The Osa
-
- Corcovado National Park is one of the largest and most biologically diverse reserves in Costa Rica.
-
- But we locals know it as “The Osa“, that hook-shaped piece of land that extends south from the mainland into the Pacific Ocean.
-
- It’s practically Panama.
-
- “The Osa” is always uttered in hushed tones.
-
- “Have you been?”
-
- “How did you go in?”
-
- “Did you stay in the park?”
-
- Steve and I had been living in Costa Rica nearly five years when we finally made the excursion.
-
- It’s a bit of a drive from Casa Mango and Casa Papaya.
-
- When we left the highway, the road turned to dirt and gravel for 15 kilometers.
-
- We crossed about 10 creeks between the hiway and the pueblo of Drake Bay.
-
- Drake Bay was just a fishing village until tourism came to the park.
-
- They only got electricity in town about 10 years ago.
-
- From there we caught a boat for Serena Station park entrance.
-
- There’s no pier in town so we waded out through the shallow surf.
-
- Before we left Drake Bay, we stopped for passengers at 2 other hotels tucked into tiny coves that are only reached by boat.
-
- How romantic is that?
-
- We encountered dolphins on the 1-hour cruise.
-
- We landed in the surf at Sirena beach. Not much of a bay.
-
- This was a calm day – I can imagine what it’s like when the sea is rough.
-
- Only one back pack and camera dunked out of 10 passengers.
-
- From the beach, we hiked a half kilometer to the station.
-
- White-face, Spider, Squirrel and Howler monkeys all entertained us along the way.
-
- There are three methods of arrival at Corcovado: hike 12-19 kilometers, 1 hour boat ride, or fly from Puerto Jimenez.
-
- The grass airstrip makes a lovely meadow in front of the station.
-
- Last minute room reservations were not to be had on Easter weekend so we were forced to “camp”.
-
- Our campsite was a hardwood floor under a generous roof.
-
- We set up our tent in the fresh breeze and felt lucky that we couldn’t get a room.
-
- There’s a kitchen in the back for campers to wash dishes and cook on your own camp stove
-
- Instead, we had delicious home-cooked meals in the dining room.
-
- The best bread I’ve ever had in Costa Rica, served warm from the oven.
-
- But this is all pre-amble – you want to know if we saw any wildlife.
-
- We did.
-
- The Red Macaws are unmistakable.
-
- And screechingly loud.
-
- They are always in pairs and roost all around the meadow.
-
- We hired a guide for a half day hike.
-
- He really wanted to show us a Tapir and took us on extra excursions for free. He was really committed to the idea.
-
- But he was gone when we finally saw a female and her “calf?” amble across the airstrip after breakfast one morning.
-
- There are crocodiles on the shore of the Rio Serena.
-
- And bull sharks fishing in the mouth of the river.
-
- We could usually smell the peccaries before we saw them.
-
- In the forest, we added many birds to our “life list”.
-
- Black Headed Trogon
-
- Chestnut-mandibled Toucan
-
- The best bird-watching was from an Adirondack chair on the spacious porch in the shade.
-
- Many birds roost or hunt close to the meadow.
-
- The Osa is also about big trees.
-
- I mean, really big trees.
-
- Inside this strangler fig (matapalo) is the space left by the host tree, which is long gone.
-
- We stayed three nights in the Corcovado National Park.
-
- It was lovely to be there at dusk and dawn, when the wildlife are more active.
-
- Corcovado National Park is one of the largest and most biologically diverse reserves in Costa Rica.
-
- But we locals know it as “The Osa“, that hook-shaped piece of land that extends south from the mainland into the Pacific Ocean.
-
- It’s practically Panama.
-
- “The Osa” is always uttered in hushed tones.
-
- “Have you been?”
-
- “How did you go in?”
-
- “Did you stay in the park?”
-
- Steve and I had been living in Costa Rica nearly five years when we finally made the excursion.
-
- It’s a bit of a drive from Casa Mango and Casa Papaya.
-
- When we left the highway, the road turned to dirt and gravel for 15 kilometers.
-
- We crossed about 10 creeks between the hiway and the pueblo of Drake Bay.
-
- Drake Bay was just a fishing village until tourism came to the park.
-
- They only got electricity in town about 10 years ago.
-
- From there we caught a boat for Serena Station park entrance.
-
- There’s no pier in town so we waded out through the shallow surf.
-
- Before we left Drake Bay, we stopped for passengers at 2 other hotels tucked into tiny coves that are only reached by boat.
-
- How romantic is that?
-
- We encountered dolphins on the 1-hour cruise.
-
- We landed in the surf at Sirena beach. Not much of a bay.
-
- This was a calm day – I can imagine what it’s like when the sea is rough.
-
- Only one back pack and camera dunked out of 10 passengers.
-
- From the beach, we hiked a half kilometer to the station.
-
- White-face, Spider, Squirrel and Howler monkeys all entertained us along the way.
-
- There are three methods of arrival at Corcovado: hike 12-19 kilometers, 1 hour boat ride, or fly from Puerto Jimenez.
-
- The grass airstrip makes a lovely meadow in front of the station.
-
- Last minute room reservations were not to be had on Easter weekend so we were forced to “camp”.
-
- Our campsite was a hardwood floor under a generous roof.
-
- We set up our tent in the fresh breeze and felt lucky that we couldn’t get a room.
-
- There’s a kitchen in the back for campers to wash dishes and cook on your own camp stove
-
- Instead, we had delicious home-cooked meals in the dining room.
-
- The best bread I’ve ever had in Costa Rica, served warm from the oven.
-
- But this is all pre-amble – you want to know if we saw any wildlife.
-
- We did.
-
- The Red Macaws are unmistakable.
-
- And screechingly loud.
-
- They are always in pairs and roost all around the meadow.
-
- We hired a guide for a half day hike.
-
- He really wanted to show us a Tapir and took us on extra excursions for free. He was really committed to the idea.
-
- But he was gone when we finally saw a female and her “calf?” amble across the airstrip after breakfast one morning.
-
- There are crocodiles on the shore of the Rio Serena.
-
- And bull sharks fishing in the mouth of the river.
-
- We could usually smell the peccaries before we saw them.
-
- In the forest, we added many birds to our “life list”.
-
- Black Headed Trogon
-
- Chestnut-mandibled Toucan
-
- The best bird-watching was from an Adirondack chair on the spacious porch in the shade.
-
- Many birds roost or hunt close to the meadow.
-
- The Osa is also about big trees.
-
- I mean, really big trees.
-
- Inside this strangler fig (matapalo) is the space left by the host tree, which is long gone.
-
- We stayed three nights in the Corcovado National Park.
-
- It was lovely to be there at dusk and dawn, when the wildlife are more active.
Sandy-Shorts 