An adventure in the rainforests of Costa Rica

Day 1,

In the morning, we packed up and took the flight to Palmmar Sur Airport, located in southwestern Costa Rica. We hired a taxi for the whole day and he took us to "Cabinas Jimenez", where we paid around $60/night. Lovely location right on the coast. Comfy beds, decent shower and a fridge, microwave and coffee machine in the room. Outside, a pleasant view of the Caribbean Sea, free kayaks and bikes, a pool right near the beach ( that is very close to the hotel ). I really recommend this location if you want to travel to Osa Penninsula. We spent a couple of hours in the hotel and outside, at the pool, then we went to the beach. My girlfriend tanned for an hour while I was exploring the beach and jungle nearby. Evening came, we walked back to the hotel, where we ate "Gallo pinto", which has a literal meaning of "spotted rooster", is the national dish of Costa Rica. It consists of rice and beans stir-fried together in a pan to create a speckled appearance and we drank a mojito. The food had a spark appearence and a delicious taste ( best food to try while in Costa Rica ). We went back to our room to get ready for the next day.

Day 2,

We woke up at 7 a.m, packed our stuff and ate breakfast at the hotel before leaving for Corcovado National Park. We rented a car for around $26 and drove to the National Park. The journey was 3 hours, but it was definetly worth it. We got to see all of Osa Penninsula's flora and even a part of the fauna. On the road, we met 3 jaguars who wanted to get to the other side, they were stunning! We arrived at Corcovado, where we met our bilingual guide. We immediately started our rainforest adventure. We entered the primary rainforest, hiking along the clearly-marked and easily-navigable trails next to Corcovado's northernmost ranger station, San Pedrillo. Throughout the morning, our bilingual guide identified many of the endemic species along the trail. We saw the white-faced spider and howler monkeys, as well as  the white-lipped peccaries, scarlet macaws, coatis, and countless other animals. After a quick lunch break, we continued the trek to a tropical waterfall. Along the way, we had even more opportunities to view the diverse flora and fauna of the region. Upon arrival at the waterfall, we enjoyed a break to snap photos and swim in the refreshing water. Later in the afternoon, we took the rented car from the drop-off point and drove back to the hotel in Puerto Jimenez, where we chilled in the pool for a couple of hours, had dinner, drank a beer and went to sleep to get well-rested for the final day in the Osa Penninsula.

Day 3,

We woke up, ate breakfast at the hotel and packed up, because it was time to go to Drake Bay. We took the bus from Puerto Jimenez North and arrived in 1 hour and 30 minutes. The ticket was around $40, but you can see a lot of Osa Penninsula's natural areas, same as the trip with the rented car. It was a special day today. From when I was in 7th grade or so I always wanted to go scuba-diving somewhere and today, we had the pleasure of exploring the waters of the Caño Island Biological Reserve on a scuba diving excursion. This protected marine area is located just off the northern tip of the Osa Peninsula, by Bahia Drake (Drake Bay). The area is home to an abundance of marine life including reef sharks, sea turtles, parrot fish, eels, manta rays, puffer fish, snappers, sea cucumbers, octopus, and more. There's also a wide variety of coral-building organisms and 19 different species of coral, such as fan, head, and brain coral. When I plunged into the water, with the scuba diving gear, I felt like I was in another world. Visibility was 30-100 feet ( 9-30 meters ) throughout the year, making Caño Island a perfect site for underwater photography. I also made a couple of photos, which I'm going to link below. We spent the whole day scuba diving, chilling on the beach and eating at the El Tortugo restaurant ( the food and service were great, and so was the view of the beach and the sea ). We booked 2 rooms ( for us and our friends ) at Pacheco Tours and Cabins, which is located in Drake, 5 minutes’ walk from Colorada Beach. Free WiFi access is available. The functional and simple rooms will provide you with a balcony, a patio and a seating area. Amazing location! The starting price for a room is around $35. We ate dinner and slept till 6 a.m in the morning.