Costa Rica – Wild and Beautiful Corcovado

After Manuel Antonio, we had one more stop in Costa Rica and it turned out we saved the best for last. Located in the far southwestern corner of Costa Rica, the little town of Puerto Jimenez and the nearby Corcovado National Park felt like what Costa Rica must have been like before the huge boom in tourism.

Puerto Jimenez

Following the long drive down from Manuel Antonio, we dropped off our bags at our cottage and set off to explore the town and meet our guide for our upcoming excursion into Corcovado National Park. The exploration didn’t take long as there was basically just one road and a handful of restaurants and shops. We ate dinner early and went straight to bed, as we had to be at the pier at 5:15 the next morning to catch the boat that would take us into the park.

Grumbling a bit about the early wakeup call, our moods quickly changed when we were greeted by both an incredible sunrise and setting full moon over the  calm waters of the bay.

Corcovado National Park

After a 90-minute boat ride, followed by a wet landing on the beach, our adventure in Corcovado National Park began. Corcovado is the largest and most biodiverse park in Costa Rica. It also holds the largest primary forest in the entire Americas Pacific coastline as well as one of the few large lowland tropical forests in the world. The park has no public roads or hotels. The only way to get there is by boat or to hike in. There are four ranger stations where you can stay overnight, and you must be accompanied by a certified guide.

Despite the difficulty in getting there, we found Corcovado to be the most rewarding wildlife experience we had in Costa Rica. In addition to the sloths and monkeys we saw elsewhere, this was the only spot where we saw tapirs, peccaries, anteaters and other large mammals. Other highlights included lots of macaws and toucans, all four monkey species, caymans and crocodiles, and a rare sighting of an ornate hawk-eagle that even got all the guides excited.

Final Thoughts

Our friends were surprised to learn that this would be our first trip to Costa Rica. Most of them had visited before, many of them more than once. This was a common theme, as a lot of the tourists we met in our travels had also been to Costa Rica multiple times. We also encountered quite a few expats who now live in Costa Rica, not just Americans, but from all over the world.

After spending two weeks in Costa Rica, we now understand the attraction. It’s a beautiful little country, with an incredible variety of things to see and do. It’s also relatively easy to get to and get around in (many more paved roads now), and is generally one of the safest places anywhere for travelers. More than that, the people here are sincerely warm and friendly. Everyone we met took great pride in their country and it showed in their attitude and their actions.

Pura vida is not just a marketing slogan. It’s a way of life.