Unique Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica Ecotourism At Its Best

Do your vacation plans include Costa Ricaspecies of birds crammed inside this tiny place.
ecotourism?Compare that to the U.S. which has about 900.
There is a little known gem called Corcovado.The largest surviving Latin America population of the
Know of it? No? Well, don't fret because you are notmagnificent, but increasingly rare, scarlet macaws
the only one.remains here.
Corcovado National Park (Parque NacionalThe Corcovado mammal species total about 10% of
Corcovado) the Amazon of Costa Rica. With greatthe kinds of mammals found in the Americas and they
reason. The little park, just 42,000 hectares (aboutlive on just .000101777 percent of the world's land.
100,000 acres) in dimensions, is found on the OsaAdditionally, 116 kinds of reptiles and amphibians and
Peninsula, situated along the southern Pacific shoreline139 assorted species of mammals.
of Costa Rica, in close proximity to the PanamaFor you to put this park's size in context, it would fit it
border.into Yellowstone upwards of 22 times!
This is the largest remaining primary forest present inDespite its tiny footprint, it has six different kinds of wild
Latin America.felines, including the impressive jaguar and mountain lion.
As Christopher Columbus explored the Americas inIn case you are a fan of amphibians (I am referring to
1502 he traveled the Caribbean from Mexico south onfrogs here) Corcovado is really a grand place to see
to a land he named 'Costa Rica', the 'rich coast'. Forthe glass frog, poison-arrow frogs, and the rare
more than five centuries the name has remained.red-eyed tree frog.
Tremendous tropical forests blanketed the area fromIt is also one of the few places in Costa Rica you can
the Atlantic to the Pacific back then and there used tostill see squirrel monkeys.
be countless numbers of sea turtles that at timesYou may come across fishing bats hunting for fish
seafarers, lost in the fog, found land simply by listeningaround the rivers during hours of darkness. This
to the sounds of thousands of sea turtles paddlingparticular park is thought to be be one of the very last
towards nesting beaches.stands of the Harpy Eagle which is almost certainly on
Regrettably, the passing of five hundred years has notits journey to extinction in Costa Rica.
been kind to either the forests or animals and todayAt Corcovado, you'll discover miles of apparently
the majority of the primary forests from Mexico todeserted seashores. I say apparently because, though
South America have been destroyed for logging andthey look deserted, in fact these beaches provide
farming or burned. Fortunately, Costa Rica possessednesting grounds for huge leatherback turtles (weighing
the foresight to conserve Corcovado.more than half a ton), Pacific Ridley, green and
Columbus never came across Corcovado. The veryhawksbill sea turtles.
first Western explorer to discover it was Sir FrancesTapirs are plentiful and provide food for ferocious
Drake.jaguars and crocodiles. The footprints of these large
Name strike a bell? He is the sea captain whocats are regularly seen along the muddy trails around
destroyed the Spanish Armada in 1588 and savedthe Corcovado Lagoon and they are also sighted
England from Spain. A few years before that famousfrequently. Carry your camera and stay alert!
encounter, he dropped anchor just north of the OsaCorcovado is one of the best tropical rainforests
Peninsula in a lovely bay now named after him: Drakeremaining. On your Costa Rica vacation, you will see
Bay. The bay serves as the gateway to Corcovado.why it is referred to as the Amazon of Costa Rica
Even though Corcovado is very little, merely about 20because it is as impressive as any rain forest in Brazil,
miles long and 8 miles wide----less than half the size ofIndonesia, or Malaysia.
New York City--- it might be, as National GeorgraphicHeavy rains fall in the area from April to December so
says: the most biologically intense place on the globe.the best time to hike is in the dry months from January
Contemplate the following: There are 400 variousto April.