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By Staff writter
Nestled between the Osa Peninsula and Costa Rica’s
south Pacific Coast is Golfo Dulce (Sweet Gulf), a large
bay ringed by secluded beaches and the wonderful biodiversity
of the region. Of the many tourist attractions Costa
Rica has to offer, Golfo Dulce
is the perfect destination for nature lovers, both those
seeking adventure and those who want only to relax under
a palm tree on the beach.
Circling the warm blue waters
of Golfo Dulce is a tropical rain forest where one may
encounter four species of monkey (spider, white-faced,
squirrel and howler), Poison Dart frogs, Morpho butterflies,
anteaters, agoutis, coati mundis, jaguars, ocelots and
margays.
 Beautiful birds abound, such as scarlet macaws,
toucans, hummingbirds, great curassows, crested guans,
trogons, aracaris, honey creepers, herons, tinamous,
woodpeckers, wood creepers, ant birds and manikins.
During a 1996 visit by
the Greenpeace ship Moby Dick, Captain Joel Stewart
commented that there is "so much biodiversity... so
many species, that one is almost forced to defend it."
Prophetically, a new national
Park was recently declared in the area: the Piedras
Blancas National Park. It takes its place alongside
the Golfito Wildlife National Refuge and the Golfo Dulce
Forestry Reserve.
Conscious that nature and sustainable
tourism can complement each other, the area features
eco-friendly lodges as well as some of the country’s
best sportfishing and surfing.
 Among the best of
the former is Golfo Dulce Lodge,
a small bungalow settlement
about 300
meters from San Josecito Beach, surrounded by undisturbed
first-growth lowland rainforest, right beside Piedras
Blancas National Park.
Swiss-owned and operated, Golfo
Dulce Lodge (German/English/Spanish) is only accessible
via a 20-minute boat ride from either Golfito or Puerto
Jimenez. Golfo
Dulce Lodge encompasses
more than 300 hectares (750 acres), acquired to conserve
the existing virgin rainforest, and to establish a haven
where nature and animal lovers can experience an almost
untouched environment. The 300 hectares feature ecosystems
such as primary and secondary forest, an extensive heliconia
field, and pasture.
 The eco-friendly philosophy of Golfo Dulce Lodge
includes support for the official ‘Profelis’ wildcat
rehabilitation center, and for the scarlet macaw release
program of the world-renowned ‘Zoo Ave’. Visitors to
the lodge will have first-hand views of these beautiful
birds, which make their homes in the trees surrounding
the comfortable guest bungalows.
Profelis has helped reintroduce
captured margays (Leopardus wiedii) and ocelots (Leopardus
pardalis) into their natural habitat. In 1999 Zoo Ave
released a group of highly endangered scarlet macaws
(Ara macao) into Piedras Blancas National Park as the
first stage of a long-term project to establish a third
self-sustaining scarlet macaw population in addition
to the two existing groups in the Corcovado National
Park and the Carara Biological Reserve.
On the western shore of Golfo
Dulce is the Osa Peninsula, which National Geographic
has called "the most ecologically intense place on earth."
 There,
near the town of Puerto Jiménez, is Crocodile Bay Lodge,
a resort spread over 44 acres of tropical gardens, with
restaurant, bar, pool, tackle & gift shop, roof-top
observation deck and spacious air-conditioned rooms,
each with a private deck. Sportfishing is a specialty
at Crocodile Bay Lodge;
its 10 boats and experienced captains are available
year-round for anglers to enjoy fishing for sails and
marlin in peak season, and plenty of jack, runners,
mackerel, amberjack, roosterfish, and big snapper inshore.
Nearby is the Bahia Esmeralda
hotel, located on a lush hillside overlooking the gulf
and surrounded by 70 acres of primary and secondary
rain forest, filled with exotic plants, birds and animals
unique to the region. This lodge also features a natural
spring-fed pool, barbecue area, and numerous trails
where one can explore virgin forests.
