Guide to Corcovado National Park

Corcovado is one of the most unique places I have ever been. The amount of wildlife is so special that I will remember it for the rest of my life. From the beginning to the end, the experience is fantastic, and hiking here is just amazing. If there is only one thing to do in Costa Rica, this is the place to visit. It can be a bit difficult how to start and experience this amazing piece of nature on Earth, so I will help you!

How to find a Guide for Corcovado

First things first: It is compulsory to have a guide when entering Corcovado National Park because it is the best way to keep nature preserved. You can get a guide by booking a tour online, or take a look to see if there are online guides on other websites. You can also go to Costa Rica and ask locals if they know people or if they have a phone number of a guide. I would recommend to contact at least a week before you want to be in Corcovado, especially in high season (December-March). A guide is also very convenient, as they spot way more wildlife than you would. You can ask everything to your guide beforehand about how you want your stay to be. Especially ask for a permit (mostly the guide will do that, but be sure he/she will).

How long do you want to stay in Corcovado

How long do you want to stay? Some people come as a day trip, and even though it is still worth visiting this park, I will always recommend staying at least one night. Two or more nights (so 3 or more days) are also possible, and that can be fantastic as well, but this is not very common.

How do you want to come and go?

One day: If you go for one day, you leave very early by boat and arrive around 8 am in the national park. After lunch at the La Sirena Ranger Station, you will go back by boat. While on the boat, you can spot dolphins.

Two days: If you go for two days (as I did), there are 2 options to go in and out. The first is to go in by boat (same as One day) and spend the day walking around Sirena to find animals. You can also go for a hike. First, you will be brought by car further from Puerto Jimenez, and then you have to walk about 8 hours to Sirena and arrive after lunch. During the hike, there is less chance of seeing wildlife than when walking around Sirena. On the way out, you can also do the same hike by leaving early or taking the boat back after lunch.

Three or more days: With three or more days, you can get in and out the same way as with Two days, with a full day (or multiple) to spot wildlife. You can also do a multiday hike with stops at different Ranger stations (Sirena, San Pedrillo, Los Patos, El Tigre, and La Leona). Some ranger stations are sometimes closed, so you have to check them, when you are in contact with your guide.

Book a stay on day before and after visit in Puerto Jimenez

Because you leave very early when heading for Corcovado and you can be very tired after Corcovado, I would recommend staying a night in Puerto Jimenez (or Drake Bay) before and after your trip. Most of the time, the guide you arranged is based in Puerto Jimenez or Drake Bay and it is functional to go to their location as well.

What to bring?

Good hiking shoes
Camera
Binoculars (although your guide has a great one as well)?
Towel
Extra clothes
Sunscreen
Insect repellant (although there are not that many bugs)
Rain jacket (just in case)
Reusable water bottle

Where to stay in Corcovado?

There are several ranger stations, but the one that you cannot miss is Sirena Ranger Station. This is the main ranger station, and most people sleep here. This is also the place where you get breakfast, lunch, and dinner (our guide arranged this all). You sleep in a big dorm, and it is open. There are showers and toilets, which are comfortable. There is a porch where you can see several different animals.

Lights go out at 8 pm
No alcohol allowed
There is drinking water
Sheets and cushion are provided
No wifi
Some places to charge you electronically devices, but limited

Which animals can you see in Corcovado?

The biodiversity of Corcovado is insane. Tapirs are the main reason to come here, and you have good chances of seeing them. Further. we saw many spider, howler, and squirrel monkeys (see picture above). Further, we saw sloths, coatis peccaries, tamandua, crocodiles, a coral snake, other snake species, macaws, toucan, Spotted dolphins on the way in, many other bird species, agoutis, and the highlight was seeing a tayra (see picture at point 3) pulling a hive out of a tree. Of course, there is no guarantee that you will all spot animals, but you will see many species for sure. Pumas can be seen, but they are pretty rare.

Final thoughts

Corcovado is such an amazing place to visit. It may look like a lot to plan the trip, but once you have a guide, everything will be pretty easy. The trip will be so fantastic. This is heaven on Earth if you are a nature lover. There are so many different species to admire. This will be the highlight in Costa Rica, believe me!