Janina's Guidebook
Activities
My top recommendations on activities and experiences around Puerto Jimenez and the Osa Peninsula.
Corcovado NP - La Sirena Ranger Station by boat! For this full-day tour, you need a licensed guide and park entry tickets and therefore this tour needs to be booked in advance, preferably several weeks before your arrival. Park entrance tickets can now we purchased 6 months before the preferred tour date now, but have to be purchased at least 48 hours before the desired tour day. Tickets DO sell out, so it is very important to book this early, but not too last minute.
On this tour you’re visiting La Sirena ranger station by boat! La Sirena ranger station is located in the middle of Corcovado NP. You’ll be leaving Puerto Jimenez pier at 5:20 AM (EARLY). You'll ride around 1.5 hours by boat from Jimenez to Sirena Beach, where you'll be let off at the beach (your feet will get wet so be prepared!!) and then start your hike into the jungle around the ranger station together with your guide.
The costs of the La Sirena by Boat Tour are $145 per person, including the boat, park permits, a lunch at la sirena ranger station, and the guide fee! This is a shared tour, and can include from 2 up to 8 people per tour. If you would want to request a private tour, please ask for it, as prices are a little higher.
We can organize the guide and day trip to Corcovado for you - we work with Corcovado Hiking Tours (Inka and Rodolfo - husband and wife). They work together with other guides, so you might not get Rodolfo as the main guide, but they only work with the best guides. They’re all Costa Ricans with ample experience in the jungles and as guides in Corcovado.
- Corcovado NP - La Leona. For this full-day tour, you need a licensed guide and park entry tickets. Park entrance tickets can now we purchased 6 months before the tour date, but have to be purchased at least 48 hours before the desired tour day. Tickets DO sell out, so it is very important to book this early, but not too last minute.
To hike into the park you will have to drive to Carate, which is the entrance of Corcovado NP. The drive takes around 2 hours from Jimenez. From there you start walking, usually early (leave Jimenez around 5:30 am and get to the park by 7:30 am). This hike is a bit more strenuous as it is along the beach for around 3.5 km until you get to La Leona Ranger Station. From there you enter the park and hike around the area of La Leona Ranger Station. You would return in the afternoon and drive back to Puerto Jimenez. The entire hike outside and inside the national park is in total 12-16 km!
Details of the tour: 5.30 am departure from Puerto JImenez. End: 5 pm (back to Puerto Jimenez). The cost is 75 $ per person for a shared tour - meaning you could join a group in high season of up to 8 people. The costs include the park entry tickets, guiding fee, and transportation! If you have your own transport (4 x4 vehicles required!) If you don’t have your own 4x4 vehicle, the costs would be $125 per person. Please inquire for private tour rates, as they’re a little higher and depend on your group’s/ family’s size.
We can organize the guide and day trip to Corcovado for you - we work with Corcovado Hiking Tours (Inka and Rodolfo - husband and wife). They work together with other guides, so you might not get Rodolfo as the main guide, but they only work with the best guides. They’re all Costa Ricans with ample experience in the jungles and as guides in Corcovado.
- OVERNIGHT TRIP Corcovado - Sleep at La Sirena Ranger Station 1 Night: You may also choose to do an overnight trip and stay one night in La Sirena ranger station. This is quite a bit more expensive than just the day tour, as you will have to pay the overnight fee at Sirena, as well as meals at La Sirena Ranger Station, and two full days of guiding fee. You can choose to hike into the park one day, and hike out back to Carate the next, or do one part of the trip by boat, and hike only one way. The hike from Carate to Sirena takes 8 hours (!) and is a full on day of hiking, if you choose that route. Some people are choose to do Los Patos (another Ranger station) to Sirena, and then Sirena to La Leona (Carate). There are plenty of options. If you want this tour, please let us know, and we will inquire for pricing and more details for you!
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Parco Nazionale di Corcovado
Los Patos Sirena TrailCorcovado NP - La Sirena Ranger Station by boat! For this full-day tour, you need a licensed guide and park entry tickets and therefore this tour needs to be booked in advance, preferably several weeks before your arrival. Park entrance tickets can now we purchased 6 months before the preferred tour date now, but have to be purchased at least 48 hours before the desired tour day. Tickets DO sell out, so it is very important to book this early, but not too last minute.
