Rica is December to mid March and mid/end July to mid October. Uvita, a small beach town in the South Pacific coast is the only place that has a great abundance of humpback whales during both of these times of the year. For this reason, Uvita is the best place in Costa Rica to see humpback whales.
The best months to see humpback whales in Costa Rica are January, February, August and September. This is when whales are very active and abundant as they come to breed and raise their young. However, for near daily sightings, August and September are the best months for humpback whale watching in Costa Rica. Those months are the best time to go on a Costa Rica whale watching tour.
February is also another good month to see humpback whales in Costa Rica. You can also see humpback whales in March, but activity starts going down after mid March.
April, July, December and October are right at the tail end/beginning of whale season so chances are not quite as high, but there are always possibilities.
Humpback Whales in Costa Rica
Two types of humpback whales pass through Costa Rica: Southern and Northern Hemisphere.
The Southern Hemisphere humpback whales travel from Antarctica to Costa Rica from late July through October.
Northern hemisphere whales head to Central America from Alaska from the months of December to March.
Because of this, Costa Rica has the longest humpback whale season in the world!
Best Places to See Whales in Costa Rica
Osa Peninsula
Drake Bay and Golfito (Golfo Dulce) are two other excellent places to see whales. There are also many dolphins.
Gulf of Papagayo (Guanacaste)
Humpback whales are commonly seen in the Gulf of Papagayo during the months of July – September. We have seen humpback whales multiple times in this area during the months of July and August.
It’s not as common to see humpback whales in this area December – March but they are around, especially in February. In February 2021, we saw a mom and baby on our way to Witch’s Rock in Santa Rosa National Park!
Although there aren’t dedicated Gulf of Papagayo/Guanacaste whale watching tours, you have a chance to see them on a snorkeling or beach hopping tour.
Tamarindo/Conchal/Flamingo
You can also see humpback whales on a boat tour out of Tamarindo and Flamingo. You must boat out of the bays to see them. In August and September, there are high possibilities to see whales and dolphins on catamaran, snorkeling and scuba diving tours.
I saw a humpback whale breaching coming back from a scuba diving excursion at the Las Catalinas Islands in August. It was amazing!
Uvita
The national park in Uvita, Marino Ballena National Park was created specifically to protect the waters as this is considered the best place in Costa Rica to see humpback whales. This area offers the best whale watching in Costa Rica so you have the best chances of seeing humpback whales in Uvita in Costa Rica.
It’s common to see mom and baby whales together as this is the time where mothers nurse their young and teach them how to breach, dive and feed. The babies are very playful and sometimes when you see them they are splashing their fins around and eagerly jumping out to practice!
Gulf of Nicoya
Another good place to see whales are in the Gulf of Nicoya. If you take the Tortuga Island day cruise during the whale season, there’s a good chance you may see some in August and September!
Manuel Antonio
It is possible to see humpback whales from Manuel Antonio during August and September. You can book a Manuel Antonio catamaran cruise which offers opportunities to see whales in August and September. However, this is not guaranteed. If you want the best chances of seeing whales in Manuel Antonio, we highly recommend to go to Uvita for a whale watching tour which is a 1 hour drive south.
Golfo Dulce (Osa Peninsula)
The Golfo Dulce, a large gulf in the Osa Peninsula is a haven for humpback whales and dolphins. There are tours you can take to see the whales and dolphins and sometimes you can see huge pods of dozens of dolphins fishing, swimming and hunting! The perk of going to the Golfo Dulce is that it is not nearly as touristic as other destinations like Manuel Antonio, Flamingo or the Papagayo Gulf.
Costa Rica Whale Watching Tours
Whale Watching Tours Manuel Antonio: Visitors have a chance to see them during the season on a catamaran cruise (mostly August and September). Some companies may also offer to take you to Uvita for whale watching which has better opportunities.
Whale Watching Tours Tamarindo: There are no specific whale watching tours out of Tamarindo but you can go on a catamaran or sailing tour. On these sailing tours, it is possible to see whales during the season, particularly during the months of July, August and Septembe.
Whale Watching Tours Flamingo: There are several private sailing companies in Flamingo that offer possibilities to see whales during July – September during their tours.
Whale Watching Tours Playas del Coco/Gulf of Papagayo: There aren’t any specific whale watching tours but if you go on a catamaran sailing tour or a private boating tour, you have a chance to see them in July – September, January and February.
A private boating tour is best because the boat captain usually has a radio to communicate with other captains and go look for the whales if spotted. This isn’t possible on an open tour as they have to stay on a set schedule and route.
Whale Watching Tours Uvita: There are several companies that operate specific whale watching tours during the season (January – mid March, July through September). We have gone twice and saw whales both times.
Whale Watching Tours Drake Bay: Divine Dolphin runs dolphin and whale watching tours during the seasons.
What to Know About Costa Rica Whale Watching Tours
Uvita and Drake Bay are two places in Costa Rica that runs tours during both seasons
Because of this, try to fit in a dedicated stay to Uvita in your itinerary if you really want to see humpback whales. A whale watching tour is one of the best things to do in Uvita. Click here to check out a 1 week itinerary that includes Uvita!
Take anti-nausea medicine
When we went whale watching in Uvita, I got extremely seasick because I was taking pictures with my camera and on a rocking boat. I highly recommend taking anti-nausea medicine if you are prone to seasickness or if you are planning to take pictures.
Costa Rica doesn’t allow swimming with dolphins or whales
No touching or swimming close to them.
