A dirt road that begins about one kilometer south of Rincón leads via the community of Rancho Quemado to Drake Bay(pronounced “DRA-cay” locally), a large sweeping bay on northwest Osa.

A small village—Agujitas—lies at the southern end of the two-kilometer-wide crescent bay, from where a well-trodden trail leads to Corcovado National Park (13 kilometers south). Caño Island dominates the view out to sea.

Drake Bay is famous as one of only two places in Central America where locals make reverse-appliqué stitched molas (the other place is the San Blas islands in Panamá, where the work is far more ornate). It has changed little since the day in March 1579 when Sir Francis Drake anchored the Golden Hind in the tranquil bay that now bears his name.

The wilderness surrounding Drake Bay is replete with wildlife. Humpbacks and other whale species pass by close to shore. There’s good snorkeling at the southern end of the bay, where a coastal trail leads to the mouth of the Río Agujitas, good for exploration by canoe. You can follow the coast trail south to Playa Cocalito (immediately south) and Playa Caletas (4 km), and a paternoster of golden sand beaches, ending at Playa Josecito on the edge of Corcovado National Park.

Drake Bay draws hundreds of dolphins, which are commonly seen cavorting and leaping close to shore. Humpback whales, orcas, pilot whales, sperm whales, sei whales, and pseudorcas (false killer whales) are also found in the area.

The Delfin Amor Marine Education Center (tel. 506/847-3131 or U.S. tel. 866/527-5558, www.divinedolphin.com) monitors the dolphin population, which it works to protect, while educating locals and tourists on dolphin ecology. Dolphin trips are offered.

The 500-hectare Punta Río Claro National Wildlife Refuge sits above and behind Playa Caletas and Punta Marenco. The reserve forms a buffer zone for Corcovado National Park and is home to all four monkey species and other wildlife species common to Corcovado. The area’s 400-plus bird species include the scarlet macaw. The Marenco Beach and Rainforest Lodge (tel. 506/2258-1919 or U.S. tel. 800/278-6223, fax 506/2255-1346, www.marencolodge.com) serves as a center for scientific research and welcomes ecotourists. Resident biologists lead nature hikes ($35).

Further south, Proyecto Campanario (tel. 506/258-5778, www.campanario.org) protects some 100 hectares of rainforest. The Campanario Biological Station offers courses in neotropical ecology and has “conservation camps,” and it welcomes all manner of travelers, with accommodations (in the field station and also a tent camp) and trails.

Tours and Recreation

Professional entomologist Tracie Stice—The “Bug Lady”—and Costa Rican naturalist Gianfranco Gomez run a marvelously educational nocturnal bug-hunt (tel. 506/382-1619, www.thenighttour.com, $35, 7:30 p.m. nightly). The 2.5-hour tour is fascinating and fun, made more so by Tracie’s wit and enthralling anecdotes on such themes as six-legged sex and eight-eyed erotica. Reservations are strongly recommended and can be made through individual lodges.

Costa Rica Adventure Divers (tel. 506/2231-5806 or U.S. tel. 866/466-5090, www.costaricadiving.com) is based at Jinetes de Osa hotel and has dive trips to Isla Caño for $90. Pirate Cove (tel. 506/2234-6154 or 506/8393-9449, www.piratecovecostarica.com) also specializes in diving.

The Hotel Ojalá and Aguila de Osa Inn specialize in sportfishing ($350 half-day, $550 full-day, for up to four people).

Corcovado Expeditions (tel. 506/833-2384, www.corcovadoexpeditions.net, 10 a.m.–8 p.m. daily), in Agujitas, offers tours to Corcovado, Isla Caño, and the Terraba mangroves, as well as dolphin-spotting tours, mountain biking, kayaking, among other options.

The Original Canopy Tour (tel. 506/257-5149, www.canopytour.com, $45 adults, $35 students, $25 children) lets you soar between treetops while suspended in a harness.

Getting There

Both Sansa (tel. 506/257-9414, www.flysansa.com) and Nature Air (tel. 506/220-3054, www.natureair.com) provide scheduled air service to Agujitas. You can charter a small plane to Drake Bay.

A bus for Agujitas departs Rincón at 11 a.m. daily. The dirt road from Rincón via Rancho Quemado is sometimes impassable in wet season—the main stumbling block is the Río Drake, which must be forded.

A water-taxi departs Sierpe for Drake Bay at about 10 a.m. daily. The trip takes two hours down the jungle-draped Río Sierpe ($25 pp). Lodges arrange transfers for guests.