Corcovado National Park
National Geographic has described the Corcovado National Park as the "the most biologically intense place on Earth". The area contains the last expanse of original tropical forest in Pacific Central America and is considered the jewel in the crown of tropical humid reserves.
Spanning 425 km2 the park was created in 1975 with the aim of preserving the largest tropical humid forest on the American Pacific Coast as well as 52 km2 of marine habitat.
Corcovado (“hunchback”) nestles in the southwestern corner of the Osa Peninsula and protects at least eight different habitats from the mangroves of the primary and secondary tropical forest right through to the low-altitude cloud forest. The most visible and accessible habitat is the sandy coastal stretch.
More than 500 species of tree can be found here not to mention the magnificent fauna which is one of the most varied in Costa Rica. The park is home to over 400 species of bird including the endangered Harpy Eagle and the largest population of red macaws in all of Central America. It is also here that one has the greatest chance of seeing jaguars and tapirs, notably at dusk on the beaches, and also sizeable populations of coati, toucans and snakes.
Our hiking trips in the Corcovado region:
• Trekking in the Corcovado Park: On the trail of the jaguar - 5J
• Hiking Circuit: Between the land and the sea - 14J