Experiences and local guides in Bahía Drake

Nature

Drake Bay opens on the north side of the Osa Peninsula, on Costa Rica's southern Pacific coast, where the rainforest runs down to dark-sand beaches and rocks. Its main village, Agujitas, lies by the mouth of the river of the same name. To the south begins Corcovado National Park, created in 1975, with 424 km² of rainforest that is home to tapirs, jaguars, all four of the country's monkey species and Costa Rica's largest population of scarlet macaws. Offshore, Caño Island protects rocky reefs full of marine life.

Activities

• Corcovado can only be visited with a certified guide and a booked permit: the San Pedrillo sector is 1 h away by boat and Sirena station about 2 h 30, on day trips or with a night at the station
• Snorkelling and diving at Caño Island, 45 min to 1 h by boat, with turtles, rays, whitetip reef sharks and big schools of fish
• Humpback whale and spotted dolphin watching, with southern-hemisphere whales from July to October and northern ones from December to March
• Night walk to find frogs, insects, spiders and snakes in the forest around Agujitas
• Coastal trail south to beaches and coves such as Cocalito, birdwatching, and kayaking on the Agujitas river

When to go

The dry season runs from December to April and is the busiest, so book Corcovado permits well ahead. From May to November it rains heavily, especially in September and in October, the wettest month, when some park sectors and services close and public boats from Sierpe are suspended. The southern-hemisphere whale season, from July to October, falls in the rainy months.

How to get there

Regional flights link San José (SJO) with Drake Bay airstrip (DRK) in about 50 min. Overland, it is about 5 h by car or bus from San José to Sierpe (via Palmar Norte), where a boat runs down the mangrove-lined Sierpe river and along the coast to Agujitas in 1 h to 1 h 30, with two departures a day. A gravel road from Rincón also reaches the bay, best with a 4x4.