Costa Rica is blessed to have the longest season of Humpback Whales in the world as we get migrations from both North and South America. The Whales come from both hemispheres to have their babies and breed. This doesn’t happen anywhere else on the planet!

The best time to see Humpback Whales is mid July through October, when our Southern Migration, coming from as far as Antarctica, are here. This is the longest migration by a mammal known to man!

You can see newborn whales and their moms, large groups of rowdy males chasing a female, and lots of singing and showing off. It is a whale playground!

You can also see Humpback Whales from November through April, during our Northern Migration, coming from Northwest USA and Canada. This migration is not as plentiful, but the moms and babies tend to be super friendly. We have seen whales on many of our tours this year. This is also the best time to see our super mega pods of dolphins in clear, calm waters.

Humpback Whales can be seen all along the Pacific (West) side of Costa Rica, but definitely the best and most consistent place to see them is out of Drake Bay on the Osa Peninsula.

There are many reasons to visit Drake Bay besides the whales, such as it being the most beautiful part of Costa Rica with access to Costa Rica’s crown jewel rainforest, Corcovado National Park. It is the very best of both worlds both on land and at sea!

For whale watching, Drake Bay is the best spot because more whales from both migrations birth and breed here and super importantly, there are fewer boats, offering you a longer, more intimate experience. It is also possible to use a hydrophone to clearly hear the male Humpbacks singing, without all the boat noise you will find in other areas. This is a life changing experience! Be sure to book with The Divine Dolphin if you want to hear the whales with their onboard hydrophone and have the best experience on their custom made whale and dolphin watching boat.

The Divine Dolphin has been exclusively operating whale and dolphin tours in Drake Bay since 1998. They are dedicated to conservation and are instrumental in creating a marine preserve off the Osa Peninsula and are active members of the World Cetacean Alliance, working together to make the area a Whale Heritage Site. This is the company you want to go with for the best whale watching experience in Costa Rica by far!

Before swimming thousands of miles to Costa Rica’s tropical waters , the Humpback Whales feed on plankton and krill in their cold water feeding grounds. They do not feed once they arrive here as these are birthing and breeding grounds, so they are either having babies or making babies. Females give birth to one calf who nurses exclusively for the first six months. During this time, the mother can lose as much as a third of her own body weight. We can see their bones by the time they leave here for the feeding grounds.

The Humpback Whales from the Northern Hemisphere are generally smaller than the Humpbacks arriving from the Southern Hemisphere. The Northern Humpback Whales can reach 15 meters (50 feet) in length and weigh up to 40 tons. The Southern Humpback Whales can grow to 18 meters (60 feet) and up to 50 tons!

With our 25 years of experience in the area, we can create a travel package in Drake Bay that works for your desires and budget. We recommend at least three nights in the area so that you have time to do the whale and dolphin tour and also visit Corcovado National Park. However, the longer you can stay in Drake Bay, the better as there is also snorkeling and world class diving at Cano Island, the zip line tour, horseback riding, tubing down rivers and simply immersing in the very best of nature. We promise you will not regret your time spent in Drake Bay.

Drake Bay hosts accommodations from tents on the beach to luxurious 4 star hotels and everything in between. Most mid to upper range hotels include meals in their rates and there is no shortage of budget hotels which allow you to sample the small restaurants around town.

Drake Bay can be reached by plane, boat or car. There are several airlines now flying into Drake Bay’s new airport. You can also drive or take a bus into the town of Sierpe and take the twice daily community boats to Drake Bay, an hour long trip down the Sierpe River, an adventure in itself!  We recommend a 4-wheel drive vehicle if you choose to drive into Drake Bay.

For more details about a to Drake Bay and car rentals, visit Drake Bay Experts.