On this tour you’re visiting La Sirena ranger station by boat! La Sirena ranger station is located in the middle of Corcovado NP. You’ll be leaving Puerto Jimenez pier at 5:20 AM (EARLY). You'll ride around 1.5 hours by boat from Jimenez to Sirena Beach, where you'll be let off at the beach (your feet will get wet so be prepared!!) and then start your hike into the jungle around the ranger station together with your guide.
The costs of the La Sirena by Boat Tour are $145 per person, including the boat, park permits, a lunch at la sirena ranger station, and the guide fee! This is a shared tour, and can include from 2 up to 8 people per tour. If you would want to request a private tour, please ask for it, as prices are a little higher.
We can organize the guide and day trip to Corcovado for you - we work with Corcovado Hiking Tours (Inka and Rodolfo - husband and wife). They work together with other guides, so you might not get Rodolfo as the main guide, but they only work with the best guides. They’re all Costa Ricans with ample experience in the jungles and as guides in Corcovado.
- Corcovado NP - La Leona. For this full-day tour, you need a licensed guide and park entry tickets. Park entrance tickets can now we purchased 6 months before the tour date, but have to be purchased at least 48 hours before the desired tour day. Tickets DO sell out, so it is very important to book this early, but not too last minute.
To hike into the park you will have to drive to Carate, which is the entrance of Corcovado NP. The drive takes around 2 hours from Jimenez. From there you start walking, usually early (leave Jimenez around 5:30 am and get to the park by 7:30 am). This hike is a bit more strenuous as it is along the beach for around 3.5 km until you get to La Leona Ranger Station. From there you enter the park and hike around the area of La Leona Ranger Station. You would return in the afternoon and drive back to Puerto Jimenez. The entire hike outside and inside the national park is in total 12-16 km!
Details of the tour: 5.30 am departure from Puerto JImenez. End: 5 pm (back to Puerto Jimenez). The cost is 75 $ per person for a shared tour - meaning you could join a group in high season of up to 8 people. The costs include the park entry tickets, guiding fee, and transportation! If you have your own transport (4 x4 vehicles required!) If you don’t have your own 4x4 vehicle, the costs would be $125 per person. Please inquire for private tour rates, as they’re a little higher and depend on your group’s/ family’s size.
We can organize the guide and day trip to Corcovado for you - we work with Corcovado Hiking Tours (Inka and Rodolfo - husband and wife). They work together with other guides, so you might not get Rodolfo as the main guide, but they only work with the best guides. They’re all Costa Ricans with ample experience in the jungles and as guides in Corcovado.
- OVERNIGHT TRIP Corcovado - Sleep at La Sirena Ranger Station 1 Night: You may also choose to do an overnight trip and stay one night in La Sirena ranger station. This is quite a bit more expensive than just the day tour, as you will have to pay the overnight fee at Sirena, as well as meals at La Sirena Ranger Station, and two full days of guiding fee. You can choose to hike into the park one day, and hike out back to Carate the next, or do one part of the trip by boat, and hike only one way. The hike from Carate to Sirena takes 8 hours (!) and is a full on day of hiking, if you choose that route. Some people are choose to do Los Patos (another Ranger station) to Sirena, and then Sirena to La Leona (Carate). There are plenty of options. If you want this tour, please let us know, and we will inquire for pricing and more details for you!
Preciosa is a beautiful beach only around 15 min from Casa del Bambu! It’s a beautiful long stretch of beach with a soft swell perfect for swimming most times. There are shady palm trees to lie under and there are usually very few people! It’s also a beach where turtles nest so look out for turtles 🐢
Playa Preciosa
Preciosa is a beautiful beach only around 15 min from Casa del Bambu! It’s a beautiful long stretch of beach with a soft swell perfect for swimming most times. There are shady palm trees to lie under and there are usually very few people! It’s also a beach where turtles nest so look out for turtles 🐢
Matapalo is well know for its surf breaks but it also an excellent jungle area to explore! There is waterfalls and a lot of wildlife, including sloths, all 4 monkey species, and more! - Surfing Lessons in Matapalo: Matapalo is a world-wide known surf hot spot! There are different beaches with different levels of intensity. The easiest/ beginner beach is called Pan Dulce, the intermediate break is Backwash, and the most advanced is Cabo Matapalo beach. The surf lessons is $60 per lesson (cash) if you pay with credit card the 4% tax has to be added on. The surf lesson is usually 2 hour long, at Pan Dulce Beach in Matapalo. I work with Pollo Surf School, which is a certified surf school. The surf class time depends on tides, so please inquire for more info, you can also contact them directly: pollosurfschool.com or whats app: +506-8366-6559. It is great to combine the Surfing Lessons with a visit to Matapalo anyway, you can spend a whole nice day there, exploring the area, after or before your surf lesson!
