Pacific South

Discover Pacific South

If you are looking for a wildlife experience in truly unspoiled primary rainforest, here is where you will find it. Costa Rica’s Southern Pacific coast is where you’ll find the gulf of the Golfo Dulce, and the Osa Peninsula: Osa hosts the Corcovado National Park.

One third of the Osa peninsula is dedicated to the Corcovado National Park, created in 1975. At 424 square kilometres (164 square miles) this is the largest of Costa Rica’s wildlife reserves and in fact is one of the largest remaining areas of lowland tropical primary rainforest in the world. This hugely important habitat hosts 3% of the world’s biodiversity in less than 0.0003% of the world’s land area. The park is restricted in access during the wettest months from July to November. When access is possible, visitors need to be accompanied by a guide.

There are many centres in the Pacific South.
– Drake Bay is on the west side of the Osa peninsula. Drake is normally accessed by boat from the north and this is a great part of the experience for people arriving here by land having toured the north. If you’re coming straight to Drake from San Jose then there are turboprop flights that land in tiny Drake airport. Drake Bay hosts many characterful lodges, some comfortable and basic, some very high-end luxury.
– The town of Puerto Jiminez is on the east side of the Osa peninsula and is gateway to the Golfo Dulce. Puerto Jiminez itself is full of character but probably not in itself why you’d travel to this part of the world. It’s the remote lodges west of town, towards Corcovado National Park, that are the real draw. These lodges really are world-class, providing luxury retreats embedded deep in nature.
– Piedras Blancas National Park borders the northern side of the Golfo Dulce. The Piedras Blancas National Park connects with the Corcovado National Park to form and safeguard an important and ecologically diverse biological corridor in the Golfo Dulce. Piedras Blancas is a destination in itself, with rainforest lodges accessed only by boat and with their own private deserted beaches. If anything, the lesser-known Piedras Blancas park is an even more unspoiled experience than Osa and Corcovado!

Climate: The Southern Pacific has stable temperatures of around 28-30°C. This is maritime tropical rainforest so expect rain any time of year. The wet season is May to November, with the national park access being restricted during the very-wettest months from July to November.