Costa Rica Rainforest Lodge - Beach Front Hotel
Southern Costa Rica: The Osa Peninsula, Puerto Jimenez & Cabo Matapalo

Explore the jungles of southern Costa Rica with Encanta La Vida The Osa Peninsula The southern pacific coast of Costa Rica, has long been known as the remote jewel of Costa Rica. The Osa Peninsula, of which half is protected by national park and local and international private reserves, is considered by the "National Geographic" to be one of the most biologically diverse places on the earth. Thanks to aggressive conservation efforts, the forests of the Osa remain home to endangered species such as Baird's tapir, the white-lipped peccary, jaguars, America crocodiles and the harpy eagle. It boasts the largest population of the endangered scarlet macaws in the entire country, and is the center of the very restricted distribution of the endangered Central American squirrel monkey. This small peninsula is host to almost half of Costa Rica's 860 species of birds (that is almost 5% of the world's species!), 140 species of mammals, and 117 species of reptiles and amphibians. Almost 750 species of trees have been catalogued in the area, more trees than in all of the North temperate regions of the world combined. Cabo Matapalo Cabo Matapalo is 40 minutes from Puerto Jimenez, at the mouth of the Gulfo Dulce. Matapalo is home to a high density of wildlife - you'll often see more exotic animals in Cabo Matapalo than in all of Costa Rica. Corcovado National Park Established in 1975 and extended in 1980, the 43.735-hectare Corcovado National Park encompasses 13 major ecosystems, ranging from sea level to 745 meters. Its rainforests are by far the most exuberant in Central America, and its trees are comparable in grandeur to the best that the Amazon Basin and the South East Asian forests have to offer. Indeed, Corcovado Park holds the largest tree in Central America, a giant Silk Cotton tree (Ceiba pentandra) 77 meters tall. The Park embraces the largest remaining tract of Pacific Tropical Wet Forest in Central America. The park is patrolled from six ranger stations, four of which host visitors. La Leona on the southern coastal boundary of the Park; San Pedrillo on the northern coastal boundary; Los Patos to the east. La Sirena is the largest Rangers Station and is the nucleus of Corcovado. It is also a research station. The journey into the most dramatic area of the park (La Sirena Ranger Station) can be long and strenuous - we recommend flying into La Sirena for a one day journey in and out. This makes it easy to experience the heart of the Corcovado National Park for the day. From Puerto Jimenez (40 min from Encanta La Vida) the station is a 10 minute flight. The flight itself is a short but impressive journey over the virgin rainforests of the Osa. Alternatively you can drive or taxi one hour to Carate, at the edge of the park, and walk 2 km to the park entrance. La Sirena is a 5 hour hike from the park entrance. Puerto Jimenez The Osa holds substantial gold reserves, and Puerto Jimenez grew up in the hay-day of the gold rush of the Peninsula. It was truly a "wild-west" town, once boasting 27 bars. Today the emphasis is on tourism, and all but a few of the bars have gone. Situated on the shores of the Golfo Dulce, Puerto Jimenez is now an enchanting little town, whose easy-going, friendly inhabitants give this pueblo a unique charm. Puerto Jimenez is the entry point to the centre and south of the Osa Peninsula and Corcovado Park. It receives 10-14 scheduled flights a day, serviced by two regional air carriers, and a regular bus service from San Jose. There is also a daily passenger ferry service from Golfito, a port town on the mainland side of the Golfo Dulce. Please e-mail us for more information.

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