Wandering the Osa Peninsula – Costa Rica’s Wildlife Gem
By ·Guest post from Travel Blogger and friend Beth Whitman of Wanderlust and Lipstick
I wasn’t quite sure what I was getting into when my husband and I decided to head off to the Osa Peninsula. I had remembered years earlier someone talking about how remote and interesting this area was. That comment stuck in my mind and when we had 3 weeks in Costa Rica with no real plan, we decided that the Osa was the place to be.
We started out by taking a Nature Air flight out of San Jose. I’m a bit squeamish about flying in these small prop planes but when I brought myself to look out the window, the view was fantastic. Though the view from above was beautiful, the “airport” on the peninsula left a little to be desired. Seriously, this little shack was all there was sitting next to the landing strip.
We hitched a ride on the back of a pick up truck and after bouncing down a dirt road for about 40 minutes, we found our guest house. Located just a stone’s throw from the beach, it was definitely out of the way. This forced us to stay away from the main town of Puerto Jimenez and to really unplug for our week-long stay.
During that time we headed into Corcovado National Park. Many people hike through the park over several days, camping along the way. Unfortunately, we were just there for a day but we did manage to see quite a bit of wildlife including…
A white-headed Capuchin monkey
A Tamandua anteater
An iguana (barely visible as it blends in with the tree in this photo)
Trees like this one are common
The landscape is magnificent in this jungle. National Geographic calls Corcovado National Park the “most biologically intense place on Earth” and I can absolutely believe it.
If you do go to the Osa – make sure you plan your trip to avoid the rainy season – otherwise you can find yourself stuck in muddy tracks along the dirt roads, no matter whether you’re traveling by car motorcycle, taxi or truck. Unless you have lots of time to travel overland, consider flying in from San Jose or Liberia and then getting around by one of the many taxis or trucks willing to drive the uneven roads.
Bio
Beth Whitman is the founder and editor of Wanderlust and Lipstick. For more than 22 years, she has been traveling the globe as a contemporary Wanderer: combining her love for travel with volunteer work, adventure trips, travel writing and business. You can also find her on twitter @wanderluster
She is also the author of several books, one which I just recently reviewed: Wanderlust and Lipstick – The Essential Guide for Women Traveling Solo
Related posts:
- Costa Rica Wildlife – 5 Truths of the Pacific Spotted Dolphin
- Wildlife Costa Rica – 4 Little Monkeys Jumping on my Costa Rican Bed!
- Costa Rica Daily Photo – The Amazing Montezuma Coastline in the Nicoya Peninsula
- Costa Rica Wildlife – 13 Things You Didn’t Know About Howler Monkeys
- The Trip to Tortuguero Costa Rica
