A trip to Corcovado National Park is the ultimate experience for the avid eco-tourist because of the amazing bio-diversity found in this area. It is a backpacking naturalist’s dream! Located on the west coast of the Osa Peninsula, this large park is home to a spectacular array of protected wildlife living in their natural habitats in up to 13 different ecosystems.
You will begin the Corcovado National Park tour from Drake Bay. The only way to reach the park is by boat. You will meet the boat captain and take a 30 to 45-minute boat ride to San Pedrillo, the closest ranger station within the conservation area.
While traveling by boat you’ll have the opportunity to look for dolphins and other marine life living here, including all four species of Costa Rica’s sea turtles: the Olive Ridley, Leatherback, Green, and Hawksbill. You’ll likely pass by the breeding grounds of the Brown Booby, an aerial avian acrobat when it comes to diving in the water for food!
As you near the San Pedrillo Ranger Station you’ll see the fringe of the jungle, known to be the oldest wet forest on the Pacific coast. Once you’ve landed lunch will be provided and you will go on a guided hike of approximately 2 miles, not necessarily in that order depending on the day.
The park is home to roughly 13 major ecosystems that include cloud forests, rainforests, palm forests, and mangrove swamps, not to mention all the wildlife inhabitants found in each one. Since this is a protected area, a certified guide is required to lead you into the park.
You will likely be surprised at how much information your guide will provide as well as helping you find and identify the wildlife visible on the day of your adventure. Still, even experts estimate that less than half of the flora and fauna species living here have yet to be discovered. You will be led on a fascinating hike through rugged, unaltered territory.
This area is home to thousands of species of insects, and hundreds of species of trees, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and mammals including the Squirrel, Spider, Howler, and Capuchin Monkey families. This is one of the few areas in Costa Rica where all 4 species of monkeys reside.
With a little luck and the trained eye of your naturalist guide, you may get to see the Red Eyed Tree Frog, Sloths, and Coati. In addition, rare wildlife like Tapirs, Harpy Eagles, Peccaries, and Jaguars are residents of this area as well and will hopefully make an appearance.
The trail will lead you to the San Pedrillo Waterfall where you’ll take a short break to enjoy the view. While hiking through the woods you’ll need to keep your eyes open to see the magnificent Walking Trees that actually move to gain sunlight. After your hike, you will board the boat again for the return trip to Drake Bay.
Your tour includes boat transportation to and from the ranger station, naturalist guide, park entrance fees, and lunch. Note: The $15 per person park admission fee and $11 for lunch cannot be refunded in the event of cancellation. Total time of tour and round trip boat transportation combined can take from 5 to 7 hours depending on the size of your group.
Please wear non-skid, completely enclosed hiking shoes, lightweight sun protective clothing, and bring sunscreen, insect repellent, rain gear, binoculars, and a camera. You might like to have additional snacks and plenty of drinking water. This is a moderately difficult hike that will take the backpacking enthusiast into the wonderful world of an untamed jungle where you can experience firsthand the biodiversity of Costa Rica’s southern Pacific coast.
Please note clients staying in Casa Corcovado or Corcovado Wilderness Lodge are picked up by a small pangaThe Corcovado National Park Tour San Pedrillo Station is available from Copa de Arbol Resort, Drake Bay, and Poor Mans Paradise Lodge
5 and up
Latitude: N 8° 36' 59.99"
Longitude: W 83° 43' 59.35"
08/10/2024
We had a very knowledgeable guide who bravely dealt with all the questions our kids fired at him. Corcovado is also a magnificent national park. The only point for improvement is lunch: it was very poor and unhealthy. As a vegetarian, my only option was to eat sugary toast bread with fake cheese (individually wrapped slices!) and a slice of tomato. Even a bowl of gallo pinto would have been an improvement.
03/09/2022
Wonderful guide
01/23/2022
Our guide just walked and barely talked or pointed at the animals. We were the ones pointing animals to him! If not for us looking to spot animals, we probably would not have seen any wildlife. The best part was swimming in the waterfall!
07/27/2021
Guide tried hard to find the puma! Took us on multiple hikes. Super nice
01/16/2020
fantastic. the guide , Gabriel, was very professional.
12/31/2019
We didnt get to see a lot of animals and the tour was a lot about the different trees, so for us it got borring and was a long day, but nice with the boattrip..
12/28/2019
Highlight of the trip
12/01/2019
Nice tour.
07/17/2019
Again, a bumpy boat ride to start this tour. It was the most 'natural' of all the tours and there was a good mix of beach and jungle habitats. Gabriel was a good guide, although he sometimes wandered off for periods and we got the impression he was a bit bored. We were a bit unconfident with the fast-flowing river crossings and he just went ahead without offering assistance. We did have some amazing sightings though and he tailored his tour to our existing knowledge.
04/08/2019
Really great tour.
03/10/2019
Another outstanding guide Gabriel. Fabulous hike and swim.
04/14/2017
Great tour. The guide was knowledgeable. He had a challenge due to the family with us which was difficult for him. But he was still able to give us a wonderful experience.
02/02/2017
Saw very little and had long wait for pick up boat
01/21/2017
Nice hike. Beautiful waterfalls and swimming hole. Nice day trip
01/13/2017
Loved this! A good hike. Wonderful wildlife spotting. Went home with wonderful memories of swimming under the waterfalls with a spider monkey above and a crocodile downriver! Fantastic! Beautiful boat ride
08/27/2016
Saw whales on way there which was great, but absolutely pouring down with rain by the time we got to San Pedrillo so not the most enjoyable experience once there. Part and parcel of being there in the rainy season!
05/19/2016
The guide, Arnauldo, is the best guide we had on the whole trip. He was highly skilled at spotting things. He is really top notch. The boat ride was really fun too.
02/29/2016
Good day. Corcovado was more crowded than I expected. Guides did a good job of keeping groups apart. Felt we just scratched the surface of this area and would have liked more options.
11/21/2015
I switched to the snorkeling tour at Cano Island. It was a blast. The guide told us about the spheres on the island and he pointed out all the sea life that was swimming below us.