 Within minutes’ walk are deserted tropical beaches
and world class waves, a favorite with surfers, both amateur and professional, because of the warm
tropical water throughout the year and numerous, challenging
point and reef breaks.
Surfing is only one of the
many activities available in the area. There is sea-kayaking,
horseback riding, snorkeling, hiking, swimming and,
of course, sportfishing. The waters off Puerto Jiménez, Golfito and Zancudo
also abound with sail sand marlins. Inshore, one can
find jacks, runners, mackerel, amberjack, roosterfish
and large snapper.
There are two modern marinas
in Golfito, both offering fishing charters and slip
facilities for incoming yachts.
 Golfo
Dulce, with its profusion of small coves and rocky islats
and shoreline, is also excellent for small barracuda,
snapper and corvina (sea bass). Snook there sometimes
run over 40 pounds. Inside the Zancudo peninsula, and
farther north, at the mouth of the Esquinas river are
also great places for snook.
On the southern tip of the
Osa Peninsula is the beautiful
Lapa Rios
hotel, set in a private nature reserve spread over 1,000
acres.
How to get there:
There are two airports in Golfo
Dulce: Golfito and Puerto Jiménez. From San José, it’s
a 45-minute flight to either. One can also take the
Inter-American Highway, but the drive will take several
hours.
Once in Golfito or Puerto Jiménez,
local transportation by boat to the lodges, hotels and
beaches is available.
The Osa Peninsula
With Drake Bay, Corcovado National Park,
and Golfo Dulce, it's worth the trek. BAHÍA DRAKE. The
Osa Peninsula's Drake Bay was named after Sir Francis
Drake (1540-96), the British explorer who, legend has
it, anchored here more than four centuries ago. The
rugged coast that stretches south from the mouth of
the Río Sierpe to Corcovado has small beaches backed
by thick jungle, ending in rocky points and dark, igneous
islets. The tiny villages and nature lodges scattered
along the coast are hemmed in by the rain forest, which
is home to monkeys, sloths, scarlet macaws, and hundreds
of bird species. A trip here is a true tropical adventure,
with plenty of hiking and some rough boat rides. Most
people reach this isolated area by boat via the Río
Sierpe, though direct flights are available, and hardy
backpackers occasionally hike north out of Corcovado
(two hours to Marenco, four to Drake Bay).
- DOMINICAL
 Once a sleepy fishing village, Dominical is
slowly being "discovered." Its magic lies in its combination
of terrestrial and marine wonders: the rain forest
grows right up to the beach in some places, and the
sea offers world-class surfing. The beaches here are
long, practically empty, and perfect for strolling
and shell collecting.
- PARQUE NACIONAL
CORCOVADO
 Comprising 435 sq km (168 sq mi) on the tip
of the Osa Peninsula, Corcovado National Park is one
of the largest and wildest protected areas in the
country. Much of the park is covered with virgin rain
forest, where massive espavel and nazareno trees tower
over the trails, thick lianas hang from their branches,
and toucans, spider monkeys, scarlet macaws, and poison
dart frogs abound. There are no roads in the park,
and the ones that approach it are dirt tracks that
require four-wheel-drive vehicles most of the year.
Visitors often arrive by boat on day trips from the
nature lodges in Drake Bay, but the best way to explore
the park is to sling on a backpack and hike into the
wilderness. There are three entrances to Corcovado:
San Pedrillo to the north, Los Patos to the east,
and La Leona to the south. From Puerto Jiménez to
La Leona, take a four-wheel-drive vehicle 1 hr to
Carate and hike 20 mins; to Los Patos, take 20-min
drive to the Río Rincón and count on 2- to 3-hr hike
to entrance.
Read the
other features:
For more information on visiting Costa Rica to view
this spectacular event please visit Costa Rica’s TravelWEB
@ www.crica.com, or by calling our toll free number
at 1-800-788-7857 or 1-866-822-2269 .
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