Cabo Matapalo
Matapalo is well know for its surf breaks but it also an excellent jungle area to explore! There is waterfalls and a lot of wildlife, including sloths, all 4 monkey species, and more! - Surfing Lessons in Matapalo: Matapalo is a world-wide known surf hot spot! There are different beaches with different levels of intensity. The easiest/ beginner beach is called Pan Dulce, the intermediate break is Backwash, and the most advanced is Cabo Matapalo beach. The surf lessons is $60 per lesson (cash) if you pay with credit card the 4% tax has to be added on. The surf lesson is usually 2 hour long, at Pan Dulce Beach in Matapalo. I work with Pollo Surf School, which is a certified surf school. The surf class time depends on tides, so please inquire for more info, you can also contact them directly: pollosurfschool.com or whats app: +506-8366-6559. It is great to combine the Surfing Lessons with a visit to Matapalo anyway, you can spend a whole nice day there, exploring the area, after or before your surf lesson!
A chocolate tour at Finca Raices - a beautiful farm close to Puerto Jimenez! This tour is a half a day tour you can do it in the morning starting around 8-9am ending around 1pm and includes a beautiful lunch with fresh veggies and fruit from the farm :) ! The farm is around 15 min from Casa Del Bambu, in a village called Cañaza. You will walk the farm together with the owner Don German, and an English speaking family member or guide (as Don German does not speak English). You will try various fruits and snacks along the way on the hike, and learn about all the different processes of harvesting and making chocolate! The costs are $40 per person for the tour without a meal (lunch) and $50 per person with lunch included.
Rancho Raices de Osa
Ruta Nacional Secundaria 245A chocolate tour at Finca Raices - a beautiful farm close to Puerto Jimenez! This tour is a half a day tour you can do it in the morning starting around 8-9am ending around 1pm and includes a beautiful lunch with fresh veggies and fruit from the farm :) ! The farm is around 15 min from Casa Del Bambu, in a village called Cañaza. You will walk the farm together with the owner Don German, and an English speaking family member or guide (as Don German does not speak English). You will try various fruits and snacks along the way on the hike, and learn about all the different processes of harvesting and making chocolate! The costs are $40 per person for the tour without a meal (lunch) and $50 per person with lunch included.
Do a Sunset / Bioluminescence or Mangrove Kayak tour on the Golfo Dulce. Just around Puerto Jimenez, there is a huge mangrove forest that can be explored on Kayak. It's magical to boat through there, and you also go around the ocean for a part of it. This is best done with an experienced kayak guide, as you can easily get lost in the mangrove labyrinth and also because they know the tides best etc. ! The best company in Osa is “Adventuras Tropicales” a kayak company run by the Robletto family, who have done this for many years. They also have certification of the ICT (Instituto Costarricense de Turismo = Tourism Institute of Costa Rica) with the highest level 5 (maximum rating), which is a really great rating and achievement. All tours are $52 per person, you can choose a single or double kayak (you can also pay for this tour with a credit card). The sunset/ biolum. tour starts at 16:30 (4:30 pm) and ends at 19:30 (7:30 pm) (NOTE: this tour depends on the FULL MOON as during full moon times the tour is NOT offered as the Bioluminescence is not visible during those times). The Mangrove tour starts at different times during the morning, depending on the tides that day, it could also be in the afternoon!
