Costa Rica (Lonely Planet, 9th Edition) - Matthew Firestone [351]
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Getting There & Away
Estero Azul Lodge and Veragua River House are 2km and 3km, respectively, north of Sierpe along the road to Palmar, and can easily be reached by car. If you don’t have private transportation, ring the lodges and arrange for a pick-up.
Río Sierpe Lodge and Sábalo Lodge are only accessible by boat; make prior arrangements to be picked up in Sierpe.
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BAHÍA DRAKE
Parque Nacional Corcovado aside, the jungle-fringed crystalline waters of Bahía Drake are arguably Península de Osa at its best. As one of the peninsula’s (and the country’s) most isolated destinations, Bahía Drake is a veritable Lost World filled with tropical landscapes and abundant wildlife. In the rainforest canopy, howlers greet the rising sun with their haunting bellows, while pairs of macaws soar between the treetops, filling the air with their cacophonous squawking. Offshore in the bay itself, schools and pods of migrating dolphins flit through turquoise waters.
Of course, one of the reasons why Bahía Drake is brimming with wildlife is that it remains largely cut off from the rest of the country. With little infrastructure beyond dirt roads and the occasional airstrip, most of the area remains off the grid. However, Bahía Drake is home to a number of stunning wilderness lodges, which all serve as ideal bases for exploring this veritable ecological gem. And of course, if you’re planning on visiting Sirena ranger station in Corcovado (Click here), you can trek south along the coastline and enter the park at San Pedrillo ranger station.
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History
The bay is named for Sir Francis Drake himself, who visited this area in March 1579, during his circumnavigation in the Golden Hind. History has it that he stopped on the nearby Isla del Caño, but locals speculate that he probably landed on the continent as well. A monument at Punta Agujitas, located on the grounds of the Drake Bay Wilderness Resort, states as much.
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Orientation
The shores of Bahía Drake are home to two settlements: Agujitas, a tiny town of 300 residents spread out along the southern shore of the bay, and Drake, a few kilometers to the north, which is little more than a few houses alongside the airstrip.
Agujitas is a one-road town (and not a very good road at that). It comes south from Rincón and past the airstrip in Drake. At the T, the right branch dead-ends at the water, where the pulpería (grocery store), clinic and school constitute the heart of Agujitas; the left branch heads out of town southeast to Los Planes. From the eastern end of Agujitas, a path follows the shoreline out of town. A swinging, swaying pedestrian bridge crosses the Río Agujitas to Punta Agujitas. From here, the trail picks up and continues south along the coast, all the way to Parque Nacional Corcovado.
The only way to get around the area is by boat or by foot. Fortunately, both forms of transportation are also recreation, as sightings of macaws, monkeys and other wildlife are practically guaranteed
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Information
It’s not easy to visit Bahía Drake if you’re a backpacker since only a few shoestring options exist in Agujitas. Also, supplies, food and just about everything else are shipped in, which is reflected in local prices. However, Bahía Drake is one destination where parting with a bit of cash can greatly improve the quality of your experience.
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Activities
HIKING
All of the lodges offer tours to Parque Nacional Corcovado, usually a full-day trip to San Pedrillo ranger station (from US$75 to US$150 per person), including boat transportation, lunch and guided