Have you been considering taking a trip to Costa Rica for your next vacation? If the answer to this question is “yes”, then you might want to add whale watching to your list of activities. This new adventure may seem a little unusual compared to the typical beach trips and volcano tours, but it is rapidly becoming one of the top activities to do in Costa Rica.
The best time to see these majestic beasts is from August to October in the Southern Hemisphere, and December to April in the Northern Hemisphere. The most common whale that is seen in Costa Rica is the humpback whale. They are accustomed to spend the summer months in the colder waters and retreat to the tropical waters during their mating periods.
There are now over 50 Costa Rican tour companies that provide day trips to see the humpback whales. Some estimates say that Costa Rica received over 100,000 visitors in 2007, specifically to see these whales. Over the last 10 years Costa Rican whale-watching has increased over 70%, one of the largest growth spurts in all Latin America.
Costa Rica has recently invested money in the Ballena National Park, which has the task of protecting these creatures and providing them a safe area for reproducing. It is located on the southern Pacific Coast, near Punta Uvita in Puntarenas. This protected area includes areas of Costa Rican land and sea. The humpback whale has been a protected species since 1967, and there are an estimated 10,000 whales in the world.
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