The Southern Zone

On our second trip in February 2005, we decided to venture to the Osa.

The Osa Peninsula makes up the far southern pacific region of Costa Rica.  Almost the entire peninsula is covered by the Corcovado National Park, a vast and largely unexplored tropical rain forest inhabited by toucans, macaws, monkeys, jaguar, wild pigs.  It is largely mountainous.

We flew over in a 4 seater plane on our way to a remote tent camp.  Stay for 4 night in a canvas tent on a wooden platform on a strip of flat land between the beach and the Pacific Ocean, and the jungle covered mountain. Not only one of our best Costa Rican experiences, but we fell in love with this part of the country.

The south has only recently been accessible.  The Costanera Sur Pacifico Highway has slowly been paved over the past 5 years bringing more life to the area, but this is still about little "hotels", secluded beaches, mountains meeting the ocean, and a comfortably paced lifestyle.

The towns along this stretch of the coast include Dominical (well known as a surfer's paradise - complete with the lost in the 60's vibe), Uvita (with one of the largest marine national parks in the world and a sandbar that at low tide is the perfect replica of a whales tale - and over 1km tip to tip), Palmar (where it has just been announced that the third international airport will be constructed over the next 10 years) and Sierpe (a port linking the ocean to the mangroves to the rest of the country).  Dominical to Palmar is about 75 km.

Further south, cutting across the peninsula, you find Golfito, a port on the Golfo Dolce - said to be the world's largest tropical fiord.

There is something very special about the remote beauty of this part of the Costa Rica.