Corcovado Deep

The Osa Peninsula on its own terms — Sirena station, Caño Island, and the stretch of lowland rainforest National Geographic called the most biologically intense place on the planet.

Day by day

1. 1

   1

   South

   Light aircraft from San José to Drake Bay — twenty-five minutes over the Talamanca range, and the single best flight in the country.

2. 2

   2

   Settling in

   Morning on the coastal trail toward Agujitas. Scarlet macaws are near-constant here. Afternoon at leisure.

3. 3

   3

   Sirena

   Boat to Sirena ranger station for a full day inside Corcovado with a licensed guide. Tapir, peccary, all four monkey species, and if the week is kind, a puma track.

4. 4

   4

   Caño Island

   Snorkelling or diving off Caño Island Biological Reserve. Whitetip reef sharks, rays, and turtles in clear water.

5. 5

   5

   San Pedrillo

   The northern sector of the park and its waterfall. Quieter than Sirena and a different forest entirely.

6. 6

   6

   Night forest

   A free morning, then a guided night walk. The insects and amphibians here are the reason biologists come.

7. 7

   7

   Gulfo Dulce

   Across to the gulf side — dolphins year-round, humpbacks in season, and mangrove channels by kayak.

8. 8

   8

   Return

   Flight back to San José, or onward to the Pacific coast.

Why it works

• Full day at Sirena with a licensed Corcovado guide
• Caño Island before the day boats arrive
• Lodges reachable only by boat