Shades of purple and orange had painted the sky. As we sat watching the sun set, the sea breeze brushing our faces was refreshing after the sultry afternoon. Playa Piñuelas, one of the beaches in the Marino Ballena National Park, is a crescent shaped raw beauty with lesser crowd and amazing views. It is a beach worth visiting in the Costa Ballena region of South Pacific Costa Rica.
Read this article to know about the best things to do in and other details about Uvita, Dominical and Ojochal.
Plan your Costa Rica trip:
- Costa Rica Packing List
- Best Time to Visit Costa Rica
- Costa Rica Activities: Things to Do
- Costa Rica Itinerary (from San Jose airport)
What to Expect at Playa Piñuelas
The first thing you will notice in Playa Piñuelas is a fence of rocks that stretch across the beach. The roundish white or gray colored rocks come in different shapes and sizes, separating the sand from the trees behind. It is slightly tricky to walk on the rocks to reach the ocean, so be cautious and watch out for the loose rocks. When you are not swimming and just wish to sit and relax, the rocks and the fallen branches work as nice sitting areas.
The waves in the Piñuelas beach are perfect for swimming. It is not absolutely calm but its light waves are fun. During the low tides, you will find the sandy part of the beach while during the high tides, the ocean touches the rock bar.
The beach has the views of the 3 sister rocks (Tres Hermanas) protruding from the ocean. If you are there around the time of the sunset, do not miss the sun setting beyond the 3 sister islands. It is one of the best I have seen in the region. With the dusk, watch the color play on the beach rocks and the reflections on the wet sand.
How to Reach Playa Piñuelas
Playa Piñuelas lies about 10 km (6 miles) to the south of Uvita. It is an easy and smooth drive on the Costanera Sur Highway (Ruta 34), and takes less than 10 minutes from Uvita.
As you drive southwards, look for a green board with Playa Piñuelas written on it. Take right from here and continue on the dirt path until you reach the dead end of the road facing the beach.
At the time of our visit on a late afternoon, there was a small barricade at the end of the road, but with a narrow open passage next to it. We were wondering if the barricade was to restrict vehicle movement only or to prohibit anyone from entering the beach. But we saw couple of local families take the narrow open passage to get to the beach, and we followed their footsteps.
Uvita is 211 km (131 miles) from San Jose airport and 319 km (198 miles) from Liberia airport.
Facilities at Piñuelas Beach
There are no facilities at Playa Piñuelas. We saw a little box house near the entrance, which probably used to function like the ticket office once upon a time.
There is no designated parking area. We had parked our vehicle at the end of the road. Couple of other local families who were visiting the beach at the same time did the same. However, it is a dead end road that gets dark after sun down, and nobody guards the vehicles. So do not leave any valuables inside and remember to lock the car.
There are no restrooms, no showers and no eateries nearby. So if you plan to spend the day at Playa Piñuelas, plan ahead.
Final Thoughts
Playa Piñuelas is not as visited as some of the other beaches of the Marino Ballena National Park. So at any given time, chances are that you will be sharing the beach with few people. If you are visiting any of the towns of the Costa Ballena region, Uvita, Ojochal or Dominical, you can put visiting Piñuelas beach in the list of your top things to do.
Plan your Costa Ballena trip:
- Playa Ventanas: Another beautiful beach near Ojochal
- Cascada El Pavon: An interesting waterfall in Ojochal
- Things to do in Uvita: A curated list of the best things to do in Uvita
- Marino Ballena National Park: The complete guide to Marino Ballena National Park
- Whale watching in Uvita: Everything you need to know about whale watching activity in Uvita
- Uvita Waterfall: A fun natural waterfall slide in Uvita
- Nauyaca Waterfalls: Stunning waterfalls in Dominical
- Dominicalito Beach: A lesser known surfing beach near Dominical
- Best Restaurants in Uvita and Dominical: Our guide to the best places to eat in Uvita and Dominical
- Oxygen Jungle Villas: Our review of a luxury boutique hotel in Uvita
Check out other beaches of Costa Rica:
- Pelada Beach: A beautiful quiet beach in Nosara, Guanacaste
- Avellanas Beach: A great surfing beach in rural Guanacaste
- Carmen Beach: A popular surfing beach near Santa Teresa
- Hermosa Beach: A beautiful beach near Santa Teresa
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We also visited Playa Piñuelas in April 2021. When we arrived at the gate you described, we were met by an older gentleman who informed us that the beach was closed. When I asked why, his response was that due to Covid there were no toilet facilities, therefore they were forced to close. That didn’t make any sense to me, but we moved down to Playa Ballena which was wonderful.
Hi Spencer, thanks for sharing the experience of your visit to Playa Piñuelas.
I think the justification could be that they were forced to close the gate due to lack of a wash basin set up, which is now mandatory for entering national parks in Costa Rica. Not sure about this explanation though, just my interpretation of what the gentleman told you 🙂