Ojochal · Things to do
Everything below is within an hour. We have included what things cost and what makes them harder than they look, because the second part is what you actually need.
The whales, and the Whale's Tail sandbar — a kilometre of sand that appears at low tide in the shape of a fluke.
Worth knowing. The ticket window closes at 4pm. A low tide at 5:30pm is no use to you.
A small dark-sand cove named for its sea caves. Walk to the northern end at low tide and you can go inside them.
Worth knowing. Caves are only accessible at low tide.
Two falls, one 45 metres and a stepped 20-metre drop into a swimming pool. The best-known waterfall on this coast.
Worth knowing. From the Don Lulo car park it is 3.5 km each way, about two hours on foot. From the office it is 5.5 km. In full heat and humidity, people badly underestimate the climb back up. Take the truck.
A nonprofit sea turtle research reserve, in Ojochal itself. When there is a hatchling release, you can be there for it.
Worth knowing. Releases are announced at short notice on their social channels.
Closer, quieter and far less known than Nauyaca.
Surf town. Eco Feria farmers market every Friday morning, and El Fuego Brew Co — a genuine treehouse.
One of the largest protected mangrove wetlands in Central America and a RAMSAR site. Go with OSA Mangrove Tours — see below. Alan has done this trip fifteen times and has never had the same one twice.
A UNESCO World Heritage site, and nobody has fully explained why the spheres are there or how they were made.
Worth knowing. No English-speaking guides on site. Allow two hours.
Full-day trip by boat from Sierpe or Drake Bay to the Sirena ranger station. National Geographic once called it the most biologically intense place on earth.
Worth knowing. A long day. Departures around 8am, back by four.
Measured from our gate, not from the centre of town. Times are dry-season driving.
If you do one guided thing
Run by Lynn and his daughter · $50 per person
A boat trip through the Térraba-Sierpe mangroves, one of the largest protected wetlands in Central America. Thirty minutes south of us.
“We have done this fifteen times and seen something new on every single one. If you take one guided thing while you are here, take this one.”
Tell Lynn that Alan sent you.
Find them on FacebookWhat you might see
The squirrel monkeys are the ones to watch for. The Central American subspecies lives only on this stretch of Pacific coast and is endangered — most visitors to Costa Rica never see one.
Jan and Sonia, our concierges, will book it for you. Mornings are better — the light is good and the animals are awake.
Our advice
Guests who plan an outing every day go home tired and tell us the pool was the best part. The ones who pick three things and spend the rest of the time reading by the water are the ones who rebook.
If you only do three: a whale tour in the morning, Nauyaca by truck, and an evening at Exotica. That is the area at its best and it leaves you eleven days to do nothing.