Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica

Parque Nacional Corcovado—the Amazon of Costa Rica—is the largest stronghold of Pacific coastline primary forest, which has been all but destroyed from Mexico to South America. Its 41,788 hectares encompass eight habitats, from mangrove swamp and jolillo palm grove to montane forest. The park protects more than 400 species of birds (20 are endemic), 116 of amphibians and reptiles, and 139 of mammals—representing 10 percent of the mammals in the Americas—on only 0.000101777 percent of the landmass. Its healthy population of scarlet macaws (about 1,200 birds) is the largest concentration in Central America. You can expect to see large flocks of macaws in flight or feeding on almond trees by the shoreline.

Corcovado is a good place to spot the red-eyed tree frog (listen for his single-note mating “cluck”), the glass frog with its transparent skin, and enamel-bright poison-arrow frogs. And you can watch fishing bats doing just that over rivers at night. You can even try your own hand for snook inside the mouths of the coastal rivers on incoming tides.

Corcovado is one of only two places in the country that harbor squirrel monkeys (the other is Manuel Antonio). It’s also one of the last stands in the world for the harpy eagle. Four species of sea turtles—green, Pacific ridley, hawksbill, and leatherback—nest on the park’s beaches. And the park supports a healthy population of tapirs and of big cats, which like to hang around the periphery of the Corcovado Lagoon. Jaguar paw prints are commonly seen in the mud trails, and the cats are often sighted. (The park’s mammal population—notably peccaries—is under intense pressure from illegal hunters.)

The Osa Peninsula bears the brunt of torrential rains from April to December. It receives up to 400 cm per year. The driest months, Jan.–April, are the best times to visit.

Recreation and tours can be arranged in Puerto Jiménez. Most tour operators in San José can also arrange tours.

Information
The park has three entry points: La Leona, on the southeast corner near Carate; Los Patos, on the northern perimeter; and San Pedrillo, at the northwest corner, 18 km south of Drake Bay. You can hike or fly into the park headquarters at Sirena, midway between La Leona and San Pedrillo. There’s also a remote ranger station at Los Planes, on the northern border midway between San Pedrillo and Los Patos. All are linked by trails. Entrance costs $8 and is good for the duration of your stay.

The park is administered through the Osa Conservation Area headquarters in Puerto Jiménez (tel. 506/735-5036 or 506/735-5580, fax 506/735-5276, corcovado@minae.go.cr).

Hiking Trails
Corcovado has a well-developed trail system, though the trails are primitive. Several short trails (two to six hours) make for rewarding half- or full-day hikes. Longer trails grant an in-depth backpacking experience in the rainforest. Allow about three days to hike from one end of the park to the other. It can be hot and sweaty. Horseflies and mosquitoes can be a pain in the butt. And spiderwebs span the trails, which are in places badly eroded, poorly maintained, and poorly marked. Buy the relevant Instituto Geográfico 1:50,000 scale map if you plan on serious hiking.

From La Leona, it’s 15 km to Sirena, following the beach for most of the way. Allow up to eight hours. Beyond Salsipuedes Point, the trail cuts inland through the rainforest. Don’t try this at high or waning tide: you must cross some rocky points that are cut off by high tide. Don’t trust the ranger’s statements: consult a tide table before you arrive. The hike from La Leona to the Magrigal waterfall is particularly recommended, but few local guides will take you.

From Sirena, a trail leads northeast to Los Patos via Corcovado Lagoon. Another trail—only possible at low tide (not least because sharks, mostly hammerheads, like to come up the rivermouths in the hours immediately before and after high tide)—leads to the San Pedrillo Ranger Station (23 km). There are three rivers to wade. The trick is to reach the Río Sirena and slightly shallower Ríos Llorona before the water is thigh-deep. Here, watch for the crocodiles upstream. Don’t let me put you off; dozens of hikers follow the trail each week. Halfway, the trail winds steeply into the rainforest and is often slippery—good shoes are essential. The last three kilometers are along the beach. The full-day hike takes you past La Llorona, a 30-meter-high waterfall that cascades spectacularly onto the beach. From San Pedrillo, you can continue another 10 km to Drake Bay and Marenco Beachfront and Resort Lodge. Tapirs are said to come down to the beach around sunrise, but you must remain silent at all times, as the animals are timid and may never return once scared away.

From Los Patos, the trail south climbs steeply for six km before flattening out for the final 14 km to the Sirena Research Station. The trail is well marked but narrow, overgrown in parts, and has several river crossings where it is easy to lose the trail on the other side. You must wade. Be especially careful in rainy season, when you may find yourself hip-deep. There are three small shelters en route. A side trail will take you to Corcovado Lagoon. Allow up to eight hours. Another trail leads from Los Patos to Los Planes.

Safety Concerns: Beware riptides: swim only where rangers advise it may be safe. Sharks reportedly cruise the inshore waters, though there are no recorded incidents of unprovoked attacks here. And crocodiles inhabit the estuaries of the Río Claro and Río Sirena; if crossing either river, do so as far upriver as possible. Corovado also has a large population of peccaries, a massive-necked razor-backed hog that grows to the size of a large hound.

Getting There
You can charter an air-taxi to fly you to Sirena from Puerto Jiménez with Alfa Romeo Aero Taxi ($110). Also see Puerto Jiménez to Carate, above.

Boats from Marenco and Drake Bay will take you to either San Pedrillo or Sirena.