This post may contain affiliate links. This just means I may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you for helping them promote their product or service. I don’t endorse any services I don’t personally use or recommend.
Costa Rica is the most expensive day-to-day destination I’ve ever visited. Poor quality accommodation for $20+ a night, sky-high food prices, & don’t even think about setting foot in a taxi. Fortunately, the abundance of natural wildlife and spectacular beaches make up for it (mostly). Uvita is a little surf town that gives you both wildlife & beach time for a reasonable price. But it’s getting more and more popular each year. So get there fast, before it becomes overtouristed like Santa Theresa in the North. Here’s what you can do on a backpacker’s budget while visiting Uvita, Costa Rica.
Your Budget Guide to Uvita, Costa Rica
I can’t promise that you won’t spend more than you want to but with this guide, you can keep your daily cost to around ~$40 per person.
Where to Stay in Uvita on a Budget
Uvita is essentially divided into two different regions. The portion of town nearest the national park and beach. And the portion of town on the other side of the highway nearest Uvita Falls. Since Uvita is so spread out the two aren’t really considered walking distance from one another. as they are separated by nearly 2 miles.
Where you choose to stay makes a huge difference in how you spend your time. This is why we chose to stay near the beach for 4 days and then move to the other side of town for the final 3 days of our week in Uvita.
Here are our quick takeaways from staying on both sides of town…
Beachfront vs closer to the waterfalls..
- The Beachfront is best for surfing, seeing wildlife, and visiting the national park.
- Beachfront is also considerably more expensive and further from local food options.
- You’ll do a lot more walking when you stay near the waterfalls.
- You’ll need to book much further in advance if you want to stay near the water.
Here are our favorite options from both sides of town.
Cascada Verde (The Treehouse Hostel)
I’m obsessed with this hostel. In my opinion, this is everything you want your hostel experience to be. This wooden treehouse mansion is tucked into the jungle about a mile from the main highway. It has a massive industrial kitchen with all the equipment (including an oven) to make gourmet meals. The balconies are draped with hammocks and the open-air yoga deck offers some of the best sunset views in Uvita. There’s also a trail directly to Uvita Falls and a little pond with a not-so-little caiman in the “backyard”. For me though, the real appeal is the cheap price tag & the friendly helpful atmosphere. Honestly, we didn’t find that often in Costa Rica. But we did here.
Blue Sunshine (The Budget Option)
This is by far the cheapest hostel in the region. It’s also surprisingly right near the beach! It’s only a 10-min walk from the whale tail beach in Marino Ballena National Park. This is a prime location and right near the only cheap local food spots if you plan on eating in restaurants. The hostel itself is one massive simple dorm or a much more comfortable bed in one of the slightly more expensive 4-6 person rooms. The kitchen is well stocked and open-air. Great for budget travelers.
Karandi Hostel (The Secret Garden Hostel)
I’ll preface this by saying…this hostel fills up fast so go book it right now. Each dorm is a super comfortable 4-person room with a private covered porch facing into a massive garden filled with soft grass, lawn chairs, and hammocks. There are birds roaming about including macaws and a regular troupe of howler monkeys that hang out in the trees. It is also very close to the main surfing entrance to Uvita Beach–hands down the best in the region. Again, the kitchen here is open-air and spotlessly clean, the staff is helpful, and the people here were very kind–perhaps a little more experienced travelers.
What to Do in Uvita on a Budget
Uvita is an excellent beach town to travel on a budget in Costa Rica. Although whale watching in the region is popular–it’s also expensive. Here’s what I recommend doing instead.
Watch the Sunrise in Marino Ballenas National Park
If you own a drone this is an absolute must-see in Uvita. If you don’t…this is bound to be extremely underwhelming. From above this particular stretch of beach looks exactly like a whale tail!! But only at low tide. The lower the tide the better. This usually occurs early in the morning. As an added bonus if you creep into the park before 7 AM you won’t have to pay the $7 per person daily entrance fee.
Uvita Beach (again free at sunrise!)
This is my favorite beach in the area. Nothing comes even a little bit close. The sand here is pristine, the beach is fringed in wild rainforest with palms overhanging the waves. It’s about as picturesque as it gets. My favorite time of day on the beach was 100% sunset. It makes the $7 fee totally worth it for a pink-hued sunset swim.
Theft Warning: While we were in Uvita, they had a huge problem with people getting their bags grabbed from the beach while they swam in the waves. Don’t leave your stuff unattended for even a minute if it’s not something you’re 100% prepared to lose.
Surf at Dominical Beach
$15 per day to rent a surfboard. Free if you’re like me and you prefer to watch. This beach isn’t nearly as picturesque or as good for swimming but it’s 100% free to visit and the bus runs from Uvita to here multiple times per day. There’s also a neat little market if that’s your kind of thing.
Pay a visit to Dominacalito Beach
This is a step up from Dominical Beach when it comes to looks. The surfing here is also a little more serious. You could spend a whole day beach hopping just to see them all.
Uvita Falls
Full disclosure, we did not visit Uvita Falls. We instead visited the much more spectacular (& more expensive Nuayaca Falls– If you can spare the $10 per person entrance fee I highly recommend it.) Uvita Falls however is a slightly less impressive and more crowded waterfall just a short walk from Cascada Verde (where you should be staying).
Wander the Beach Side of Town
On all of our sunset or morning walks, we spotted iguanas, monkeys, macaws, toucans…an abundance of wildlife. Savoring the slow life is one of the best parts of visiting Uvita.
Where to Eat in Uvita on a Budget
Spoiler: it’s nowhere.
The food in Costa Rica is just alright. It’s also extraordinarily expensive. If you’re on a budget you should plan to cook your own meals in your hostel kitchen. Fortunately, all the hostels in the area seem to have a great setup for DIY meals.
Where to Get Your Groceries
Grocery shop at the Supermercado on Pacifico Fernandez Oreomuno (Main Street).
It might seem like a good idea to hit the mom and pop shops nearer the beach and likely your hostel if you’re staying on the beach side of town but it was significantly more expensive for even the most basic groceries. And they had a much smaller selection.
Skip the Alcohol. We didn’t, because lets be honest, it’s a beautiful beach town and I wanted to drink those tasty coco-limon seltzers every single evening. But each beer is around $1.50 and the seltzers are over $2.
Getting Around Uvita on a Budget
The biggest problem in Costa Rica for budget travelers isn’t even the sky-high accommodation costs…it’s getting around. Mostly because buses are infrequent. You need to look up the schedule in advance to plan your day. So here are your main options for the Uvita area.
Walk
Obviously, you can walk almost everywhere. I’m never opposed to a 3-mile beach walk but I know that does put some people off. The only places you absolutely could not walk to are Dominical, Dominicalito, and Nuayaca Falls.
Bus
This is the backpacker’s go-to. But typically, there are only 2-3 buses per day to each destination which means you’ll need to plan your day in advance and time your return to Uvita with the bus schedule. For example, buses to Nuayaca Falls leave Uvita at 6 AM but the only 2 return buses are at around Noon and again at 4:30 PM.
Hitch
This is the Pura Vida way. That lovely main highway snakes past all the major destinations and Costa Rica is an insanely safe country making it a prime destination for hitch-hiking. Especially if you have missed the bus and are now in a bind.
Whether you’re looking for a relaxing cheap beach destination in Costa Rica or you’re biding your time until you head to Corcovado National Park Uvita is a great stop to add to your itinerary. We loved our week lounging in the sand and getting acquainted with exotic wildlife– swimming in the surf while macaws screeched overhead. Pure paradise.
Save this Post For Later!
No Comments