Centered on the village of La Gamba, this rainforest zone was split from Parque Nacional Corcovado in 1999 and named a national park in its own right. Land within the bounds of Parque Nacional Piedras Blancas is still privately owned, and logging permits issued before 1991 apparently remain valid. The Austrian government underwrites local efforts to save the rainforest. A cooperative provides income for local families whose members are employed at Esquinas Rainforest Lodge (which has kilometers of forest trails) and on fruit farms and a botanical garden; it also has a tepezcuintle (lowland paca) breeding program. Guides ($15) can be hired for hiking. The “Rainforest of the Austrians” also operates La Gamba Biological Station in conjunction with the University of Vienna. There’s no ranger station.
Fire Ginger at Esquinas Rainforest Lodge in Piedras Blancas National Park, Costa Rica. Photo © Kevin Matteson, licensed Creative Commons Attribution.
Ornamental plants, including 100 species of orchids, attract zillions of birds.The turnoff from the Pan-American Highway is at Km. 37, midway between Piedras Blancas and Río Claro. La Gamba is six kilometers (4 miles) from the highway, and a 4WD vehicle is not required. You can also get there via a very rough dirt road that leads north from Golfito, which requires a high-clearance 4WD vehicle.Playa San Josecito, about 10 kilometers (6 miles) northwest and a 25-minute boat ride from Golfito, is a wide, lonesome, pebbly brown-sand beach. The rainforest sweeps right down to the shore, as it does a few kilometers north at Playa Cativo. The beaches can be accessed by boat and are popular day trips from Golfito.
Fundación Santuario Silvestre de Osa (Osa Wildlife Sanctuary, tel. 506/8861-1309, Dec.-Apr.), at Playa Cativo, is a nonprofit animal rescue shelter run by Earl and Carol Crews and spanning 304 hectares (751 acres). You’re welcomed by howler and spider monkeys, scarlet macaws flap and squawk in the treetops, and don’t be surprised if a baby tamandua climbs up your leg and onto your shoulders. Tours are given at 9:30am, 11:30am, and 1:30pm daily by reservation only. A full day’s advance notice is required to visit; children under age five are not permitted, and interns are sought.
Casa Orquídeas (tel. 506/8829-1247, 8am-5am Sat.-Thurs., self-guided tour $5 pp, guided tour $8 pp, 3-person minimum) has nearly five hectares (12 acres) of private botanical gardens at the northwest end of Playa San Josecito. This labor of love culminates the 20-odd-year efforts of Ron and Trudy MacAllister. Ornamental plants, including 100 species of orchids, attract zillions of birds. Two-hour guided tours are offered 8:30am-11am Thursday and Sunday. Tour operators throughout Golfo Dulce offer tours to the garden; otherwise take a water taxi from Golfito or any of the local lodges.
The reclusive stone-and-timber Esquinas Rainforest Lodge (tel. 506/2741-8001, low season $130 s, $210 d, high season $160 s, $260 d, including 3 meals and taxes), at La Gamba, is a great base for exploring the forest. Its five duplex cabins are connected by a covered walkway to the main lodge, which features an open-walled lounge with forest views. Guest rooms have screened glassless windows, and porches with rockers and hammocks. Facilities include a bar, a gift shop, a library, and a thatched dining room, plus a naturally filtered swimming pool. Excursions are offered.
U.S.-British expats Harvey and Susan are your amiable hosts at Finca Saladero (tel. 506/8761-0425, camping $10 s/d, low season $95-170 s, $150-240 d, high season $95-200 s, $150-260 d), a laid-back bay-front lodge with wide sloping lawns fronting its own rainforest reserve near the mouth of the Río Esquinas. The duo permit camping and offer safari-style deluxe tent-cabins; a quaint little screen cabin; a simple bungalow; a delightful tree house; and lovely two-story beach house. The couple make gourmet meals, served family-style in the open-air lodge.
Dorado Cabin at Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge. Photo © luxpim, licensed Creative Commons Attribution.
Fronted by a beach and backed by a mountainous private rainforest reserve, the splendid Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge (tel. 506/2222-0704, U.S./Canada tel. 866-504-8116, mid-Nov.-Sept., low season $230-280 s, $380-830 d, high season $280-305 s, $250-920 d), at Playa Nicuesa, is a perfect base for adventures. Crafted entirely of multihued hardwoods, the two-story open-atrium eco-lodge is a stunner. Four hexagonal cabins and a four-room guesthouse feature a quasi-Japanese motif, canopied beds, ceiling fans in open-beam roofs, and full-length wraparound louvered doors, plus open baths with outdoor showers. The open-air upstairs lounge-cum-dining room looks over the lush grounds, candlelit at night. It has family programs, and yoga is offered on the beachfront deck. River otters and caimans frequent the lagoon, accessed by kayaks.
Excerpted from the Tenth Edition of Moon Costa Rica.
