Located on Costa Rica’s remote Osa Peninsula along the Pacific Ocean, Corcovado National Park was dubbed by National Geographic as “the most biologically intense place on Earth in terms of biodiversity.”
At 424 square kilometres (164 square miles), Corcovado is the largest national park in Costa Rica and protects about a third of the Osa Peninsula. It is also the largest primary forest on the American Pacific coastline.
Corcovado is one of the most remote national parks in the Americas and is home to pristine waters and a jungle teeming with exotic wildlife.
Here you will find an impressively diverse array of 13 major ecosystems including lowland rain forest, highland cloud forest, jolillo forest (palm swamp), mangrove swamps, as well as coastal marine and beach habitats.
The park is home to an impressive 500 tree species, 400 species of birds (including 16 different hummingbirds and the largest number of scarlet macaws anywhere in Central America), more than 100 species of butterflies, at least 10,000 species of other insects, 28 species of lizards, 40 species of frogs, many species of snakes, as well as mammals such as the Baird’s tapir, the rare harpy eagle, scarlet macaws, jaguar, puma, red-backed squirrel monkeys, sloths, white-lipped peccaries, and the list goes on and on.
Come hike and camp here but be warned that the place can get wet, and is remote and very rugged. You will often have to walk waist-deep through rivers, but feel free to swim under the waterfalls surrounded by the verdure of the rainforest. Water from the falls is crystal clear, so feel free to drink.
Corcovado has about 39 kilometres (23 mi) of deserted golden sand beaches lined with coconut palms. Here you will only be disturbed by the occasional colossal monitor lizard scavenging the beaches for morsels from the sea. While swimming in the sea, be on the lookout for hammerhead sharks, crocodiles, and bull sharks which are common in Corcovado Lagoon and the estuaries of the Ríos Claro and Sirena.
Note that over the last few years, new regulations have come into action. Visitors are no longer allowed to explore the park without a guide. There are also strict regulations in place in terms of where to sleep and how to behave in the park.
Entering the park from the south is best done by taking a boat from Golfito across the gulf to Puerto Jiménez. From here arrange the necessary permits at the Osa Conservation Area administrative headquarters.
Permits in hand, get a ride on a four-wheel-drive or the back of a pickup truck to Carate on the Pacific Coast. From Carate you can walk on the beach and through the jungle to La Leona Ranger Station 2 kilometres (1.2 mi), or to Sirena Ranger Station 15 kilometres (9 mi) along Playa Madrigal beach. From Sirena Ranger Station it is possible to exit the park via San Pedrillo and Drake Bay to the north.
Corcovado does not play games. If you want to visit planet earth’s “most biologically intense place”, be well prepared and be tough. There are many dangerous animals in this dense tropical jungle. Come out alive and it will be an experience you will never forget!
Brown-throated Three-toed Sloth Brown-throated Three-toed Sloth Brown-throated Three-toed Sloth Two-toed Sloth Basilisk Lizard Tri-coloured Heron Iguana Golden Silk Spider and prey Scarlet Macaws
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Blog post and photos by Peter who has been travelling almost full-time since 2005 and has been to over 122 countries. He visited several countries, such as Japan, more than 20 times. Peter is Editor-in-Chief and Publisher of GlobeRovers Magazine, an independent travel magazine focused on intrepid destinations.