Welcome to the Osa:  new season, new challenges, new opportunities

November 07, 2010

At this writing we have not had more than a smattering of rain in two whole days.  For the week prior the low pressure cell spawned by Hurricane Tomas's Caribbean meanderings sucked a world of Pacific moisture into the isthmian skies and presented this country with a nation-wide diluvium the likes of which it has not seen, arguably, since Hurricane Mitch's memorable 1998 rampage through Central America.  While the nationwide death toll of 24 is tragic by any standard of measure, all but one of these deaths were the result of a calamitous slope failure in San Antonio de Escazú in which a torrent of mud, rock, trees and water buried homes in the middle of the night.  As the nation girds itself under the notoriety of the calamity and surely buckles down on unpermitted and precarious building on dangerous slopes and flood zones, machinery is at work from one end of the nation to the other repairing extensive damages to the national highway network.  For two days, the Osa Peninsula itself was out of touch with the rest of the nation because of landslides and road subsidence.  But beyond the Chacarita-Jimenez highway, the Panamerican highway was closed for two days as well owing to landslides and slope failures in many places along its length.  The Costanera suffered the most grave damage of the Southern Zone highways when drainage culverts in one instance and a small bridge in a second were each overwhelmed by water and washed out, leaving deep and wide channels across where the highway once ran and crimson cheeks and blame games among the engineers that designed these structures and the firms that built them.  There are no predictions at present when a workaround will enable traffic to resume its flow along this vital national artery, but repairs will be made.  As we approach the beginning of the 2011 high season, the infrastructure has taken a fairly major hit, but the show always goes on, and as always, Costa Rica will open its hearts and gates and battered highways to the flood of visitors projected to arrive in record numbers this year.

For those traveling for the first time to the Osa Peninsula, the new highway from Rincón to Puerto Jiménez may not seem like such a big deal, but for those that have been using this highway since 1992 when the bridges were installed have been cursing the ruts and washboard and bumps in the gravel highway ever since.  The paving of the highway has changed life on the peninsula, and our kidneys, shock absorbers, bushings, and sensibilities are grateful to CONAVI and Santa Fe for getting the job done.  Two bridges to go, and then hopefully the Chacarita - Rincon stretch will follow.  While this part of the highway remains a bit of a mine field in places and has been further damaged by last week's rains and mass wasting, overland travel to the Osa has never been smoother sailing.  And the drive from San Jose is spectacularly beautiful, whether by the Cerro de La Muerte or by the Costanera, so for those of you wavering about whether to rent a car or fly, there's no better way to see Costa Rica than by rental car.  Just be careful as the highways rarely have shoulders and often have potholes and other damages, and avoid driving at dusk and at night if possible as there are many pedestrians and bicyclists on the road.  For last minute road conditions, the traffic police have a well-maintained web site that documents road conditions, so you may want to take note of the link as it can prove handy.

The Osa Peninsula has a few destinations that are new this year.  The Blue Osa Lodge, half way between Puerto Jimenez and Matapalo is entering its first full tourist season.  Also the sumptuous Matapalo vacation rental, Casa Osa Marmaris, recently completed, is open to visiting guests, though reservations are required well in advance.  For those interested in Matapalo vacation rentals with all the amenities but less costly, Peter and Ana at Surfside Bungalows offer wonderful cottages with everything you could want, five minutes from the beach at $75-100 per night double occupancy.  In Carate, while Iseami Lodge has been in operation a full year, they are hitting their stride in their second full year of commercial operation, having recently completed an opulent villa on the Carate mountainside that has been featured in architectural reviews.  Two new vacation rentals have opened up north of town as well with budget pricing:  Garden Hacienda and Casa Cuna del Golfo.  And for those of you that like the grit of town but want to rise above it with AC, broadband LAN and wireless, satellite television, phone lines, and other amenities, my pad is periodically available for nightly and weekly stays:  The Crow's Nest.

For Corcovado National Park travelers there is one important change for this year.  The Park Service will no longer allow day trips into the park without prepaid park reservations.  In the past, it has been possible to hike from Carate into the park through the La Leona entrance gate for day trips and simply pay the $10 day use fee upon entry.  This is no longer allowed, and it's two hours trip by car and 45 minute hike just to get there, so be sure to have your permit in place before you go, even if it is just for the day.  Guides are recommended (but not required) along the Los Patos trail.  Your best bet for day trips into Corcovado is to stay in Carate, with La Leona Ecolodge arguably the best choice.  Day trips from town are available from a number of agencies, including Osa Corcovado Tour and Travel, which specializes in 2-3 day guided Corcovado expeditions.  See www.corcovadoguide.com for more details.

In a world teeming with perennial uncertainties, Costa Rica remains a beacon of pura vida and welcomes its 2011 visitors with open arms and broad smiles.  From Santa Teresa Peninsula in the far Pacific northwest to the Uvita reefs on the Caribbean southeast, from the world of water in the Tortuguero swamplands to the tip of Cape Matapalo and all points in between, this nation loves its visitors and the the opportunity to share its natural wealth.  A mature industry in Costa Rica, the ecotourism  sector intends to launch you across dizzying heights on zip lines, into the blue water in chase of majestic billfish, across fabled white water of roaring jungle rivers far from the nearest road, into the glassy interior of a perfectly tubular wave, rappelling down a moss-slickened vertical waterfall, peering into the crater of a dormant volcano or gazing from a safe distance at lava spewing down the sides of an active one, to steep in hot springs, cash your chips in casinos, swill Imperials at sunset, and relax with fine dining and drinks in some of the most spectacular environmentally sustainable lodging to be found anywhere.  Whatever you may be looking for in terms of nature and activity, opulence or modesty, rigor or languor, Costa Rica has it in spades, which means the Osa Peninsula must have it in No Trump.

Write me if you would like help with Osa travel arrangements, or fill out our questionnaire to let us know what you are looking for and we'll see what we can do.

Paul Collar

Osa Corcovado Tour and Travel / CafeNet El Sol

Puerto Jimenez Costa Rica

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