Costa Rica is wild nature, rainforests, great volcanoes, the Pacific, the Caribbean and virgin jungle. And of all the natural monuments that Costa Rica offers us, Corcovado National Park is, without a doubt, the wildest.
Corcovado National Park occupies an area of 560km² in the Osa Peninsula, Punta Arenas province, plus some 54km² of the Pacific Ocean to irrigate its wonderful beaches. It is home to more than 25 different ecosystems and a diversity of species like nowhere else in the world, making it the perfect enclave if you are looking for wild nature. Corcovado is Pura Vida.
Corcovado National Park is one of the largest tropical lowland rainforests in Central America and the best place in Costa Rica to observe wildlife. This space occupies almost half of the Osa peninsula, but it is still one of the most remote regions of Costa Rica.
There are many reasons to visit this park, but perhaps one of the most important is that the park is largely intact. Corcovado animals are not fed and rarely have human encounters. Thus, you will be able to see wildlife in their natural and healthy environments in which they were meant to thrive.
Corcorvado National Park has 500 different species of trees in the largest primary forest in the American Pacific. Some are gigantic old men who surprise and excite the moment they see them. This lush vegetation is home to more than 350 species of birds, more than 140 species of mammals, as well as reptiles, trillions of insects or fish.
As they have written in National Geographic, on more than one occasion, “it is the place in the world with the greatest biodiversity per square meter.” Which means that in a single day of visit you can see more than 100 different species: the tapir, the puma, the jaguar, the mountain pig, the white carib, the anteater, the howler, the spider monkey, the crocodile, the snakes, millions of frogs, pairs of macaws, toucans … if you run out of air reading, can you imagine what it would be like to experience it?
Costa Rica receives around 2,600,000 tourists a year. However, only a small percentage of them decide to visit Corcovado. The main reason is that getting to the park is quite an adventure. If you want to live an adventure and bring you the best photos of animals you can imagine, Corcovado is your destination.
How to get to Corcovado National Park?
Corcovado has two natural entrances, Drake Bay to the North and Puerto Jiménez to the East. Puerto Jiménez is larger and is very well prepared for tourism. Drake Bay is smaller and more authentic
By plane
Both have a small airport and have daily connections with San José. The companies that operate these flights are Nature Air and Sansa Air. They are small planes for between 8 – 16 passengers and the flight does not last more than an hour. It’s worth it. They fly quite low and offer a spectacular aerial panorama of the entire area.
Public transport
Another fantastic option is to take the Tracopa bus that goes from San José to Sierpe. This bus drops you off at the dock where public boats leave for Drake Bay. There are two boats a day: at 11:30 am and at 4:00 pm. This journey by boat will be a memorable experience on your trip, it is approximately 1h 15 minutes of crossing.
By car
If you want to get there by car it is also possible. You can reach Puerto Jiménez by car all year round on a road in good condition. It is less than 400 kilometers from San José, approximately a 6 hour trip. Drake Bay can also be reached by car in the dry season (December to May). You have to take a detour to the right 34 kilometers south of Palmar Norte and from that moment the adventure begins. It is an unpaved road that crosses several rivers and crosses the Osa Peninsula. In the rainy season, unless you go with a lot of time, venturing to go by car can mean that a storm raises the flow of the rivers and you have to wait for it to descend to cross.
Where to sleep and eat?
Cabins are the most common. Both Bahía Drake and Puerto Jimenez offer a wide variety of accommodation for backpackers. From a bed in a dormitory for € 12-15 per night , to a double room with a bathroom for € 50-75, there is room for all budgets. You will also find mid-range hotels that are, frankly, good, for around € 85-120 , although they are the least.
The restaurant offer is also wide in both cities: pizzas or hamburgers, delicious fresh fish dishes, the typical and cheap casado, the gallopinto or international dishes. Like everywhere else, it all depends on what you want to spend.
How to visit the Corcovado Natural Park?
Corcovado has 3 entrances, the San Pedrillo Station, the La Leona Station and the Sirena Station . Also keep in mind that you can only visit the park with an official guide.
One day visit
Both in Drake Bay and Puerto Jimenez you will find quite a few agencies that organize visits to Corcovado. It is likely that the hotel you choose can also organize the excursion. For those of us who like to travel on our own, this is a drag, but as we have already mentioned, it is forbidden to walk along the park’s trails without an official guide. It is about 5 hours of trails through the park, with a stop at the station for lunch. The walk is spectacular and the number of animals you will see is staggering.
This excursion can also be done to San Pedrillo or La Leona, however, the Sirena trails, being in the heart of the park, are usually the best for sightings.
Sleep in Corcovado
There is also the option of spending the night, one or two nights, at the Sirena station. This option allows you to get to know the park more thoroughly and travel many of its trails. There are several agencies that organize these types of activities if you are interested, especially if you are going to travel in high season. Lastly, although the trails are not difficult, the heat and humidity make the hikes quite tough. If you do not have some physical preparation, the walks can be very long.
The price of this type of excursion is between € 250 and € 300 per person.
When to visit the park?
The driest months for Corcovado National Park are from December to April. The rainy season begins in May and continues until early December. September and October are generally the rainiest months. You should bear in mind that some accommodations on the Osa Peninsula temporarily close in October due to high rainfall.
What to do in the area?
Visiting Corcovado is an incredible adventure and it is certainly worth the trip and every dollar you pay for it. But if it weren’t enough for you, you have a lot more to experience in both Drake and Jiménez, as well as Corcovado.
You can spend the day on the beach, lying in the shade of a tree, listening to monkeys, macaws or toucans.
Diving or snorkeling on Caño Island is another wonderful option. This marine reserve will leave you speechless with the amount of life that you will know: walks through primary forests, visits to waterfalls or baths in the river, are also within your reach, like kayaking and Canopy.
