This is the place I send clients who tell me: “I want Costa Rica… but not the Costa Rica everyone else is doing.”

And this time, it was me. I’m Katrin, co-owner of Travel Pioneers, and I deliberately chose to travel to Ojochal during peak season. Why? Because I wanted to avoid crowds, traffic, and loud music on pristine beaches. I wanted to experience Costa Rica the way it feels in your imagination, wild, spacious, and deeply calming.

When you drive south past Uvita, something shifts. The roadside stalls thin out, the traffic eases, and the energy softens. You’ve entered Costa Ballena, the Whale Coast, where jungle covered hills roll toward a long, dramatic stretch of Pacific shoreline. Even in high season, it feels wonderfully removed from the usual tourist rhythm.

One of the beaches that completely captured me is Playa Ballena. Wide, golden, and backed by dense greenery, it feels raw and untouched. I walked for long stretches without seeing more than a few people. No speakers, no beach bars, just the sound of waves and the occasional scarlet macaw crossing the sky. It’s the kind of place that quietly reminds you why you came to Costa Rica in the first place.

Nearby, Playa Ventanas offers something entirely different yet equally special. At low tide, you can step inside sea caves carved into the rock, natural “windows” where waves crash through from both sides. It’s dramatic and beautiful, but also practical, swimmable, with lifeguards and easy access. For families, that balance between wild nature and comfort makes a real difference.

What makes Ojochal truly stand out, though, isn’t just the coastline. It’s the unexpected sophistication tucked into this jungle town. Years ago, a wave of French and international expats settled here and quietly built one of the most interesting culinary scenes in the country. Today, you’ll find refined fusion cuisine, handmade pasta, Indonesian flavors, and bakeries that wouldn’t feel out of place in Paris. The town even celebrates its gastronomic identity through the movement El Sabor de Ojochal. Jungle, beach, and serious food, it’s a combination many travelers simply don’t expect.

Wildlife here isn’t an organized excursion; it’s part of daily life. Howler monkeys provide the morning soundtrack, toucans sit in the treetops, and sloths casually cross the road. For those wanting to explore further, whale watching off Uvita, mangrove tours through Térraba-Sierpe, or a refreshing swim at Cascada El Pavón are all within easy reach. It’s experiential travel without over-scheduling, nature unfolding at its own pace.

Geographically Ojochal sits between some of Costa Rica’s most extraordinary regions; the raw wilderness of the Osa Peninsula and Golfo Dulce, and the iconic Manuel Antonio National Park. After rainforest hikes or marine adventures, Ojochal becomes the place where travelers exhale. Jungle mornings, beach afternoons, and sunset drinks overlooking the Pacific from the hills,  those are the moments that stay with you.

Around Ojochal and the southern Pacific region, we focus on private luxury villas and boutique jungle lodges rather than large resorts. Properties where the jungle is your closest neighbor, the ocean your horizon, and privacy is absolute. It’s luxury, but intimate, aligned with the rhythm of the landscape. 

And this is exactly how we design our journeys. We curate itineraries that combine places like Ojochal with the Osa Peninsula or Golfo Dulce, selecting handpicked villas and lodges that we personally know and trust. We want you to travel the way we do; intentionally, privately, and deeply connected to nature, without noise and without compromise.

Choosing Ojochal in peak season wasn’t accidental. It was intentional. It’s Costa Rica without noise, without repetition, and without the feeling of being in someone else’s vacation. For travelers seeking authenticity, biodiversity, comfort, and space. This is where the country slows down. And where it quietly surprises you.

In a country filled with famous destinations, Ojochal quietly shows that the most memorable journeys are often found just beyond the usual route. 

Katrin Kirchhoff 

Travel Pioneers - Co-Owner

Travel & Leisure A-List 2026