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Dominical and its surroundings: you will find fantastic, beautiful and very hidden places in the jungle. They are real treasures of nature and you can go for free!
The beautiful Poza Azul waterfall
Just 10minutes driving from Dominical. Surrounded by vegetation where only a few rays of sun are able to penetrate, its waters are always fresh and cold. Ideal for after a day at the beach.
Getting there: Follow the map
Green Cascade
Just 30minutes driving from Dominical. This waterfall is located on
private property called LA CATARATA belongs to a Costa Rican family.3 Natural pools. The sound of the water falling down and the sweet singing of birds will be music in your ears.
Getting there: Take the Pacific coast highway number 34. If you are coming from dominical make a left just before the BCR in Uvita (Bank of Costa Rica) and if you are coming from the South make a right just after. The access costs $1.00 per person.
Cascades the Pavon
Nature is always surprising, as to find a stone placed in the middle of this beautiful waterfall. How amazing is this!
Getting there: Take the southern coastal highway, Km 179, before you’ll get to the bridge of Punta Mala turn left. Keep on going uphill for 4 kilometers until Tilapias El Pavón.
Beaches
Playa Dominicalito: Good for swimming and a perfect place for surfers to start, located 4 kilometers South of Domincal with two entrances, one opposite the soccer field, and the other one is right in the entrance at La Parcela restaurant
Playa Ventanas: This beach is secluded and safe beach for swimming, it is famous for its spectacular cave around. Locate it approximate 800mtrs before the gas station of Ojochal and a 35 kms South of Dominical.
Playa Guapil: Located 4 kilometers North of Dominical – drive the sandy road along the beach up till the Hatillo estuary (4-WD) where you can swim safe in fresh water – crossing the river might feel like Robinson Crusoë.
Playa Hermosa: Locateit15 kilometers south of Dominical and 5 kilometers North of Uvita, along the Costanera highway. Easy parking, a perfect place for a hike along the beach, but less suitable for swimming.
Bahia Uvita: This is down town Bahia Uvita where you can hike the ´´whale tail´´ at low tide. Park entrance $ 8 p.p. (residents $ 2).
Playa Chaman: 800 mtrs south of Uvita .A beautiful beach with safe swimming. A good starting point for kayaking to the islands ´´the three sisters´´´(snorkeling) Park entrance $ 8 p.p. (residents $ 2).
4-WD itinerates
- Cross the spectacular interior from the Costanera towards the Panamerican Highway. Drive towards Uvita and 2 kms before take left towards SanJosécito, follow the road through an incredible landscape and end up after 2,5 hours on the PA highway close to San Isidro.
- Just before Platanillo (15min from Villas Rio Mar) take left to San Juan de Dios, keep the main track and end up in Lagunas after 1 hour with panoramic views over the Pacific. From there it is a short drive back to Dominical.
- The Escalas road from Dominicalito (take left just before the soccer field and then the first right), over the mountain range till you end up on the Costanera again. Beautiful Sceneries with ocean view.
Places for walking
A nice way to explore the nature around Dominical and in your own way is hiking. Nearby Dominical there are numerous hiking trails where you can enjoy the rainforest and wildlife.
The full hike to Chirripó will take a whole day. It is possible to climb to Mount Chirripo, as a trail leads to the summit. This trail is 16-km (10 mi) long and easy to follow. It does not require technical climbing ability but requires reasonable fitness.
This place is great for short walks. Here you can see a large number of animal species and variety of birds especially in the morning.
Nature Trails in the Hacienda Barú National Wildlife Refuge – The nature trails at Hacienda Barú pass through a wide variety of habitat including primary forest, secondary forest, swamp forest, wetlands, pastures and tree plantations.
This is a short walk along the Barúriver about 4 miles away. Especiallywhen you go jogging in the mornings or evenings when the weather is not that hot, you can see a lot of vegetation and some birds.
For those who like to enjoy the majestic flight and colorful plumage of birds, Hotel Villas Rio Mar is the perfect place because it is surrounded by beautiful gardens which make a wonderful setting where you can enjoy a daily spectacle of nature. There are also 630 meters long of self-guided walking trails which leads into a based platform 3 meters high to facilitate bird watching.
Reptilandia Park
Do you like reptiles? Would you like to enjoy a fantastic exhibition?
Come and have a look, learn from these great animals in lush natural scenarios. Learn to identify between venomous and non-venomous snakes and frogs can also see alligators, turtles, and crocodiles around the trunks of insurance.
The Reptilandia Park has 55 animal enclosures with a terrarium style and around 4046.85 m² of ponds. A wide, flat road through the park which of course is accessible for people in wheel chairs. No doubt it will be a nice ride for adults and children.
Remember! Every Friday they feed the snakes!
Park entrance fee
5.000 colones per adult
2.500 colones per child
Getting there:
They are located7 km from Dominical, road to San Isidro de El General, just before Platanillo community. Just 50 meters from the paved road, easy accessible to cars. Parking is available for larger groups.
Shopping in Golfito and the Border of Costa Rica
From Hotel Villas Rio Mar you can go shopping in Paso Canoas (Panama border) or the Deposito Libre de Golfito (Free Deposit of Golfito) less than three hours in the South Coast.
The advantages of going through this street are many, as it is in good condition, it is large, but please you should not abuse of the speed.
That route leads to Palmar Norte in 45 minutes, then take American highway during 60 km trip to Rio Claro, where there is an intersection. If you decide to turn right you will be going to Golfito (only 20 km). However, if your destination is Paso Canoas, do not deviating, continue driving straight in the similar distance.
In this way, your shopping can be done in a day, especially if you are planning to go to the border, you have the option to depart very early morning from Villas Rio Mar and return at night to rest in a pleasant and dream environment that the hotel offer.
