Corcovado National Park - Visiting

Visiting

As when visiting any sensitive natural area, please be sure to clean all of your hiking and/or camping gear (in particular shoe/boot soles and tents) prior to visiting to decrease the chance introducing non-native seeds.

Corcovado National Park is open to the public and can be visited on day trips and for overnight visits. As of January 2009, admission is $10 per person per day for non-Costa Rican residents. Reservations for overnight visits in the park can be made in Puerto Jiménez on the east coast of the peninsula. One may camp or stay indoors at one of several ranger stations equipped with bunks. If one wants basic meals served, reservations should be made about a week in advance. Take note that researchers get preference over other visitors (though there is usually enough room for self-catering campers).

One can make day visits into the park from several lodging options on both the north and south entrances to the park, as well as through organised excursions that fly into the park. One can get to the Corcovado National Park via Puerto Jimenez or Drake Bay. These two towns serve as the main entry points to the park. There are two tracks, one coastal and one inland, and four ranger stations in the park where one can stay overnight; three at the park entrances and one at the intersection of the two tracks. One track runs Northwest to Southeast along the coast to Estacion La Leona, with the Estación Sirena roughly in the middle. The second track runs inland from Estacion Sirena to Estación Los Patos at the Eastern end of the park. One can fly into the park (via chartered aircraft) to Estación Sirena, from where one can follow relatively short loop-trails. Carate (near Estacion La Leona), also has an airstrip and road access from Puerto Jimenez. To walk through the park one needs a reasonable fitness, at least two or three days, good planning and caution. During the wet months (July to November) parts of the park may be closed.

On the coastal track there are several rivers that need to be forded. These rivers can all be very dangerous if forded at high tide or if one is inexperienced in this kind of an environment. Rio Sirena is commonly regarded as the most dangerous of crossings, primarily because it flows directly into the massive Laguna Corcovado in the isolated heart of the park. Bull sharks are present within the river and can sometimes be seen at the river mouth during high tide. American crocodiles are also present within the river, but most are small and recent surveys indicate that the population may be much smaller than initially believed. Spectacled caiman are present further up river and within Laguna Corcovado in larger numbers. Rumors that large American crocodiles are present within Laguna Corcovado are false. The Rio Claro, which is approximately 40 minutes south of Rio Sirena, is said to be safer, although both appear to the naked eye as very similar in size. Small American crocodiles and spectacled caiman are also present within the Rio Claro, albeit in smaller numbers than Rio Sirena. Bull sharks are not believed to be present within the Rio Claro. Despite the presence of these predators, by far the greatest risk you will face while crossing any river is the strong current. Upstream Rio Claro is a popular night swimming spot amongst guides and their groups, therefore it is doubtful that attacks by crocodiles or sharks in this river are a concern. The Rio Madrigal, just north of the park entrance, is much smaller and may be home to spectacled caiman. The elusive Jaguar is a large, beautiful and potentially intimidating feline but is generally regarded as shy and harmless. They are capable of taking down prey as large as Tapir but appear to be reclusive and uninterested in human activity.

Most animal sightings can be expected on the coastal track, with scarlet macaws (the largest population in the country) flying overhead, hermit crabs on the beach, pelicans fishing in the sea and, on the sections that go slightly inland, spider monkeys (take care not to get urinated on when they are in a tree overhead), tamandua anteaters, pumas, white faced capuchin monkeys, lineated woodpeckers and coatis (to name just a few). With luck one might even spot a tapir, even though they're nocturnal. Corcovado is also a good place to spot the red-eyed tree frog, as well as the glass frog with its transparent skin, and the enamel-bright poison-arrow frogs. From Estación Sirena one can follow many short tracks, on which one can also take short night-strolls into the forest with a good chance of running into a tapir. They're impressive to see but harmless if left in peace. Jaguars are present and some individuals frequent the beach near Madrigal at night. You are very likely to see their tracks, sometimes very fresh and frequent, but very unlikely to see the actual cat. The most common animal in the park is by far the White-nosed Coati, which one can expect to encounter dozens of times on the beach hike between La Leona and Sirena, digging for and feeding on the abundant Moon Crabs.

The inland track to Estación Los Patos goes through secondary growth for much of the way, but it is still a beautiful walk with a little more variation and it's easier walking with no sand and no sizeable river crossings.

Other animals in the park include Central American Squirrel Monkeys, mantled howler monkeys, both two-toed and three-toed sloths, agoutis, giant anteaters, Great Curassows, black hawks, Spectacled Owls, hummingbirds, 220 species of butterflies, golden orb spiders (who build huge webs), otters and raccoons. Four species of sea turtle (green, Pacific Ridley, Hawksbill, and Leatherback) nest on the beaches.