We set off early this morning on a shared excursion to explore Corcovado National Park, a virgin tropical rainforest that is home to over half of all wildlife species found in Costa Rica.
National Geographic magazine has called Corcovado "the most biologically intense place on earth", with more than 500 different trees, over 400 birds, 140 mammals, 117 reptiles/amphibians and over 40 species of freshwater fish. Depending on the location of your lodge, it will take about 1.5-hours by speedboat to reach the Sirena ranger station (with a wet landing), followed by a guided nature hike, crossing many small streams as we discover the park's varied flora and fauna.
Wildlife you can hope to see here include endangered species such as the Scarlet macaw and Squirrel monkey, as well as the iconic sloth. Keep an eye out for magnificent birds such as toucans, parrots, tanagers and manakins. These rainforests are also home to the howler monkey, white-faced monkey, spider monkey, white-lipped peccary, collared peccary, poison dart frog, tyra, coati, agouti, American crocodile, caiman and the shy and secretive tapir. If you are very fortunate you may even see a small wild cat such as the ocelot or jaguarundi. Puma (also known as mountain lion or cougar) and jaguar also live here but are rarely seen.
After an included picnic lunch on the beach, we return 1.5-hours by boat to our lodge. In the warm ocean you can hope to see dolphins and whales, as there are two whale watching seasons. From mid July until mid October, humpback whales travel up from Antarctica to breed, whilst from December to March northern hemisphere whales travel down from Alaska, but these are much harder to see. Although not often seen, three species of sea turtles nest on this side of the Osa Peninsula - the small Olive Ridley turtle that you will see most often (year round, but best seen July to November at new moon), the endangered Green turtle (July/August) and the vulnerable Leatherback (September to March).
Note: Wear shorts & water shoes for the wet landing and good walking shoes. Also take water, swimsuit, towel and rain gear. Not recommended if you are pregnant or have back, respiratory or heart problems, as the boat ride can be rough at times.