Drakes Bay and Corcovado National Park
With its first rays the warm sun began to reveal a lovely small bay on the north side of the Osa Peninsula, located on the coast of southwestern Costa Rica. Drake’s Bay was named after the great Privateer Sir Francis Drake who in 1577 decided to sail around the world. When he reached this area he used it as a port for the location of one of British pirates' fabled hidden treasures. Drakes Bay has been accessible only by sea until recently, and consequently remains a largely pristine low-land tropical rain forest. It is one of the last such remaining areas on the Pacific coast. Since about 1990, eco-tourism has been the principal economy of the area.
On board the National Geographic Sea Lion, a group of early risers where getting ready to explore this bay. Rounds of Zodiac cruises were available for our explorers. A cool breeze escorted the first round as they left the ship. A flock of Brown Pelicans flew over the entrance to the mouth of the Agujitas River (Needle Fish River) as our welcome to the area. A lush tropical forest could easily be seen, and as we sailed through the river we began to spot the river dwellers. An American crocodile popped his head up and allowed us to pass by sinking into the bottom of the river. Bare-throated tiger herons and green herons did not mind our presence since fishing for their breakfast was way more important to them than we were. A troop of white face monkeys were playing around the roof of an Ecolodge, while a long nose coati was trying to improve his tree climbing skills by picking a large bamboo and later discovering that coming down wasn’t that easy. It was a great show.
After this early exploration, we reposition our ship in front of a private wildlife reserve in Caletas Beach. Once on shore we separated into groups to explore the reserve. Some went horseback riding along the shoreline and others went hiking. The first encounter for the hikers, was a pack of white lipped peccaries that left on their path a very distinctive musky fragrance, while the horseback riders were escorted by a pair of scarlet macaws. What a spectacular morning! At our return of the exploration, the galley had prepared a great reward for the explorers. A delicious beach barbecue was waiting for them.
Right after lunch, we went back onboard and weighed anchor. Our last destination for the day was the visit to San Pedrillo’s Ranger Station of Corcovado National Park, the main feature of Drakes Bay. This wildlife preserve occupies about a third of the peninsula, and is known for being one of the largest and most pristine parks in the country. The preservation of endemic species in the area has been made a priority by the Costa Rican government through the efforts of MINAE. As we explored the park we understood the importance of the conservation of the tropical forest. A diversity of birds enjoyed the view of the birdwatchers, and a refreshing pool of a waterfall cooled the temperature of the explorers. As we returned to board the Zodiacs, a troop of spider monkeys gave us a farewell by performing a good show of their swinging abilities. We all concluded that the day had been a “Great day in paradise”!
