Today we had the privilege of visiting the Osa Peninsula of Costa Rica and within the Peninsula, Corcovado National Park. This is one of the few protected forests that is big enough and in very good condition to harbor the big animals. Some of them are endangered and have come from other protected areas that were not big enough for them, like jaguars, tapirs, harpy eagles, spider monkeys and more.
One of the main reasons the Osa Peninsula is able to preserve this wild forest is its difficult access. There is no road to the park, you can only get there by small boat or hike a few hours with all your camping gear on your back. This allows the place to be completely off of the beaten path of even the Costa Ricans living in the capital.
For our first part of the morning we explored one of the buffer zones right next to the park known as Caletas Wildlife Preserve. Here we chose between a long walk in the forest, a short hike in the premises and, for those more interested in a real adventure, a horseback ride through the forest and beach up to Rio Claro.
After our morning excursion, we came back on board for lunch and repositioned National Geographic Sea Lion. Our destination was the famous Corcovado National Park, as they say – save the best for the last. Here we splinter between a trail to a waterfall with a swim hole and a flatter trail through this wonderful pristine tropical forest, a bit like walking through a cathedral of life.
It was definitely a full day in a beautiful tropical rainforest few get to see, and even better to be accompanied by some of its inhabitants like, scarlet macaws, howler monkeys, spider monkeys, and colorful tanager and honey creepers. There’s not much more you could ask for!