Aventuras Tropicales Golfo Dulce
Calle a Pueblo ViejoDo a Sunset / Bioluminescence or Mangrove Kayak tour on the Golfo Dulce. Just around Puerto Jimenez, there is a huge mangrove forest that can be explored on Kayak. It's magical to boat through there, and you also go around the ocean for a part of it. This is best done with an experienced kayak guide, as you can easily get lost in the mangrove labyrinth and also because they know the tides best etc. ! The best company in Osa is “Adventuras Tropicales” a kayak company run by the Robletto family, who have done this for many years. They also have certification of the ICT (Instituto Costarricense de Turismo = Tourism Institute of Costa Rica) with the highest level 5 (maximum rating), which is a really great rating and achievement. All tours are $52 per person, you can choose a single or double kayak (you can also pay for this tour with a credit card). The sunset/ biolum. tour starts at 16:30 (4:30 pm) and ends at 19:30 (7:30 pm) (NOTE: this tour depends on the FULL MOON as during full moon times the tour is NOT offered as the Bioluminescence is not visible during those times). The Mangrove tour starts at different times during the morning, depending on the tides that day, it could also be in the afternoon!
Horseback riding tour with Rancho Tropicales (Near Matapalo). On this tour you ride with the horses through the jungle and get to some really nice ocean views. You get the chance to see plenty of wildlife on the horseback. The tour takes around 3-4 hours and starts at 8 AM. 10 AM or 1:30 pm. The drive from Casa del Bambu is around 30 min to Rancho Tropical. The costs are $68 per person/ per horse, per tour.
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Rancho Tropical
Horseback riding tour with Rancho Tropicales (Near Matapalo). On this tour you ride with the horses through the jungle and get to some really nice ocean views. You get the chance to see plenty of wildlife on the horseback. The tour takes around 3-4 hours and starts at 8 AM. 10 AM or 1:30 pm. The drive from Casa del Bambu is around 30 min to Rancho Tropical. The costs are $68 per person/ per horse, per tour.
Consigli per viaggiatori
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Dolphin, whale watching and snorkeling boat tour
Amazing tour around the Golfo Dulce with Josh - where he offers Dolphin/ whale watching/ snorkeling, which is an absolute highlight of the area! You’ll go to a reef only accessible by boat on the other side of the Gulf. The chance to see dolphins is almost guaranteed, as we have a huge pod of around 300 resident pantropical spotted dolphins in the Gulf. During the whale seasons, you can even see mothers and their baby calve whales up close! Costs: $65 per person in a group tour of minimum of 5 people, or $350 for the boat for the day! Tour starts at 8 am - 1:30 pm. Includes fruits&snacks.
Prenota prima di andarci
Corcovado National Park
This trip needs to be booked in advance as you need permits to enter the park and a licensed guide! Corcovado NP boasts 2.5% of the world’s’ biodiversity. An absolute must-do! You have the option to do a hike in and hike out around La Leona ranger station, but a 4x4 vehicle is needed to get to the park. Or you could opt for just boating in and hiking around La Sirena station then boat back out to Jimenez. Ask us for fees and details!
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Farmer's Market on Saturday's in Puerto Jimenez
Every Saturday there is a farmer's market in town, from 11am - 3pm, at Los Higuerones, the old "private school" in Puerto Jimenez center, close to the supermarket BM. You can buy fresh food, produce, chocolate, and other souvenirs there. Great local experience !!
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Massage and Yoga
I work with Danni who owns her own Yoga and Massage business in town - she offers Reiki infused massage for $60 (60 minutes) or $90 (90 minutes) and she also does Yoga classes for around $10 per person, with a minimum of 2 pax per session. We can help you set up a treatment with her, and you can go visit her at her house around 5 minutes drive from Casa del Bambu.
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Guided Day Hike in Matapalo
Do a guided DAY HIKE in Matapalo, where surfing is the main attraction. But there are several beautiful waterfalls (King Louie Waterfall for ex.), and nice rainforest hikes where you can also see sloths, monkeys, coatis, and other wildlife. This is a hike that doesn't require a guide, but it is handy to be guided to find the waterfalls. Josh offers this as a day tour and we also use local guide David. Both have a wealth of knowledge of the area! Costs of this tour depend on if you have your own car and how long you'd like to go.
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Delfines Restaurante y Bar
Visit Los Delfines Restaurant and Bar at the beach. There is a beautiful little beach right in Puerto Jimenez, where you can stroll and hang out, swim, and relax in one of the many restaurants around. But Delfines restaurant is by far our favorite, with great food, and sometimes live music!
It is great for kids to go swimming there, as there is no beach break (no waves) as it is entirely protected inside a bay.