Download Field Guide, Mammals of Drake Bay and Corcovado
San Pedrillo Rangers Station is my favorite place inside Corcovado National Park. Other than the rugged trails, life there is as if humans never happened. Being located in the least trafficked part of the most bio-intense place on Earth, I hold a strong opinion that this is the truest experience of the Osa Peninsula that can currently be accessed by visitors.
I estimate that 90% of those that come to Drake Bay are here for 3 days. Those days are; a day at the beach, Isla del Caño (snorkeling or diving), and Sirena Rangers Station. All of these days are absolutely well-spent and guests rarely depart without feeling that they will always remember their experiences here. For those few that are here for more than 3 days, it is often difficult to arrange tours that go beyond these activities. Regardless of how amazing said activity may be, smaller groups often need to find other visitors with time to participate in order to organize a tour group. San Pedrillo’s primary jungle is only one of those amazing activities.
I believe that the popularity of Sirena Rangers Station is due to the economics of the local area. With most visitors only having 1 day dedicated to Corcovado National Park, the place where the most animals are seen gets the biggest smiles. Sirena’s jungle has only been growing since 1975. The jungle is much less dense, flatter and provides more food for animals.
Conversely, San Pedrillo has more hills with thicker jungles. It is not possible to see all of the wildlife. There is no questioning the intensity of life around, but it may be blocked by the foliage. If Sirena is the best place to see larger wildlife, then San Pedrillo is unquestionably the 2nd best. Aside from animals, San Pedrillo best shines when one can appreciate the evolution of the area on all scales. From microscopic life to the largest trees of 77 meters tall, this place lives and breathes as a whole, with many convergent evolutionary paths and symbiotic relationships to experience.
The biodiversity yet to be discovered in the Osa Peninsula continues to attract studious minds from around the world to Costa Rica, seeking new species and biological data. San Pedrillo is where I would like to send them.
