Traveling to Uvita, Costa Rica

A VIRTUAL TOUR OF UVITA TOWN AND BAHIA UVITA

As you drive down to Uvita from Domical on the best highway in Costa Rica (yes the best), you pass the many beautiful beaches that are tucked between the Pacific Ocean and the ‘first ridge’ of the rainforest mountains. Here the Ocean breeze has a nice cooling effect on those Uvita vacation rentals that are near enough to the coast to benefit from it, so if you plan on renting a vacation home in the Uvita area take this into consideration.

Just past the 160 km road mark you will see a sign on the left side of the road pointing to the Whales and Dolphins Hotel and Osa Real Estates; this is the access road to most of the private Uvita vacation rentals represented on our website, located at various elevation from sea level.

Past the 161 km road mark you are entering Uvita town center, the gas station is on your right, just after the Plaza la Perla del Pacifico, a new commercial centre presently with no tenants!

First up is Andy Mar’s beauty salon; he also has an outlet in Dominical. Next, an address which pet owners are familiar with is Fernando’s veterinarian surgery and general services outlet.

Here, a turning to the right, just after Soda Naranjita on the right hand corner, is the local stadium where the weekly farmers market is held every Saturday; if you continue on this road, you will come to a lovely football field with an adjacent kindergarten; about half a kilometer further, an elementary school; beyond that it is just footpath.

Okay, say you did not take the right turn but proceed straight; La Cazona de Dona Maria Restaurant is a 2-storey landmark which offers a typical mix of Tico dishes and a simplistic buffet as lunch specials. The privately run Uvita Information Centre is housed in the same complex next door, which is essentially a tours agency.

Opposite, on the left side of the highway with a large parking lot in front is the area’s top supermarket, called La Corona, and next door is the Bank of Costa Rica (BCR) with ATM facility. A small side road pass the bank you will find a dental clinic, a coffee shop, a pharmacy and a liquor store.

About 100 meters or so further on, Jiron sells beds and furniture, mostly basic stuff in the showroom, but you can order custom made mattresses with your own specifications which will be as good as the best USA brands at half the cost.

Over the bridge and the Uvita river, a turning to the right is the main road to Uvita Beach and Bahia Uvita the beach community. It’s a very bumpy 2-km journey, but along the way you will find scenic pastures, guest houses, small hotels, restaurants and tours agents. We will explore this road in a separate section - see 'To Uvita Beach from Uvita Town' below.

Bypassing the beach access road, The Dome commercial center approaches with a drive-through snack bar situated right at the entrance next to the highway. Coffee, burgers and drinks can be enjoyed in an open air setting when it’s not too hot. In this complex there’s a gift shop, real estate offices, a drug store and a 24 hour medical center.

Opposite The Dome is Bridgestone, where, if you have car troubles, you will find friendly and helpful services, but they do charge more than the workshops in San Isidro. A mobile trailer next door bears the sign of National Car Rental.

Less than 50 meters further, Banco National came up, and Budget Car Rental is stationed outside.

Opposite on the left side of the highway, another commercial center with paved road and parking space houses another large supermarket and Restaurant Marino Ballena, which serves a nice club sandwich and beer; some expat residents are regulars here. For 2 or 3 years the Rainforest Internet Café was here; it recently disappeared; we can see renovation taking place where it used to be, on the second floor.

Continuing south, Banco Popular building came up but it is still an empty building. A little further down on the left side of the road you will see a sign next to a small road entrance pointing to the Chefs Table, which is a restaurant and culinary school, as described on this website at www.CRB.cr/16.

Shortly after you pass the Hotel Halcon sign, we have reached Uvita’s city limit at the La Jungla hardware store, a popular destination for many homeowners in the area; it has everything for repairing and maintaining a home. If you are planning to own a home in Uvita, check it out. Next door is a new home furnishing outlet.

Uvita is a growing destination with about 75% of what we describe here having been built over the last 3 to 5 years.

To Uvita Beach from Uvita Town

Instead of going back to Dominical, this tour now heads for Playa Uvita and Bahia Uvita. After turning into this dirt track, first up on the left hand side is a Pizza restaurant that has been around fro quite a while. Now at a fork road we take to the left. We pass a butterfly colony, rent a bike, surf lesson, snack bar, mini-super, dive school; eventually you join up with the road that you would have come if you took to the right at the fork. A big signboard here advertises Whales and Dolphins Boat Tour. More tours signs are up, more restaurants, souvenir shops, and more beach cabinas for rent. Then you come to the Ballena Marine National Park Gate. Here you have to park your vehicle and proceed on foot. Follow this link to read about Uvita Beach itself. Going back out to town in a loop, we now pass a number of places offering beach rentals, a few sodas, a café with internet wireless and a tiny supermarket which has fruits and vegetables on display.

There is much more in Uvita that are not covered in this quick tour - on the roads around and behind the town that lead into the rainforest hills above; here you will come across vacation homes, lodges, small hotels and mini resorts, B&Bs and cabins for rent.

To find out where Uvita is in Costa Rica go to Costa Rica Maps and select ‘Puntarenas’ Province. Costa Rica is divided into seven provinces; for a quick overview on provincial boundaries simply slide your mouse over the Costa Rica Map on CostaRicaBedfinder.com.