Uvita Brings Together Gastronomy, Local Products and Conservation in a Celebration of Costa Rica’s Southern Pacific

From September 16 to 19, 2026, Uvita de Osa, in the province of Puntarenas, is becoming a meeting point for chefs, mixologists, producers, entrepreneurs and representatives from communities across Costa Rica during the first edition of the Vamos al Sur Gastronomic Festival.

The initiative brings together different expressions of Costa Rican gastronomy in the Southern Pacific while highlighting the products, traditions and talent of the region.

A table connecting different regions of the country

More than 50 chefs and mixologists are taking part in the festival, alongside producers and other professionals involved in the food industry. The program includes dinners, gatherings, talks, cocktail demonstrations, community activities and opportunities to share knowledge.

Rather than focusing exclusively on restaurant cuisine, the event aims to bring visitors closer to the products and people that make up the local food chain.

Chef Marlon Acuña, the founder of the initiative and a native of Pérez Zeledón, wanted to bring this type of gathering to the Southern region so that knowledge and experiences that are often concentrated elsewhere in the country could also be shared within local communities.

Professionals from different parts of Costa Rica are participating, creating an exchange between chefs, producers and gastronomic projects.

Local flavors as part of the region’s identity

The gastronomy of Costa Rica’s Southern Pacific is closely connected to the products available in the territory and to the traditions of its communities.

Among the ingredients and preparations associated with the region are pejibaye, palm heart, starfruit, coffee, mushrooms from the Corcovado area, seafood and various traditional dishes.

The Costa Rican Tourism Institute (ICT) has developed several initiatives in recent years to highlight the relationship between gastronomy, territory and cultural identity. Its work on Costa Rican cuisine promotes local ingredients, recipes and culinary traditions from different regions of the country.

The ICT has also published a cookbook dedicated specifically to the Southern Region, presenting traditional cuisine as a way to discover the history, local products, landscape and identity of a destination.

Gastronomy and marine conservation

One of the distinctive aspects of Vamos al Sur is its connection with conservation.

Part of the funds raised during the festival will go toward coral conservation and restoration projects in Costa Rica’s Southern Pacific through Costa Rica Coral Restoration.

The organization works on coral research, education and restoration in the area of Marino Ballena National Park, in Uvita. Its project includes nurseries and fragmentation tanks where corals are grown and studied before being transferred to restoration sites in the ocean.

The conservation component also has an educational dimension. Costa Rica Coral Restoration works to involve the local community and introduce visitors, students and residents to the importance of marine ecosystems.

A territory where gastronomy meets nature

Uvita is located next to Marino Ballena National Park, one of the protected areas of Costa Rica’s Southern Pacific.

According to the National System of Conservation Areas (SINAC), the park protects 5,160 hectares of marine territory and 171 hectares of land, including beaches, mangroves, reefs, forests and rock formations. Seventeen coral species have also been recorded in its waters.

The park was created following concerns raised by residents and small-scale fishers from the communities of Bahía Ballena and Piñuelas about the conservation of marine resources in the area. Its history therefore reflects the important role that local communities have played in protecting the territory.

Today, the area is also known for activities such as whale watching, snorkeling, surfing, kayaking and wildlife observation.

An event designed to strengthen the Southern region

Vamos al Sur also includes an event developed with Observatorio Fogón Futuro and Parque La Libertad, featuring talks, demonstrations, discussions and the participation of agricultural and artisan producers from the region.

The goal is to create spaces where gastronomic knowledge can be shared directly with communities and where local products can gain greater visibility.

This approach is consistent with the ICT’s view of gastronomy as an activity capable of connecting farmers, producers, chefs, communities and visitors. The institution highlights the role of local products and culinary traditions in the identity of destinations and their potential contribution to regional economic development.

A celebration of what the Southern Pacific has to offer

With its first edition, Vamos al Sur proposes looking at gastronomy as more than what is served on a plate: it is also a way of discovering a territory, its products, its communities and its traditions.

For four days, Uvita will host exchanges between professionals from different parts of Costa Rica and local actors, while part of the initiative is directly connected to the protection of the region’s marine ecosystems.

The event places several characteristics of the Southern Pacific at the center of the experience: a strong connection to the land and sea, a cuisine shaped by local products, and communities continuing to develop new ways of sharing and protecting their resources.