Corcovado Jungle

INCLUDES

All meals, and tour of Corcovado National Park.

OVERNIGHTS

3 nights lodging at Punta Marenco Lodge.

DAY 1 – 3:

During this 3-day excursion to Corcovado you will be staying at Punta Marenco Lodge, which lies nestled inside a 170-acre private reserve bordering Corcovado National Park. The park is home to many of Costa Rica’s endangered species and is the last Pacific lowland rain forest of sustainable size in the Americas. National Geographic Society has called Corcovado “the most biologically intense place on earth”.

On this tour you have the option of choosing the way you get to Corcovado, i.e. air or land. Both means of transportation have their advantage: If transported by land, you get to explore southern Costa Rica at a relaxed pace, and by air you save about 4 hours. After arriving in Palmar Sur, guests are transported to Drake Bay by motor launch along the mangrove-lined Sierpe River. The launch captain expertly guides the boat into the crystal clear blue waters of Drake Bay, so named after Sir Francis Drake landed there in 1579.

The rustic design of Punta Marenco Lodge creates the perfect setting for a dreamy jungle get-away. Depending on individual preference, time spent at the lodge can be divided between peaceful naps, delicious and plentiful food at mealtimes, swimming in the spring-fed pool or just relaxing at the bar and enjoying the peace and tranquility of the jungle.

Later in the day, a boat tour takes visitors through the mangrove swamps of Corcovado, where they may catch occasional glimpses of the jungle creatures living amidst the lush undergrowth. The park is home to more than 400 species of birds and more than 100 species of amphibians and mammals. Some visitors are lucky enough to catch sight of a jaguar, tapir, ocelot, giant anteater, a flock of scarlet macaws or colorful toucans. Four kinds of monkeys inhabit this jungle, as well as endemic poison dart frogs and crocodiles in the swamps.

The following two days can be spent hiking along myriad trails winding through the lush jungle. A guided walk to Punta Rio Claro will inspire many guests to feel at one with nature, enveloped in one of the most beautiful virgin forests in the world. Hikers frequently run across groups of coatimundis, cute but shy creatures that are easy to spot since they are abundant and travel in families. Their long black tails are held straight and tall as they meander through low-lying scrub brush. When frightened, they climb rapidly into the nearest tree. After a couple of hours walking through the forest, the cool, spring-fed water of a cascade hidden among the trees may entice guests to spend the remainder of the afternoon basking in the refreshing, crystal-clear pool at its’ base.

DAY 4:

On the fourth day, guests can visit the romantic Cano Island, once a sacred burial ground for the indigenous pre-Columbian tribes of the region. The morning can be spent snorkeling and photographing schools of brightly colored tropical fish.