Have you been dreaming of taking a trip down to Costa Rica in the near future? If this sounds familiar, you may want to think about adding whale-watching to your list of things to see while you are in the country. This is a relatively new idea in Costa Rican adventure trips, but very quickly it is heading to the top of the list of interesting vacation ideas.
The recommended moment to see the humpback whales in Costa Rica is from August to October in the South of the country, and December to April in the North section of the country. The humpback whale is the type of whale that you are most likely to see on your trip. These whales tend to spend the winter months in Costa Rican waters and the summer months head north.
In Costa Rica you can find over 50 tour companies that provide whale-watching vacations. Costa Rica received some 100,000 visitors in 2007, with the intention of seeing the humpback whales. Since 1998, Costa Rica has seen an increase of over 70% in whale-watching tourists. This is way higher than any other Latin American country that receives visits from these whales.
The Ballena National Park was created with the intention of providing a safe environment and home for the humpback whale. You can visit the park in Puntarenas, near Punta Uvita, and includes areas of land and ocean. Ever since 1967, the humpback whale has been on the endangered species list and there are an estimated 10,000 of these animals living around the world.
