Once a small, quiet fishing village, Dominical has become in the last years a favorite destination for many tourists. Along the coast you will find miles of isolated, unspoiled beaches and beautiful bays which are great for surfing, fishing, and diving.

Its real magic lies in the surrounding terrestial and marine wonders. There are snorkeling and scuba diving tours available to Caño Island.

Beaches are long and totally uncrowded and the rainforest grows right up to the beach in some places.

There are lots of great activities to enjoy in this region including horsbackriding, hiking trips, canopy, kayacking, and boat tours along the mangroves. Horseback riding tours will take you to Nauyaca Waterfall which is 213 ft (65 meters) high. This is a beautiful trip that will allow you to take in the surrounding landscape. Close to this secluded area you will find the Ballena (Whale) Marine National Park. This park was created in 1990 to protect 8 miles (13 km) of shoreline. The park includes 272 land acres (110 hectares) and 13 water acres (5 hectares). The area preserves the productivity of the biological communities that live in this coastal zone and preserves the habitat for different marine species that lay eggs here.

There is also a daily tour available to Corcovado National Park, where tourists will experience a 3 hour hiking trip through the well-marked trails of the park.

How to get there:
By car, it is a pleasant 4-5 hr. trip through what is considered the scenic mountains of the Cerro de La Muerte. From San Jose, take the Pan American Highway South towards Cartago, following sign to San Isidro and to Dominical.

As an alternate coastal route from San Jose, leave the Juan Santamaria International Airport near Alajuela and drive west to Orotina, Jaco and Quepos. Drive south from Quepos (Manuel Antonio National Park) to Dominical along the coastal road. This route requires 4-6 hrs.