Corcovado National Park, Costa Rica - Part I

Corcovado is a national park on the Osa Peninsula in southwest Costa Rica. It is the largest and one of the last areas of primary growth rainforest remaining on the entire pacific coast of the America's. National Geographic has famously called it "the most biologically intense place on earth." On a traveler's first trip to Costa Rica, most choose the well warn tourist route to the north to see the cloud forest's and volcanoes. Tracy and I, although hoping to visit the north of Costa Rica someday, could not resist the allure of the less traveled, more demanding and biologically more diverse hike through Corcovado. Backpacking 9 miles through rain, mud, rivers and jungle made for a memorable if difficult first day.

The Hike begins with a couple miles of beach hiking. Corcovado National Park lies straight ahead in this picture. Shrouded in rain and mist it can only be described as foreboding.

It rained...a lot.

The rain was not Corcovado's only way of getting you very very wet. The river crossing's had no bridges, ropes or help of any kind, you just braced yourself against the current and hoped to not fall in and soak your pack full of clothes, tent, sleeping bag etc.

Even in the rain, along the main trail while hiking in to our camp, there was an astonishing array of animals to distract you from the 5 inches of mud you were hiking through. Pictured: A White-faced Capuchin. 

Being a primary growth rain-forest means there were beautiful, giant and ancient tree's unlike any I have every seen.

Looking up at the tropical canopy above us.

Crossing the dangerous Rio Claro to get to Sirena ranger station. This is low tide, however with all the rain it was waist deep and fast. Some of the hikers who tried to cross later in the day were washed out to sea but thankfully survived. Our guide carried Tracy's pack across, which was fortunate because...well, she fell in. Unlike our French friends hiking with us, our packs miraculously were mostly dry when we arrived at camp.

Finally we arrived at the Sirena ranger station, our home for the next few days. We were ecstatic to see that we would have a roof to camp under and veranda to relax on. This was my kind of luxury camping.

We would spend the next couple of days hiking around the park taking pictures, spotting wildlife, and learning that plant's can be just as amazing as animals. All of this and more in Part II.