Airport Transfer to Corcovado
Corcovado National Park has 101,925 acres of land and 10,334 acres of water and was declared a national park in 1975. The park is located on the Osa Peninsula. Millions of years ago this peninsula was an island, therefore some of the wildlife in the region is considered unique and endemic. This tropical rain forest is considered of great importance due to its biological diversity. Costa Rican and international scientist come to Corcovado to carry out biological and wildlife research.
Corcovado National Park
You need to travel 209 miles from San Jose to get to Corcovado. One of the possible routes is to take the Inter-American Highway to Chacarita and then drive 49 miles to Puerto Jimenez, from here on you will need a 4×4 vehicle. Taking a plane to Puerto Jimenez or to Carate will definitely make the trip shorter but for an adventurous tourist, driving is highly recommended or taking any of the daily buses from San Jose to Golfito.
The Osa Peninsula lacked road access until 1978 keeping the area almost uninhabited. Before the Corcovado area was declared a national park about 300 families lived on its grounds dedicated to river gold mining. The government compensated these families and declared it a national park to protect the environment and species.
In Corcovado, you will find about 8 different habitats such as mangrove swamps and mountain forest. The 500 tree species found in Corcovado National Park equal a fourth of all Costa Rica’s tree species. Among the park’s fauna, you will find tapirs, jaguars, pumas, ocelots, and giant anteaters.
Different types of monkeys can be spotted in the trees such as the spider and the howler monkey. Corcovado also has a large population of wildcats and peccaries, at the ranger stations visitors are warned about possible peccary attacks. Don’t let this discourage you from visiting this unique protected area.
Some of the rivers (Rio Madrigal, Rio Llorona, Rio Pavo, and Rio Sirena) are born here and flow into the Pacific Ocean. The Corcovado Lagoon is a must-see when visiting the park. Here you will see crocodiles and other exotic species around the lagoon area. Migratory species from North and South America can be seen frequently and studied.
Corcovado National Park not only offers vast and diverse wildlife but is also an archeological center. Recent studies show that the area was inhabited by Pre-Hispanic groups in two different eras, from 200 to 800 A.D and from 1000 to 1500 A.D. The archeological sites are called El Cedral and Sirena.
Archeologists believe that these groups came to the area attracted by the hunting and fishing alternatives. Corcovado has a developed trail system for those who like hiking. A 12.5-mile trail goes from Los Patos to Sirena; this will take you between 6 and 7 hours to complete. From Sirena to La Leona the walking distance is about 8 miles. From Sirena to San Pedrillo the distance is 16 miles and runs along the beach. Once in Sirena ranger station, you can take short walks along trails that are n