Caminos de Osa - Immersion Experience

Today we will head out to the town of Savegre. Impressive mountains give way to the Savegre River forming the habitat of exotic flora and fauna, protected areas and national parks in this spectacular natural zone. This is a favourite spot for bird watchers and those interested in authentic rural country living. The highlands and valleys are excellent fruit-producing regions. We will spend the evening in this natural paradise.

Today we will head out for a unique rafting experience. Our guides are locally born and internationally trained, offering a personalized experience of a lifetime. Perfect for watching the shorebirds on the riverside, the Savegre River plummets down through some of the most remote parts of Costa Rica. It travels through a series of National Parks and protected areas before it joins forces with the Rio Division. These 2 rivers form the Lower Savegre River and the 13-kilometre stretch is composed of class II & III rapids. There are over 15 short rapids that will get you pretty wet and offer excellent white water rafting.

Today we will leave Savegre and head to Finca 6 Pre-Columbian Museum, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Your guide will give you a brief history of southern Costa Rica from pre-Columbian times. At the site, we will find a sunken village of an ancient civilization that lived in the area between AD 400-1400 and made of large, perfectly round, stone spheres. After lunch, we will head to the town of Sierpe. Are you ready to escape to a place of wild mountain forests, spilling down onto pristine beaches? Going down to the south Pacific to experience incredible biodiversity, we can get totally off the beaten track. In the afternoon we will head out on a boat tour along the Sierpe River to the Estero Guerra community. This 3 hour journey, passes through Costa Rica’s most extensive mangrove, with over 40 different animal species, including three species of monkeys, raccoons, bats, sloths, anteaters, boas and a number of water and land birds. We will then walk along a rural road through a secondary forest to the community of Estero Guerra until you reach the house of the Sandoval family. Your luggage will be carried on horseback. In the Sandoval's home, you can learn all about the lifestyle of these Costa Rican native rural communities. 

Today we will leave the Sandoval's home after a delicious typical breakfast. We will cross a mountain along rainforest trails for a 6 km hike. Along the way, we can catch a glimpse of the many bird species, insects and some of the mammals that live in the rainforest. We will stop at a traditional gold mining family’s home. To learn about the artisanal techniques of gold extraction used to find gold in the local rivers. We will then visit a traditional sugar mill where the normal production process of sugar cane candy is carried out through the use of oxen or horses. We will help with cutting the sugar cane, working in the sugar mill, drinking cane juice, and helping to make delicious desserts as part of this immersive experience. We will enjoy a delicious traditional lunch prepared by the family. In the afternoon, we will take part in an indigenous cultural tour with the local leader Don Mariano. He and his family will be sharing some of their culture and traditions along the way. We will learn all about natural medicine, traditional rituals, and agriculture. We will then head to Playa Blanca, where we will spend the evening in a remote eco-lodge.

After a magical sunrise, we will head out on a kayak tour through the Golfo Dulce to Agujas Beach. We can appreciate the local wildlife and endemic flora along the way. We will then leave the kayak for horseback to ride from Agujas Beach to The Dos Brazos Community until we arrive at the butterfly farm. We will learn all about the life cycle of butterflies and the importance of these insects. We will then head to the Amazonita Ecolodge where we will have lunch and spend the evening.

After breakfast, we will head out on our final trek, taking us through primary forest that will take us to the very end of the Corcovado National Park. Most of the hike will require walking through rivers and steep up and down hills; please be sure to have the appropriate clothing and shoes. We will enjoy lunch along the way. After this long hike along the Camino del Oro, we will finish the hike relaxing and watching the beautiful sunset at The Carate Beach.

We will spend the morning soaking up some sun on the beautiful beach. After lunch, we will head to The Golfo Dulce, located between the Osa Peninsula and the southern Pacific coast of Costa Rica. The large bay embraces pristine beaches, rivers, and tall evergreen forests, which is protected by the Golfo Dulce Forest Reserve. This region, where the forest connects to the sea at the river mouths, with impressive mangroves and the breeding area for many marine species.  

After a drive through the rainforest to Golfito, we will board a motorboat for a scenic trip around Golfo Dulce, separating the Piedras Blancas National Park and the Osa peninsula. Three species of porpoise live and breed year-round in the gulf. There is an opportunity to observe bottlenose dolphins playing and swimming, and during certain months, humpback whales and whale sharks can be seen. We will stop in Puerto Jimenez for a short walk to a mangrove swamp to look for scarlet macaws, caimans, crocodiles, and monkeys. We will spend the night in Nicuesa.

Today we will head to the airport in Golfito to take our flight to the San Jose airport. Here our driver will take us to the San Jose hotel for our final evening.