Know that nature is unpredictable
Nature will do what it will and even if it’s the season, you may not see whales. If seeing humpback whales are on your bucket list, try to go on a whale watching tour in Uvita or Drake Bay during August and September to maximize your chances.
Book Your Whale Watching Tour in Uvita Below!
If you’re interested in booking a whale watching tour in Uvita, please fill out the form below and we will be happy to help. See what the tour is like in our video below too!
Haley says
Hi! I have done a whale watching tour in Seattle, WA. We could only get 3 football fields away (300 yards) and had to use binoculars to see the whales and were quite disappointed. Do the same rules apply in Costa Rica or are you allowed to get closer than that? Thank you!
Sammi says
Technically yes they do have restrictions on how close you are supposed to get but its not always respected…and sometimes the whales just come up closer, I do recommend to bring binoculars still to get closer looks… here I think the restriction is around 25 to 30 meters, so closer than 300 yards
Micha says
We want to go whale watching in january 2023, all operators we have contacted tell us that it’s not the season for whale watching and they won’t offer the tour.
Everywhere on the internet it says that december-february, do you offer tours during this period?
Thanks:)
Sammi says
It depends on where you guys are going – we can book whale watching for tours in Uvita only so if you guys will be in Uvita, we can book you guys for it in January
Corey says
If we are planning on booking the Cano Island snorkel tour is this whale tour needed or do you recommend doing both? I saw on the Cano Island tour that you can possibly see whales on the way there/back. Does the whale tour go in different areas?
Sammi says
It is possible you may see whales on the way to Cano Island but the Cano Island tour doesn’t go around looking for whales, they go straight from the beach to the reserve. The whale watching does so if you do really want to see whales, then I’d recommend to take a whale watching tour as well
Janet Durwin says
I want to highly recommend that you go with The Divine Dolphin in Drake Bay. They have been doing these tours for more than 20 years, they have an awesome and comfortable boat and a hydrophone to hear the whales singing. I don’t know what it is, but even when there were other boats around, the whales would come over to our boat. It happened on several days, so it wasn’t just a “fluke.” Pun intended. Take my word for it. Go with the best!
Sammi says
Thanks for the recommendation and wow, we will definitely have to check them out!
Wynn says
Hi Sammi, we are going to be staying in Manuel Antonio for 2 days during the first week of September and are considering doing some whale watching, but are debating between trying to book a whale watching tour out of MA, or making the one hour drive down to Uvita (since we’ve read here it’s such a great spot for it). Because of our limited time in MA, we are debating whether it’s worth it to drive down to Uvita, or take a tour out of MA and risk seeing less whales. Do you have any thoughts? We would appreciate any insight (and any recommended tour operators – we would love to help out the blog). Thanks in advance!
Sammi says
Hi Wynn, I’ve never done whale watching out of Manuel Antonio but whales do pass through there. There’s more of a possibility to see whales in Uvita though but there’s a very good chance in MA as well but nature is unpredictable so you never know. For more of a chance to see whales, I’d go to Uvita since humpback whales are very common there so if you really really want to see whales, Uvita is the best place.
Nicola Nuti says
hi,
i’m going to Costa Rica (Atlantic shore) in January..
What kind of whales it can be spotted??
There a best time of the year to spot killer whales (Orca)??
thanks
Sammi says
Hi Nicola, you can read in the post the kind of whales. The most common is humpback and the season will just be starting in January down in the South Pacific. Killer whales don’t commonly pass through Costa Rica so you can’t see them.
Ilan says
Hi there,
I am going to Costa Rica in early October and I want to surprise my wife with whale watching. Do you think this would be a good time to go? If so, which places would you recommend? I’m worried that because October is during the rain season, we won’t have a chance to see any whales due to the weather. Any advice?
Thanks 🙂
Sammi says
Hi Ilan! October is generally the rainiest month but there are some mornings of sun but do come prepared for rain. It also depends where you will be, the Costa Ballena (Uvita/Dominical/Ojochal) where the best place to see whales does rain more and is more humid. Osa Peninsula rains a lot more too but up in Gulf of Papagayo it is drier and doesn’t tend to rain quite as much. Whale watching tours leave in the morning as it’s generally sunny in the morning and rainy in the afternoon.
Sammi says
Hi Regina, specific whale watching tours aren’t really available in GUanacaste, they are offered down in Uvita and some companies (I think there is one in Flamingo) offers a whale/dolphin watching tour. Depending on where you are in Guanacaste, the Gulf of Papagayo is the best place to see them, but in December it is overlap month of both NOrthern and Southern so there is a very small possibility to see them up in Guanacaste. The best opportunities to see whales is down by Uvita and Marino Ballena Natoinal Park.
Regina says
Hello, my husband, two young children & I are staying at a resort in the very northern part of Guanacaste in December–doing a whale watching excursion is on my bucket list but I am having a hard time finding any tour groups that offer tours that are less than a 2hr drive from Guanacaste–any tips? Thanks!
Heather says
So, do whale watching tours still run from May-July? Are there no whales or just fewer whales then? I’m going to be there in early May. Am I SOL?
Sammi says
You can contact the tour companies to get the current situation on the whales because that’s off season for whales so they may not run any tours until Julyish. Unfortunately May isn’t a great month as you’ll just miss the Northern Humpbacks and it’s a bit early for Southern Humpbacks. Sometimes there are stragglers who come early/are late but it’s never a guarantee during those months.