Finally Corcovado!

After being in Costa Rica for the last seven years I finally had the experience of going to the wonderful area known as the Osa Peninsula, specifically Corcovado National Park. I had heard such amazing things about this place. Located along the Pacific Coast of the famed Osa Peninsula, the Corcovado National Park has been dubbed by National Geographic as “the most biologically diverse location on earth.” From my experience, I would not want to argue the point……..


Getting There

There are two basic ways to get to Corcovado, either by car or by plane. I chose car, probably because I like to do things the hard way. If you are driving from San Jose, I suggest you spend one night in Dominical to break the trip up a bit. It is about four hours from San Jose to Dominical (either by way of Quepos or by way of San Isidro General). We did spend a night in Dominical. The next day the sun was shining and we set off for adventure. The road all the way from Dominical to Palmer Sur is one of the best in the country, so you can make pretty good time. From there things get a bit more interesting. Your final destination will be Puerto Jiminez, a little town on the Golfo Dulce. By the way make sure to stop at one of the scenic points overlooking the Golfo Dulce, because it is truly magnifcent. You will have to pass over some pretty rough roads to get to Puerto Jiminez. Just take your time and enjoy the scenery (maybe that will take your attention away from your sore @#$). You can also choose to take a direct flight from San Jose to Puerto Jiminez. The flight on Sansa runs about $100 (with taxes and fees included). Remember, however, there is a pretty stringent weight requirement and you will pay dearly if you have too much luggage or equipment.

Puerto Jiminez

Puerto Jiminez is the most happening place in the area. There are restaurants, some shops, a disco, internet cafes, a bank (with cash machine) and many great places to stay (I address accommodations below). The place is on the water and has a very nice vibe to it. The people down here are very inviting and I did notice that the women are quite pretty (hey, I can notice things like that. I’m not married!). While there we took a boat across the gulf to Pavones. The boat ride took about an hour and costs us $200. The drive would have taken us 6 hours. Pavones is famous for surfers and boasts the longest left breaking wave in the world. The day we went there was not much there, but it can get quite big. Anyway, the boat ride over was stunning and we saw some beautiful coastline and several schools of dolphins.

Places to Stay

There are many hotels that range from hostels to really nice resorts. Two that stand out are Yellow Coco and Lapas Rios. Yellow Coco is located on the beach about 15 minutes from Puerto Jiminez. It boasts a beach house that sleeps nine as well as two bungalows that each sleep 3 to 4 persons. Yellow Coco does not have a restaurant or a pool. Meals will be on your own, i.e., you can bring groceries in to cook (each accommodation has a fully equipped kitchen) or go to any of the many local restaurants (the ones we tried were excellent, by the way). Lapas Rios is a little farther away and about half way to the entrance of the Corcovado Park. It is about a 45 minute drive from central Puerto Jiminez. The Lapas Rios resort is beautiful beyond description. The resort has won several awards for sustainable tourism. They actually run programs out of the resort to teach rain forest conservation. The rates run about $295 double and include the round trip transportation from Puero Jiminez and all meals and non-alcoholic drinks. I have heard that the food at Lapas Rios is out of this world delicious. The resort also offers several packages that include a variety of tours.

Corcovado National Park

The highlight of any visit to the Osa Penninsula is Corcovado National Park. It is one of the most biologically intense locations on earth and houses an astonishing variety of plants, insects, birds and large mammals. It is one of the only places in Costa Rica where you can still find Jaguars (although experts estimate there are only about 100 left in the park) and it is the only place where you can find all four species of monkeys native to Costa Rica (which are the spider, squirrel, howler and white face). On my trip I did not get to see the elusive big cat, but did see a Danta (Tapir) and almost ran over a Sloth crossing the dirt road. We actually drove into the park and had to cross many rivers (one of which was deep enough that the water covered the hood of the SUV). One of the most amazing sights I saw was a tree full of Scarlet Macaws.

You Need to Go There

Over the last four years we have brought about 1,000 tourists to Costa Rica. However, only a few have experienced this magical place called Corcovado and the Osa Peninsula. Places like Arenal and Manuel Antonio have put Costa Rica on the world tourism map. Yet people are missing out on places that are more remote like Corcovado. We currently have a great package that even includes a flight into the Serena Station deep in the park with a naturalist tour guide. This is called our Eco-Tourism package and I would highly encourage you to consider it.

Pura Vida!