Trip to Corcovado Nature Reserve
Corcovado National Park
More on: Costa Rica Destinations
The Nature in its full glory in southwest Costa Rica on the ocean shores.
Corcovado Reserve is a national park in southwest Costa Rica on the shores of the Pacific Ocean on the Osa Peninsula. Anyone who wants to see forests and animals in the most pristine nature Costa Rica has to offer, in places farthest from the crowds and tourist centers, comes here. The reserve covers 424 square kilometers and occupies one-third of the peninsula where it is located, Osa. It was declared a national park in 1975 and is considered the largest national park in the country. National Geographic called the reserve "the most biologically intense place on Earth". The park, which primarily includes primary tropical forest, is adjacent to the shores of the Pacific Ocean and includes rivers and lagoons.
This is the place to see spectacular macaws in a variety of colors, tapirs, coatis, wild cats, all types of monkeys existing in Costa Rica, three-toed sloths, frogs, crocodiles, snakes and more, all in a breathtaking landscape of thick forest with giant trees, huge roots, some of which are aerial roots, and a variety of ferns.
How to get there
Those interested in reaching the reserve need to put in some effort and invest time and money:
The fastest way is a 35-minute flight in a light aircraft with 12 passengers from San Jose to Drake Bay. From the airfield, you drive 10 minutes in a 4x4 on a rough road to the beach, where a boat waits; you take off your shoes, step into the water and board it. You sail for another 15 minutes and arrive at a beach where you step into the water again and reach the shore near the hotel where you will stay. All this together with your luggage.
Recommended guided tours to book from Viator departing from Drake Bay:
This is what the journey to Corcovado looks like in pictures:
The flight itself is an incomparable scenic flight. You will pass over the giant and crowded San Jose with its many buildings, and after a few minutes, you will fly over high mountains from which waterfalls flow, with rivers between them. Then you fly over a green and wild coast, see rivers flowing into the sea, amazing bays, long stretches of beach with tropical vegetation reaching almost to the water, small towns, all from a relatively low altitude. The two pilots flying the plane are within touching distance of you and land it smoothly in a tiny field in the middle of nowhere. You will take the suitcases out of the plane's luggage compartment yourself (note that only 8 kg per passenger is allowed plus a small side bag) and load them onto the jeep waiting nearby.
Guided Tours
It is recommended to visit the reserve for 3-4 days. Guided tours are advised so as not to miss the elusive animals that sometimes only an experienced guide manages to spot before they flee at the sight of people.
These tours should be combined with a vacation in this magical place, birdwatching from the cabin for colorful birds, observing monkeys, stunning sunsets and enjoying the pure sights and sounds of nature, without interruptions in the most natural and ecological place in Costa Rica.
Recommended Accommodations in Corcovado
In Corcovado and its surroundings, there are no giant hotels, no skyscrapers or resorts with hundreds of rooms. All accommodations are ecological, environmentally friendly, include a relatively small number of rooms (a few dozen at most), are surrounded by forest and are close to the sea.
Punta Marenco is one of the cheaper hotels in the reserve. It has 19 cabins.
Each cabin has a shower (cold only), private toilet and a balcony overlooking the forest (some also the sea); there is no air conditioning or fan, and electricity is available only from five in the evening until ten at night. Internet is available only in the restaurant with weak reception in the adjacent cabins. Stay is on a full-board basis, but the food and conditions are very basic. Magical jungle view with plenty of toucans and parrots on the large trees, access to a wild beach. Monkeys will peek at you from your cabin balcony in the morning, and you will likely wake up to the sound of their howling or the chirping of many birds. Suitable for those who love living in the heart of wild nature, seeking peace and quiet and are definitely not pampered.
The best hotel in the reserve itself is: Casa Corcovado Jungle Lodge
The reserve also has a large camping site Corcovado Adventures Tent Camp with permanent tents where you can stay.
For those seeking more comfortable living conditions, it is better to stay in the nearby town of Drake Bay. Anyway, to reach the reserve, you must take a small motorboat, even from hotels defined as inside the reserve, and the only difference is a few extra minutes of sailing.
In the tiny town, there are several restaurants, grocery stores and tourist stalls, so the variety of food and entertainment options is greater.
The most successful hotel in Drake Bay is undoubtedly:
Copa De Arbol Beach & Rainforest Resort which is located a hundred meters from the beach inside the forest. There are luxurious and well-equipped cabins with magical views, air-conditioned (very important and rare...), with private bathrooms and free high-speed internet.
Aguila de Osa Inn – another high-quality hotel near the river mouth to the sea, with spacious and luxurious rooms with balconies overlooking the sea and a quality restaurant.
In my opinion, the three "must-do" tours that should not be missed are:
Night Tour in Corcovado
At sunset, we set out for a walk in the dark equipped with flashlights in the forest with a local guide.
During the tour, which starts at the hotel entrance and continues into the thick of the forest until reaching the beach, you meet animals of all types and species, from a snake coiled around one of the trees (which the guide identifies as non-venomous and is very excited about), through frogs (ranging from tiny ones that almost need a magnifying glass to see to giant toads) and various strange insects, to cute mammals such as coyotes and small opossums. In the river, you can spot crocodiles and near the beach, a variety of colorful giant crabs.
This is a fascinating tour where you can see nocturnal animals in action and learn a lot from the guide about the local flora and fauna. Not recommended for those with a serious fear of reptiles and insects... duration of the tour is about two hours.
Tour in Corcovado Reserve Sirena National Park
This is the highlight of the visit to Corcovado: a full-day tour in one of the reserve's areas. The most popular and successful area is a trip to the "Sirena" station. You sail in a boat through impressive tropical scenery for about half an hour to a small visitor center,
You register there and set off in small groups, each group with a dedicated guide into the forest. During the walk (where you also cross a stream), you see different types of monkeys in the trees, birds, coatis, frogs, snakes and the highlight: if luck permits - a tapir.
Towards the end of the route, you reach a waterfall and several smaller waterfalls nearby and go for a swim in the cool, refreshing water.
You eat lunch (picnic) at the visitor center, which the skilled guide prepares quickly from the products he brought, and return by boat to the hotel. Total tour duration is about seven hours.
Boat Trip and Snorkeling at Caño Island - Snorkel Isla Cano
A 45-minute speedboat ride to Isla Caño, which is also a nature reserve.
To book the tour from Viator (tour departs from Drake Bay):
♦ Trip to Caño Island and snorkeling nearby - lasts about six hours including lunch (the island is about 25 km from Drake Bay):
Snorkeling Tour in Caño Island with Lunch
During the boat trip, you will meet many dolphins jumping around the boat and playing hide and seek with you.
If you arrive in the right season, you will also see whales. You register upon arrival at the reserve station, jump into the water about a hundred meters from the shore and snorkel together with the guide who points out special fish for you. Visibility is good, between ten and twenty meters. You see schools of colorful fish of various types, several types of rays (stingrays), giant sea turtles and even small sharks up to a meter long (don't worry, they are not dangerous to humans). You snorkel for about an hour and then land on the island's sandy beach to rest for half an hour
and set out again for a second one-hour dive at another nearby spot. Return to a nice shore on the mainland for lunch (picnic) and then back to the hotel.
This is undoubtedly one of the best places for diving and snorkeling in Costa Rica!
Total tour duration is 6-7 hours.
You can purchase a package including all tours and transfers, accommodation and full board. Or book accommodation separately and join different tours on-site. Each hotel has a guide or guides they work with regularly.
In addition to these guided tours, the area offers a selection of active vacation options such as: guided kayaking, horseback riding and hiking on various trails.