Hiking in Corcovado National Park - Osa Peninsula

Beneath towering Pacific clouds, rolling surf laps the shore of southwestern Costa Rica's Osa Peninsula, wetting the toes of a pristine primordial jungle. From this white sand and rock-strewn shoreline to the cloud-brushed peaks on the eastern horizon stands the tallest rainforest in all of Central America. This is Corcovado National Park -- protecting 41,788 hectares (103,216) acres of fresh water lagoons and swamps to cloud forest.

Constrained within this tropical wilderness is an immense bio-diversity. Braced by impressive wall-like buttresses fanning outward across a darkly shaded forest floor, rainforest giants centuries old stretch skyward upon massive trunks, wrapped in woody vines and leafy climbers. In the lowlands stands of giant cashew trees impart a cathedral-like magnificence.

Caño Island Biological Reserve is located 16.5 km (10 miles) off the western coast of the Osa Peninsula in the Pacific Ocean. It consists of 300 hectares of land and 5,8000 hectares of protected marine reserve.
The country’s Pre-Columbian inhabitants, who buried their chiefs there,and left behind important artifacts, considered Caño Island, a biological reserve near Corcovado National Park, to be sacred. Today, the crystalline waters that wash against its cliffs and beaches hold the marine life that draws divers from far away. Caño Island is a fully protected natural paradise with an exceptionally beautiful reef bordering its shores. With depths ranging from 15 to 70 feet, these reefs offer an incredible diversity of fish life and marine creatures, including mantas, whitetip reef sharks, whale sharks, and schools of jacks and sea snakes.

Eco-design
Following the walkways, you will find intimate individual bungalows nestled in a green sanctuary of natural beauty that ensure the privacy that our guests require. The bungalows at Casa Corcovado Jungle Lodge are designed to optimize the natural circulation of air with large louvered windows let in the tropical breezes.

Eco Friendly - Energy
Casa Corcovado since its beginning in 1994 has tried to be an example of responsible and sustainable tourism. We have made great efforts to show that alternative energy sources can be practical and are the best option for remote locations. Our solar electric system using photovoltaic panels may have higher start up cost but in the long run is more economical and is non-polluting.
The micro-hydroelectric, “Pelton Wheel” turbine, that we use to produce a good part of our energy is very cost efficient and does not alter stream flow to any considerable extent. We use a very unusual type of “Induction Generation” that uses an electric motor as a generator, an interesting idea for rural communities. It has worked flawlessly for over 10 years.

Ecological sustainability
Part of our ‘’Working with Nature’’ program is our policy to wash guest bed linens every three days and towels when our guests feel it is needed, This practice can save large quantities of detergent and literally thousands of gallons of water.

Conservation at Osa Peninsula
The hotel is actively working on two different programs of sustainable tourism, one with a non-profit organization, the Rainforest Alliance and another with the Costa Rica Tourist Board. This entails managing education programs in many different areas including best practices in sustainable tourism and environmental protection, emergency response and first aid, handling of solid waste and recycling, and imparting information on protected areas and the socio-cultural realities of our communities

Community around Corcovado National Park
We have been involved in many projects to support the National Park and local communities over the years. The owner of Casa Corcovado is the co-founder and president of the non-profit Corcovado Foundation. He felt that “Eco-Tourism” had to move to become more pro-active and to take a lead in protecting the environment. With the support of other lodge owners, the local community and international conservation organizations’ impressive results have been achieved.

Hiking to Corcovado National Park
Starting out from the lodge with your naturalist guide you journey into Corcovado National Park.
The cool morning hours offer a good opportunity to spot wildlife and to observe some of the incredible variety of birds that abound in the park.
Along the trail your guide will have a chance to tell you some of the fascinating stories about life in the rainforest and point many things out to you. Later, coming down through the forest you will find a river and then discover an incredible waterfall. Now is your chance to cool off in one of the shaded pools of the rushing river. Afterwards, you wind your way down the river until reaching the Park Station at San Pedrillo. There under shade trees on the beach you will enjoy a sumptuous picnic with fresh fruit and ice-cold drinks. After lunch there will be time to explore the beach or to just relax. In the afternoon it’s a short distance along the coastal trail to return to the lodge. Join us later for a frosty margarita and to watch the sunset. As you watch the sun melt in to the sea you can reflect upon the wonders of the most intricate and intense place on earth, the rainforest of the Osa Península.