Uvita to host 16th Whales and Dolphins Festival

The 16th annual Whales and Dolphins Festival is scheduled to take place from September 4 to 6 in Uvita, located in the southern Pacific region of Costa Rica. The event coincides with the seasonal arrival of humpback whales, which migrate between 5,000 and 8,000 kilometers from the Northern Hemisphere or the Antarctic Peninsula to reach these warm tropical waters.

These waters, particularly near the Marino Ballena National Park, serve as a natural nursery where females give birth and teach their calves—which can weigh up to two tons at birth—essential survival skills such as feeding and socializing. The festival will feature a variety of activities, including cetacean sightings, concerts, gastronomy, sports, and local crafts.

Marcos V. Borges, executive president of the Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT), highlighted the unique experience of witnessing humpback whale reproduction and the birth of calves in the country's southern Pacific waters.