Corcovado riding the Pacific waves to Camp

On this year's journey to the Osa Peninsula and the Corcavado National Park Ellen and I will be spending 9 days birding, hiking, snorkeling, and lazing at two stops, the Corcovado Adventures Tent Camp with Tent cabins over looking the Pacific Ocean on the northern end of the Osa near San Pedrillo and at  Luna Lodge in the rain forest on the hills above the coastal villiage of Carate on the southern end of the Osa. I briefly visited the village of Carate in January 2011. On that trip we had to hike 1.5 miles up the beach at low tide to La Leona tent camp. Fortunately the La Leona folks sent a donkey cart to Carate for our baggage.



One of my reasons for visiting the Corcovado, Blue Morphos!

With a length of nearly six inches, the Blue Morpho butterfly is one of the largest butterflies in the rainforest.

 



My second reason for visiting Corcovado.
 I can watch these leaf cutter ants for hours.

AN ANCIENT BURIAL GROUND AND MYSTIFYING SPEHERES

The interior of Isla de Cano features evergreen trees that reach heights of up to 164 feet, which watch over the remains of the island’s Indigenous, Pre-Columbian inhabitants, the Diquis tribe. Not only have archeologist found remains, which concludes that the site was used as a burying ground, but there are perfectly spherical stones that adorn the land. Take a walk through history on these trails and ponder the formation of the spheres, which mystify even the scientific community.

Pirate's Cove Isla Caño. Here we snorkel.

These spheres are at ancient burial grounds.

Stone Spheres of Isla Caño

Corcovado Quick Facts
Weather:
13 feet (4,000 mm) of rain fall annually. The drier months are January through April. the wettest are September and October.

Size:
103,000 acres (4,178 hectares, 161 square miles, 122 times the size of Central Park NYC, and 4/10ths the size of Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado)

Elevations:
Sea level to 2,444 feet (745 meters) on Cerros Rincón and Mueller.

Habitats:
Lowland rain forest, highland cloud forest, jolillo palm forest, and mangrove swamps, costal marine, and beach habitats.

Inhabitants:
All four of the monkey species (including the highly endangered Red-backed squirrel monkey), and all six of the feline species found in Costa Rica inhabit Corcovado. All four of the sea turtle species that nest in Costa Rica visit the beaches of Corcovado as well. Over 40 species of frogs including red-eyed tree, rain, glass, dink, and poison arrow varieties, dozens of snakes including a variety of Boas and the dreaded bushmaster, as well as 28 species of lizards. More than 100 species of butterflies and at least 10,000 other insects call the Osa peninsula home (including a few you may wish were endangered). More than 400 species of birds including 16 different hummingbirds and the largest number of Scarlet macaws anywhere in Central America.