Costa Rica
Puerto Jiménez clings to the edge of the Osa Peninsula in southwestern Costa Rica like a frontier outpost — which, in many respects, it still is. This small town of 10,000 residents serves as the gateway to Corcovado National Park, a 424-square-kilometre wilderness that National Geographic once called "the most biologically intense place on Earth." The claim is not hyperbolic: Corcovado protects the largest remaining tract of tropical lowland rainforest on the Pacific coast of Central America, and its species counts — 500 species of trees, 140 species of mammals, 367 species of birds, 117 species of amphibians and reptiles — rival those of much larger protected areas elsewhere in the neotropics.
The town itself has the slightly rough-edged charm of a place that was, until recently, a gold-mining settlement — small-scale miners (oreros) still pan the rivers of the Osa Peninsula, and the occasional tale of a significant find maintains the frontier atmosphere. Puerto Jiménez's main street is a single paved road lined with tour operator offices, rustic restaurants, and the kind of no-frills hotels that cater to biologists, backpackers, and the growing number of wildlife photographers who come here for the chance to photograph animals that are increasingly rare elsewhere in Central America: jaguars, tapirs, all four species of Costa Rican monkey (howler, spider, capuchin, and squirrel), and the scarlet macaws that fly over the town each morning and evening in pairs, their crimson-and-blue plumage blazing against the green canopy.
Corcovado National Park is best accessed by boat from Puerto Jiménez to the Sirena ranger station, a journey along the Pacific coast that passes through waters where humpback whales (December-April from the Northern Hemisphere, July-November from the Southern Hemisphere), bottlenose dolphins, and spotted dolphins are regular companions. The trails radiating from Sirena lead through primary rainforest of overwhelming density and diversity — walking the forest floor, where buttress roots form walls taller than a person and the canopy 40 metres overhead filters the light to a green-gold glow, is one of the most immersive rainforest experiences available anywhere. The park's beaches serve as nesting sites for four species of sea turtle, and the freshwater lagoons behind the beach support crocodile populations of impressive size.
The culinary traditions of the Osa Peninsula are Costa Rican country cooking at its most authentic — casados (set meals of rice, beans, plantain, salad, and a protein) served at sodas (small restaurants) where the portions are generous and the prices reflect the Peninsula's distance from the tourist economy of the Central Valley. Fresh-caught fish — red snapper, mahi-mahi, and the corvina that Costa Ricans consider their finest eating fish — is grilled or prepared in coconut sauce (en salsa de coco), a preparation that reflects the Caribbean influence that permeates Costa Rica's Pacific coast cuisine through the Afro-Caribbean communities that settled the region's ports. Fresh tropical fruit — mango, papaya, maracuyá (passion fruit), and the cas guava that makes the country's most refreshing batido (smoothie) — is available at every roadside stand.
Puerto Jiménez is reached by Zodiac from expedition cruise ships anchoring in the Golfo Dulce, with passengers landing at the town dock. The best time to visit is during the dry season from December through April, when the trails are most passable and the wildlife-viewing conditions are optimal — animals concentrate near water sources, making sightings more reliable. The green season (May-November) brings afternoon rains that refresh the forest and produce spectacular waterfalls, but trails can become muddy and some river crossings become hazardous. The scarlet macaw population, once endangered, has recovered dramatically thanks to conservation efforts, and their daily flights over Puerto Jiménez remain one of Costa Rica's most uplifting wildlife spectacles.