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Ballena National Park
Ballena National Park is one of Costa Rica 's newest national parks, created in an attempt to conserve some of the marine resources of the South Pacific region, which are under siege from over fishing and unchecked tourism development. Bordered on the south by Punta Piñuela, then extending out to sea for 9 kilometers, heading north 6 kilometers before coming back to shore at Punta Uvita in the southern end of Playa Hermosa, the park is ideal for scuba diving and beachcombing activities as it includes open ocean, islands and long, wide beaches. Several species of whales have been reported in or near Ballena National Park , which gets its name from the Spanish world for whale, "ballena". Melon-headed whales, sperm whales, as well as common stripped and spinner dolphins are regularly spotted. More species are sure to be recorded here, as more complete studies are under way.Ballena National Park is bordered on the south by Punta Piñuela, and extends out to sea for 9 kilometers, heading north 6 kilometers before coming back to shore at Punta Uvita, in the southern end of Playa Hermosa. This is one of a number of new parks designed to preserve Costa Rica 's varied, abundant, but largely unstudied marine resources. The name "ballena" is Spanish for whale and reportedly the offshore waters in this part of the country are used as a wintering area by several species of migratory whales, including Humpback and Pilot Whales. Undoubtedly, the most common marine mammals in the vicinity are Spotted Dolphins, which are year-round residents. Since almost the entire park is marine environment, there are no trails, however, those interested in diving and snorkeling will find good opportunities around the small islands of Ballena and Las Tres Hermanas..To get there: The best way to visit this park is by boat, however, it's a fairly long way from either Quepos or Drake Bay (more than 40 kilometers ), the two nearest areas with tourism development and boats equipped for making the run. Eventually (it could still be decades), the government plans to complete the southern portion of the coastal highway between Quepos and Palmar. If the existing dirt road is ever improved it will open up the terrestrial access to this area. Fishing: Theoretically, the sportfishing in this part of the country is good, although these waters are not often fished owing to their distance from the established charter operations in the region.
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