Sean’s Trip By: Sean Valikosky
My partner and I are heading Costa Rica, and with an astounding 945 species (as of July 2022) of birds, we are definitely planning on birding but the sixteen-day trip is bound to be very action packed with other activities as well.
From the capital, San Jose, we will begin our travels by bus. First, the popular laid back surf town of Dominical which lies at the mouth of the Baru River where we will be staying at an ecolodge surrounded by Baru National Wildlife Refuge which conserves 330 hectares of tropical rainforest. This wide variety of ecosystems means a high level of biodiversity. Hence why Bird Watchers have sighted over 365 species.
Next, Uvita, another little beach town that is in the heart of Marino Ballena National Park, and is famous the natural phenomenon occurring at low tide where two beaches meet and form a 600-meter-wide sand passage in the shape of a whale tail. While here, will be hiking into a few popular waterfalls and taking in a few permaculture farm tours.
The Osa peninsula is next up, and getting there, an adventure in and of itself, as we need to get to the river town of Sierpe to catch a scenic 1-hour boat ride to Drake Bay. Bordering the Corcovado National Park, we will be doing a 5-hour night jungle tour with chances to see Over 40 species of frogs, dozens of snakes, as well as 28 species of lizards. Just my kind of fun, but not too sure how my partner is feeling about it!
While I’m excited about many aspects of the trip, this next place is especially exciting, as it has been a dream since childhood. By boat, we will be heading to the Sirena ranger station for a 6-hour guided tour into jungle of Corcovado National Park. A reserve on the southwest of Costa Rica’s Osa Peninsula, the park protects varied tropical ecosystems and is considered one of the world’s most biodiverse regions with a total of 42,750 hectares of land, and boasting 500 species of trees, 104 species of mammals, 367 species of birds, 117 species of amphibians and reptiles, and 40 species of freshwater fish.
In the Corcovado, you can also find the densest population of tapirs, jaguars and scarlet macaws. The one bird I would love to encounter is the common Pootoo, known for its large yellow eyes and its comically wide mouth, and how well it can camouflage itself with it’s cryptic pose.
With our holiday coming to an end, we will be heading to San Gerardo de Rivas to stay in another eco lodge on the Chirripo Pacifico River. This area is at the foot of Mt Chirripo and at 12,533 feet in elevation, it is the tallest point in all of Costa Rica. Chirripo means the land of eternal waters, and here we will be visiting the magical Cloudbridge Nature Reserve.
I will gladly post some pictures when we return. Until then happy golfing!
