Discover the beauty of the tropical rainforest: The Corcovado National Park has been called “the most biologically intense place on earth” by National Geographic. There are 500 species of trees, 140 species of mammals, 367 species of birds, 40 species of freshwater fish, 117 species of amphibians, and four species of sea turtles nesting on the beaches. All four species of monkeys, the six cat species, and the endangered Tapir inhabit this area. At least thirteen distinct vegetation types can be seen in close proximity, including mangroves and palm swamps.
Corcovado Day Tour
You will leave Encanto Lodge at 5:30 a.m. to catch the boat at the main beach which will take you to the Sirena or San Pedrillo ranger station. It is possible that you will see dolphins, sea turtles or even whales (mid July to end of October) on the boat ride. A local tour guide will lead you through the park, point out animals and teach you about the wildlife. You will have a chance to see scarlet macaws, spider monkeys, howler monkeys, white face monkeys, squirrel monkeys (Sirena), peccaries, crocodiles, tapirs, coatis, sloths, anteaters or other animals. Lunch is included in the tour. The tour finishes around 2 pm in Drake center and you will be back to the lodge around 2:30 p.m..
San Pedrillo or Sirena Ranger Station?
San Pedrillo ranger station is closer to Drake Bay (less than an hour by boat). Sirena Ranger station is a little farer. Generally spoken, people usually can observe a higher diversity of wildlife in Sirena than in San Pedrillo and the animals in Sirena are less shy and more used to people. Sirena Ranger Station is generally more crowded, especially in high season (christmas time until eastern time). In high season, Sirena may also be booked out a few weeks in advance as there is a limited number of visitors for each day. If you want to reserve with us for a Corcovado tour, please specify which Ranger Station would be your preference.
Corcovado Overnight Tour
An overnight stay in the National Park gives visitors more chance to observe wildlife. Walking along the uncrowded trails when the day visitors have already left gives you feeling of more tranquility and wilderness. There is less of a rush and you might be able to explore other trails. However, overnight stays are much more expensive than one day trips.
Our Corcovado overnight tours leave at 6 am by boat from the main Beach of Drake Bay to Sirena, where you will hike on the trails around the station. You will get lunch and dinner at the ranger station and sleep in a room shared with other visitors. On the next day, you will have breakfast and lunch in the ranger station, leave the park aroun 1pm, arrive at Drake Bay around 2pm and be back at the lodge around 2:30pm.
Why do we recommend to travel by boat to Sirena?
The walking trails from Sirena to Los Patos and La Leona are very exhausting (some travellers reach their limits during the hike) and you often have to hurry due to tides and public transport, which does not really give you the possibility to stop and take the time to observe wildlife. Furthermore, wildlife is more concentrated and less shy around Sirena station.
| One day tour | Overnight tour | ||
| Ranger Station | San Pedrillo | Sirena | Sirena |
| Rate per person: | – $110 – children 5-9y: $70 | – $120 – children 5-9y: $90 | – $395 – $335 for children 12-17y – $310 for children up to 11y |
| Included: | – boat trip – entrance fees – local guide – lunch – transport lodge – tour starting point and back | – boat trip – entrance fees – local guide – lunch – transport lodge – tour starting point and back | – boat trip – entrance fees – local guide – 2 lunchs, 1 dinner and 1 breakfast – accommodation in a shared room at Sirena Station – transport lodge – tour starting point and back |
The rates include the tour cost and transportation from the lodge to the tour starting point and back ($10 per person – this transportation cost applies only for tours reserved through us). If you come by your own car and you want to drive by yourself you can opt for a $10 discount.
Please note:
- Park entries are limited. This is why we recommend reservation in advance.
- In order to reserve the tour, you need to make a prepayment of $50. We will send you a link to the reservation page. The rest can be paid on the date of the tour.
- Park entries are only valuable for the person(s) mentioned in the reservation and cannot be resold or transferred to another person. For that reason, prepayments are non-refundable.
- Tours can be cancelled by the tour operator or park administration if they decide that the realization of the tour is too dangerous or in case of any unforseen cirunstances that impede the realization of the tour.
- Weather is usually very unpredictable for Corcovado National Park (weather forecast for the area is usually about 50% true). Generally the weather is quiet sunny in the dry season (January to March) and the rest of the year you can get both sunny or rainy weather.
- Smoking is prohibited in the park.
- Knives are prohibited in the park.
- It is prohibited to bring any kind of food and to dispose any kind of rubbish in the park. Exceptions for food are snacks in the case of special health conditions (with medical certificate) or small kids.
- Only reusable drinking bottles are allowed in the park, common water or juice plastic bottles from the super market are prohibited in the park, even if you reuse them.
Please bring with you:
- Re-usable drinking bottle.
- Rubber boots, especially in raining season due to muddy trails, water crossing and because they offer more protection. If not possible, please wear at least (high) hiking boots.
- You need to walk through water to get in and out of the boat so please bring short pants or long pants that you can zip the legs off for example.
- In Sirena, you need to walk over a rocky zone in the waves, so we recommend to bring water shoes or sandals (flip-flops are not useful).
- Long pants and/or insect repellent serve as protection against insect bites in the park.
- Solar protection
- Rain coat (mainly in rainy season from April to December).
- Plastic bag for keeping dry your electronic gear.