Snorkeling Tour at Marino Ballena National Park

You’ll snorkel one of the largest protected coral reefs in the country at Marino Ballena National Park. You’re likely to see dolphins playing as you head out to several high visibility snorkeling spots by boat. This is a very popular tour and an excellent way to spend a day out swimming in the ocean looking for treasure!

You’ll be picked up from your hotel and driven down to the beach where the ocean boat and captain will be waiting to meet you. You’ll hop on board the open boat with protective cloth bimini cover for shade. With over 9 miles of protected park shoreline and 13,000 acres of protected ocean waters, you’re sure to find a wealth of wildlife on your adventure.

You’ll be visiting the best spots for visibility including along the shore at Punta Uvita, with its famous whale tail shaped sandbar magically signaling the place for whales to migrate during certain times of the year. Punta Uvita features a pristine beach with soft white sand and crystal clear turquoise waters that can only be reached depending on the tide.

Upon arrival at your first snorkeling site, you will receive high-quality snorkeling gear including flippers, masks, and snorkels. Your guide will get in the water and help you search for colorful parrotfish, tangs, butterfly fish, eels, lobsters, blue surgeonfish, starfish and even nurse sharks!

You will also go exploring different island reefs, typically going to Isla Ballena and Tres Hermanas Islands. There are 18 varieties of living coral in the Park from stony corals to sea fans, providing refuge to an abundance of protected underwater sea creatures. While all of the snorkeling spots are different, they all offer a huge variety of aquatic wildlife. You’ll snorkel approximately 40 minutes at each snorkeling site.

During the boat rides between snorkeling spots, you are likely to see dolphins playing and depending on the time of year you may even see whales. Marina Ballena National Park is one of the migratory stops made by the Humpback Whales, frequently gifting visitors with the opportunity to witness these magnificent mammals in their natural habitat.

Other possible visible wildlife you might observe from the boat are shore birds such as Osprey, Herons, Pelicans and Brown Boobies, as well as swimming sea turtles who nest nearby or jumping manta rays.

Throughout the tour, cold bottled water will be available and at some point, freshly cut tropical fruit plus other light refreshments will be provided. You can choose to just swim or relax on the boat while the others are snorkeling if you wish.

NOTE: This snorkeling tour is only offered during the local dry season, from December through April, to provide the best possible visibility.

Tour includes park entrance fee, captain and bilingual guide, bottled water, fruit snack, and transportation from Uvita. One way transportation can take from 15 to 45 depending on where your hotel is located. Combined time of snorkeling trip and round trip transportation usually takes between 3.5 and 4.5 hours.

Please wear a swimsuit, sun protective cover up, sunglasses, hat and sunscreen, plus bring along a towel and waterproof camera if you have one. Exploring the quiet undulating underwater world of spectacular sea creatures can create lasting memories for you and your family to put in your treasure box.