Find Nature In Costa Rica
Drake Bay, OSA Peninsula, Corcovado
One of my first big trips to truly experience the natural world. Going to a real rainforest was a goal for a long time. I wanted to see the beautiful animals and plants and to immerse myself in an ecology so foreign to my own. When the opportunity arose, I found a company called Sukia, and my adventure to Costa Rica’s Osa Peninsula began. For anyone interested in exploring this incredible corner of the world, Drake Bay and Corcovado National Park offer an amazing window into a place National Geographic famously called “the most biologically intense place on Earth.” According to an older National Geographic article.
My trip to Corcovado National Park was a deep dive into one of the most biodiverse places on the planet. I used a tour company called Sukia to create a custom, week-long itinerary packed with hiking, wildlife spotting, and unique lodging experiences. I can not recommend Sukia more they provided a great experience while emphasizing respect for the nature they will help you explore. This company enabled the best parts of my trip happen.
My Itinerary
Here was my initial plan. The actual dates when things were scheduled shifted and the prices may have changed since I was there. You can see my actual itinerary on the confirmation above.
This was my plan
17th Fly to Drake bay arrive 9:10am
17th: Night tour- Tracie the Bug Lady
18th: Sukia Corcovado Overnight
19th: Return from overnight
20th: Sukia Mangrove Tour
21st:Sukia Corcovado Overnight
22ndt: Return from overnight
23rd: The Beach Hike (free activity, great for birds and monkeys)
24th: Fly back to San Jose 3:10pm
Other Activities
The Heartbeat of Drake Bay
My approach, as usual, was a bit unconventional. I worked with Sukia to create a custom plan, squeezing as much as I could into my week-long trip. After arriving, I spent the first couple of days adjusting and getting my bearings. You quickly start to notice the town’s heartbeat—how things operate.
My hotel was on the edge of town—very reasonably priced (about $110 for 10 days!) and very nice. There was no air conditioning, but I couldn’t complain. It had running water, though I was advised to stick to bottled water, which was easy since a local store was literally across the street. The only catch was the steep hill I had to climb up and down to get to the main part of town, which descends toward the beach.
I had simple lodging, no ac, but a clean bed and a place to shower. If you stay here there is a store across the street and a great restaurant called cat el Tortuga down the street, so you won’t have to climb the hill into town for dinner each night. There are places to stay, some are more expensive and closer to beach access and trails. There are a few great restaurants that have views of the ocean. I recommend paying for most things in cash for simplicity.
Every morning, the town comes alive around the main beach. You’ll see vendors setting up and local restaurants preparing for the inevitable return of hungry tourists from their nature excursions. This beach is the central artery for most tours. Be prepared for a bit of beautiful chaos as tourists and guides coordinate to get everyone on the correct boats.
One of the most charming parts of my stay was getting to know a local dog. Early in my trip, he found me and just started following me around. He was healthy and friendly but would start to cry if he didn’t get any food. I later learned from a guide that the local dogs use the tourists as a side hustle! Tourists feed them, so they now spend some time away from looking for a constant supply of friendly tourists to get a snack.
The dog I met his best trick was to walk ahead of you across a small suspension bridge and then look back, as if to see if you were impressed enough to supply a treat. Later in my trip, while enjoying a smoothie at a beachside restaurant, I saw the same dog following a new tourist. It provided a good laugh and felt like a true slice of local life.
Add Your Heading Text Here
Bring enough cash: Initially I brought about 170 dollars in cash that I converted to the local currency at the San Jose airport. I should have brought more. Enough to pay for meals in cash during your stay and to pay taxi drivers to take you to and from the airport. Which the going rate is about 20 dollars last I was there. There may be room for haggling, but I that wasn’t the route I went. Last also enough cash to tip the people who take care of the room.
The Osa Peninsula is in the southern part of Costa Rica. After arriving at the main airport in San José, be aware that as a tourist, you can be a target. An airport employee kindly warned me to stick with the official, orange-shirted taxi drivers. If someone is overly eager to get your business, they probably aren’t an official driver. I made the mistake of going with a friendly but unofficial driver who picked me up in his personal car. It turned out fine, but it was a nervous ride watching my Google Maps to make sure I was going in the right direction. Save yourself the stress and ask an employee to point you to an official taxi.
From San José, you have two main options to get to Drake Bay:
- Rent a car: It’s about a four-hour drive that, at one point, crosses a creek. You’ll probably want an off-road vehicle.
- Fly: This is the option I chose. It’s a short, roughly 90-minute flight on a small prop plane that costs around $200. The flight was smooth, and it was incredible to watch civilization disappear below, replaced by forest and ocean.
Navigating the Tours & Environment
- Footwear is Key: Getting on the tour boats from the main beach requires you to walk through the water. Bring water shoes! I learned this the hard way. Rushing to make my mangrove tour, I completely forgot to change out of my hiking boots and waded right into the ocean, waterlogging them. Luckily, I discovered you can take the inserts out and wring them dry. Never too late to learn something new.
- Seasickness: The boat rides to Corcovado can be over an hour on open water. If you get seasick, I highly suggest taking Dramamine. The waters were rough when I was there, and the boats aren’t huge.
- Rainy Season Realities: I visited at the tail end of the dry season when rains were becoming more frequent. When it rains here, it pours. A rain jacket is a good idea, but because it’s so humid, you’ll likely be drenched in either sweat or rain. I eventually just embraced the rain. The more important struggle is keeping your feet healthy. Bring plenty of dry socks in a dry bag. Hiking in wet socks is a recipe for blisters and misery.
- Plumbing Quirks: A heads-up: outside of the main airport, you’ll see signs asking you not to flush toilet paper. The plumbing in more rural areas can’t handle it. There are small trash cans next to the toilets for this purpose.
- Staying in the Park: At Sirena Station, the lodging is a comfortable bunkbed setup in screened-in rooms, with mosquito nets over each bunk. The showers, however, are probably the coldest on the planet! The station has lockers you can rent for about $10-$20, which might be worth it if you have expensive gear. It is a beautiful station that provides everything you need.
- Stay Hydrated: Im still convinced the single gatorade I bought along with a lot of water saved my entire trip. I was struggling with dehydration, but managed to pull things together right before my multi day Corcovado tours.
- The hike from Sirena to San Pedrillo is a hard hike. If you choose to do the tour at San Pedrillo it is worth it if you are comfortable with the hike, its less crowded than sirena the nature on the way is great and the hammock is awesome.
Wildlife Wonders
This trip was an absolute dream for wildlife viewing. I saw more than I ever thought possible. The night tours near Drake Bay were fantastic for seeing nocturnal creatures; my guide brought rubber boots for us to walk through streams, and we saw poison dart frogs, large Crocodiles, and impossibly thin snail-eating snakes.
The real highlight, however, was the multi-day tours in Corcovado National Park. This is where I saw the bulk of the wildlife. On the trails around Sirena and San Pedrillo stations, I encountered:
- A sloth moving slowly through the canopy.
- Hundreds of hermit crabs skittering across pristine beaches.
- Black-headed vultures, caimans, and even an American crocodile.
- Multiple troops of howler monkeys, whose calls became the soundtrack of the forest.
- A puma slinking through the undergrowth!
- A massive boa constrictor resting near the trail.
- Countless blue morpho butterflies, whose iridescent wings are impossible to capture in a photo.
- Even with my birding experience, my guide pointed out birds I would have completely missed, including a stunning crested owl.
- On my last day, I finally saw a tapir and its calf—an incredible experience.
