Osacursion

Oct 24 2019

By Annelise

Osacursion: the particular wet, tranquil, wild adventure to be had on the Osa Peninsula – my newly coined word

The Osa peninsula sticks out on the southern Pacific coastline of Costa Rica south of the Rio Sierpe. The region was not as much part of the logging boom in the early 20^th century and hence the jungle is primarily old growth and supports the greatest range of biodiversity in the country.  The majority of the peninsula is now Corcovado National Park. Costa Rica contains five percent of the global biodiversity and Corcovado contains at least half of that. If you have a stretch of time in Costa Rica it is recommended you visit this hard to get to Crown Jewel on the National Park system

As this is rainy season making the river crossings on the primary roads in on the peninsula a certainty, options to get to Corcovado are either by ferry crossing Gulfo de Dulce to Puerto Jimenez or by panga boat down the Rio Sierpe to the community of Drake Bay and from there by boat to the Ranger stations on the pacific side. We were told that practically speaking the drive to Gulfo de Dulce was a good 8-9 hours from Samara, and not wanting to drive and navigate after dark, opted to go to Sierpe for the night and catch the ferry down the river the following morning. The drive from Samara to Sierpe was easy along paved roads the whole way; much of the southern portion flanked on both sides by miles of oil palm plantations (said to have replaced the Chiquita-Standard Fruit banana plantations about 20-30 years ago). After boarding the open boat with 2-butt bench seats on either side and a sun cover, the gear is stowed in a not too water tight bow compartment – keep in mind how much I have mentioned of tropical rains. The trip down river is fast and smooth. The mangroves stretch for miles to the sea. At that point things change significantly as your captain skillfully takes the panga through the crashing surf and waves out beyond the breakers. Haakon and Mark were envious of the surfable waves and Siri grinned ecstatically, reminded of Great America amusement park rides. The remainder of the journey is like a poor man’s chiropractic session readjusting your spine over rolling waves passing pristine, palm-lined, deserted beaches. At the stops along the way the boat backs onto a beach, raises their 300 HP outboard motor and passengers hop on and off between incoming waves. Our first boat had life vests though no one was asked to wear one, the second from Drake Bay to our lodge did not have any at all (note-if traveling with young children consider bringing your own). I am sure the kids will describe the boat adventure in more detail in their posts.

We are not staying in Drake Bay but rather another 15km south along the coast at Jungla Del Jaguar. The location is the last place to stay before the park and there are miles of trails into the jungle for guided or self-guided hiking on the 160-acre property. The couple (and American Midwife and a Jack-of-all-trades) who started this place met in Southern Costa Rica during the 1970s and built a subsistence farm at this remote outpost.  The farm had cacao trees, mango, guava, banana, coconut trees, medicinal plants; they raised rabbits and traded with neighbors. By the late 90s the kids were near high school age and the family returned to the US, to Port Townsend of all places. The property gradually expanded to an environmental research station and lodge, with an emphasis on the later in 2014.  The focus remains on sustainable living practices and eco-centric tourism. The current proprietor, the youngest of six children raised here, is an expert fisherman and typically spearfishes for the daily catch.

The staff here are very kind. The chef, Fernando, sings while creating wonderful dishes. The current volunteer naturalist guide, James, is here guiding jungle walks and writing up some of his research for his masters. He is originally from near Austin Texas and studied biology with a focus on sustainable forestry and reforestation. I am not certain if it is his field time for his education or Texas roots that helped him catch the Fer-de-Lance snake that was slithering near our cabin last night (bring a headlamp for after dark in the tropics). He led us on an interesting 4 hour walk through the primary and secondary forest on the property. None of the greenery looks anything like the Northwest forests at home, any recognizable plant looks like a giant-sized house plant. At night we poke out to the banana trees to see if the Tapirs are grazing – I hope to spot one before we leave. We sit on the veranda to read and watch the white faced capuchin monkey troupe scamper through the palms, and tanagers and hummingbirds in the garden. We walk to a black sand beach with a waterfall, caves and tide pools. We sleep to the sound of waves, marine and smokey jungle toad song, and wake to a bird chior or monkey chatter.

The lodge partners with Drake Bay Divers for some tours to Corcovado and to Cano Island. The second day, we took a tour to Corcovado National Park Sirena Ranger station. Our guide for Corcovado, Breyner, lives in Drake Bay, and has been working in the park for the past 19 years. He is a delightful treasure trove of information and humor, not to mention animal calls. The guides in the park are like a family and eager to share with each other where they have spotted animals so that all the groups on tours that day see the most possible. You can also stay overnight at the Sierna ranger station in beautiful open bunk/hostel with mosquito netting to each bunk. Then you would experience additional afternoon, evening and early morning tours which undoubtedly would reveal even more wildlife, including the tapir which eluded us this trip.

We have had a mixture of pouring rain and sun while here though it rains at least every day. On our first walk it poured most of the time, making animals scarce and increased gratitude for the borrowed rain boots as we slopped and squished through the red clay mud. For the Corcovado tour we were blessed with sunny weather and gentle tide; hence the boat was able to wet dock vs us meeting the boat by kayak beyond the surf. Basically, you have to be fine with being damp most of the time; sweat in the 90% humidity or being in warm rain. An unhappy consequence of all that damp in Costa Rica is that all but the fastest drying gear will not dry in 24 hours, so you may lose the battle against the mighty mildew

We can easily feel the remoteness of the place as it must have been in the 1970s and need for flexibility and creatively and cooperation to overcome obstacles. The very otherness of the all we see, hear, taste and feel helps to separate oneself from old expectations and routines for better or worse. Far beyond the end of the road, this is truly a place to unplug. Literally- at the moment the solar panel electricity system is not working, as such there is power for 2.5 hours in the evening when they run the generator. Due to this the Wifi also is not functioning most of the time. This is fine by me but less so for the pre-teens in in our clan. Lastly, the owner is also out of the country this week, hence so are the spear-fished dishes on the menu; except when staff here were able to fish them from the rocks or boat.

If you are looking to experience tropical Jungle and remote coast when in Costa Rica with at least a short week to spend, the Osa peninsula is worth the trek.