| Among
tropical 
biologists and naturalists the name "Corcovado" has
taken on almost mythical significance. The fabled reputation
of this vast tract of tropical rain forest (41,788 ha.)
is not without justification.
The forests
themselves, especially those on the ridges and hillsides,
have a natural magnificence about them that inspires
reverence. Many of the largest trees that grow to heights
of 50 meters or more sport enormous buttresses around
their bases. Upon close inspection, a botanist could
discover as many as 100 different species of trees on
any given hectare in this habitat. And that's just trees!
Consider all of the varied kinds of vines, shrubs, and
epiphytes and you've got an incredibly diverse flora.
Such varied
plant life forms the base for a tremendously diverse
fauna, from insects on up. For example, it has been
estimated that as many as 10,000 insect species may
inhabit Corcovado, and researchers have identified 42
species of frogs, 28 species of lizards, 123 species
of butterflies, and 16 species of hummingbirds. All
six species of felines found in Costa Rica are known
to exist in this wilderness area, as are the four native
species of monkeys. Additionally, Corcovado supports
the country's largest populations of White-lipped Peccaries
and Scarlet Macaws, both greatly endangered species
due to loss of habitat and hunting or trapping by man.
This great
biological diversity still exists in Corcovado because
of its remoteness and the fact that most of the park
has suffered relatively little disturbance by humans
in the past.
For serious
backpackers, Corcovado offers a trail system (although
much of this is along hot, open beaches) between the
six different ranger stations where you can camp with
prior permission.
Admission
policy: If you are interested in staying overnight
at any of the park ranger stations, prior permission
and reservations are necessary and can be obtained through
the park headquarters in Puerto Jiménez (Phone:
735-5036).
Getting
there: The quickest and easiest way to get into
Corcovado National Park is to fly in a single-engine
charter plane and land at the Sirena ranger station
airstrip. This is a truly memorable experience in itself,
unfortunately, it is also relatively expensive. Flights
to Sirena can be arranged with any of several companies
at the Pavas airport (west of San José) or at
the airport in Golfito.
Perhaps
the best way to visit Corcovado without really roughing
it is to stay at one of the nature lodges in the Drake's
Bay area. From these lodges day trips can be made (by
boat) to the northwestern sector of the park at San
Pedrillo. The lodge or your travel agency can make arrangements
for you to fly to the Palmar airport on a regularly
scheduled commercial flight, be driven to the town of
Sierpe, and then taken by boat through a large mangrove
system and out the mouth of the Sierpe River into the
ocean and across to Drake's Bay -- something of an adventure
in its own right.
The other
alternatives for those with backpacks are to get to
the towns of La Palma or Puerto Jiménez on the
Golfo Dulce side of the Osa Peninsula and hike into
the interior of the park, or continue all the way around
the tip of the peninsula to the settlement of Carate
and hike into the park along the beach.
Fishing:
Several of the lodges in the Drake's Bay area offer
the option of deep-sea fishing. The region is particularly
well-known for its abundance of Wahoo, Roosterfish,
and Pacific Cubera Snapper, but billfish and tuna are
also out there.
Climate:
If it weren't for the high heat and humidity and
more than four meters of average annual rainfall, this
area wouldn't have rain forest. The driest months of
the year are February, March, and April, the wettest
are September and October.
History:
In the mid-1930's, when settlement of the country's
southern Pacific region was being spurred by the development
of banana plantations, hunters that ventured into this
area discovered gold nuggets along several of the rivers
that cut through the hilly southern portion of what
is today Corcovado National Park. The resulting "gold
fever" brought numerous fortune-seekers into the areas
known as Madrigal and Carate, where this activity in
the form of placer mining can still be seen outside
of the park limits.
When the
park was created in 1975, the few miners that were working
inside the newly formed boundaries were permitted to
stay since their activities were seen as being beneficial
to the national economy. However, the number of miners
in the park continued to increase (and so did damage
to the stream ecosystems and the larger species of wildlife
-- read: "fresh meat") until in 1986 there were some
1,000 people involved. The situation had gotten so out
of hand that the park was closed to the public for several
months while the rangers, assisted by hundreds of rural
policeman from throughout the country, evicted the miners.
That drastic
action has not totally solved the problem, but the incidence
of illegal gold mining inside the park is much less
now.
The park
owes its existence to the international scientific community's
concern for tropical rain forest conservation. Since
its inception, the National Park Service had been interested
in including this expansive and ecologically invaluable
tract of forest in the park system, but unfortunately,
funding and public opinion did not permit the purchase
of such a remote piece of land.
However,
in 1975, several potentially critical problems came
to the government's attention. An increase in the number
of families homesteading in this part of the Osa Peninsula,
the threat of a large-scale logging operation by an
international lumbering consortium that held title to
much of the area's land, and reports of excessive hunting,
caused the region to become a matter of concern.
Foreign
scientists who had worked in this wonderfully diverse
habitat petitioned the then-President, the late Daniel
Oduber, to take measures to protect this national resource.
They were also of great help in obtaining international
donations to fund part of the land acquisition necessary
to get the squatters and the lumber company to leave
the area. But in the end it was the interest with which
President Oduber himself attended to the situation that
made Corcovado National Park a reality and earned him
the Albert Schweitzer award from the Animal Welfare
Institute for his efforts.
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