The Region

El Rincon de Domi – Dominical – best fruit smoothies EVER! Great local Tico food – a favourite spot for breakfast – very little English spoken but very friendly – casual.

Café Mono Congo– Dominical – healthy and vegan options for breakfast and lunch – fresh juices and great coffee – nice river and sunset views.

Charter Restaurant - just east of Dominical on the main paved road toward our house – this is the restaurant with the airplane so its hard to miss! Recently reopened under new ownership – it offers local specialties and as some American and European favourites – great service – bar in the airplane is opening soon!

Cuna Del Angel – south of the Dominical on the highway – high end with excellent vegetarian and gluten free options and good service – great for a special occasion – good to have a reservation.

Feliz Langosta (Happy Lobster) – just north of Dominical on the main highway just before the town of Matapalo – great local restaurant – excellent fresh seafood including local lobster tails (spiny lobster) – try their Arroz con camarones (fried rice with shrimp) a local specialty.

Fuego – fairly new craft brewery with food options – we recommend lunch over dinner here or beer with snacks. Beautiful building and lively atmosphere.

Jolly Roger – a local bar up in the mountains – often with live music and big screen American football parties – excellent chicken wings and burgers and salads – get their in time for their amazing sunset view.

Phat Noodle – Dominical – Asian curries on noodles or rice and specialty mixed drinks – casual atmosphere.

Alturas Wildlife Refuge – Just south of Dominical, this is an animal rescue centre. They offer tours of their facilities and you might get to check out a sloth or monkey up close!

Ballena National Park (the whale’s tale in Uvita) – a gorgeous beach with the well-known whales tale shaped sand bar – nice snorkelling spot and wonderful swimming – there is an entrance fee as it’s a National Park – whales frequent the area in season (especially August/September).

Boruca Artisans – visit a local native group and check out their amazing artisans.

Costa Rica Dive and Surf – Located on main street in Dominical. Offers SCUBA certification and tours, snorkelling and trips to famous Cano Island National Park. Also, they arrange many other local tours, including surf lessons, stand up paddle boarding, river rafting and more! Your one stop tour shop for southern Costa Rica adventure!

Hacienda Baru – Just north of Dominical near the gas station. Offers bird watching, nature tours, ziplining and more!

Manual Antonio National Park – up the highway north to Quepos you can go over the hill to the town of Manuel Antonio. It’s a little more busy with restaurants and hotels. The beach is beautiful but also quite busy although nicer for swimming then many of the local surfing beaches. The national park on the south end of the main beach offers some wonderful hiking and a real chance to see animals in their natural habitat, as well as some secluded beaches. Check to find out current opening days and hours as they are subject to change.
If you do choose to go to Manual Antonio, you might be interested in checking out Rain Forest Spices, a local spice farm in the area – a great place to pick up some souvenirs. It's a little bit east on a local road just as you arrive in Quepos. It comes up on Google Maps.

Nauyaca Waterfall – An amazing huge waterfall with a large natural swimming area at the bottom. Arrive by car or on horseback!

Osa Canopy Tours – Located south of Uvita. Offers excellent exciting ziplining canopy tours.

Parque Reptilandia – about 15 minutes up the highway east towards San Isidro de General. This amazing reptile refuge has a variety of animals big and small. Friday morning to feeding time!

Rafiki River Rafting Adventures – go rafting on the gorgeous and super clean Savegre River with this exceptionally well-run company. They provide a lovely lunch halfway and access to a secret waterfall along the river. This is one of our favourite tours in the areas.

Ventanas Beach – a little ways south of Uvita is this special beach with caves on the side that are known as windows = ventanas in Spanish – makes a great spot to spend the day.