Corcovado National Park

Corcovado National Park is located on the magnificent Osa Peninsula and is the largest single area tropical lowland rainforest in Central America.  This area is truly the last frontier in Costa Rica as it has few villages and few tourists find their way down each year.  The natural drainage for the Corcovado Basin, these lowlands have numerous rivers and meandering creeks running throughout it with 13 known distinctive habitats.  The upland has steep terrain caused by aged tectonic plate movement, daily tremors and an abundance of annual rainfall.  The northern and southern rims are joined on the west by 12 miles of unspoiled beaches, coves and caves.  The Sirena River pours out to the ocean midway between and has a history of torrid currents, bull sharks and crocodiles so swimming in this area is not advised.

There are trails that offer hikers the opportunity to see 115 amphibian and reptile species, 400 species of birds, 140 different mammals, over 40 species of fish and 400 trees species.  There are unique and endangered plants and fauna that make it a place that must be protected. The government did so in 1975 by stopping logging in the area. 

You may want to use the opportunity to visit Cano Island, located just off the coast of Corcovado National Park while you are in the area.  Tours to Cano Island Biological Reserve are offered from Sierpe River area all the way down to Golfo Dulce.  You can find Corcovado National Park by traveling south on the Interamerican Highway to Chacarita.  You can enter through the towns of Drake on the west end, La Palma on the south side and Puerto Jimenez. It may be a challenge finding it but certainly worth it for the true nature lovers of the world.  Some camping is allowed inside the park in designated areas, which are well marked.  For additional accommodations, you must travel back to La Palma or Puerto Jimenez although there are a few scattered eco-lodges and cabins along the way.

Protected Areas close to Corcovado National Park include: Golfo Dulce Forest Reserve - Terraba-Sierpe National Wetlands - Cacyra Refuge - Lacustrino Pejeperrito Wetlands - Lagunazul Refuge - Pejeperlo Refuge - Rio Piro Refuge - Osa Refuge - Hacienda Copano Refuge -  Preciosa Platenares Refuge.

Photo: By José R. (Own work) [GFDL or CC-BY-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons