Playa Ballena teems with wildlife, from the hundreds of species of birds to the lone cow who drops in for a slurp from the fresh water stream that trickles out to sea.

Many park wardens are staff-quartered along this beach and the park entrance gate here is always manned. The charge is 600 colones for locals and 6 US dollars for tourists.

There are outdoor showers, picnic tables and recycle trash bins.

The beach has light-beige powdery sand which is especially enjoyable for strollers during low tides.

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