Drake Bay has options for all tastes, so we have made a selection of the top 5 tours at Drake Bay in order to you do not miss anything on your visit to this little corner of paradise. Let’s start !!

The Drake Bay area is the only inhabited part of the Osa Peninsula. It stands out for its wildness and it is a perfect place to spend a few days of disconnection and contact with nature, just enjoying the environment it is surrounded by its extensive beaches bathed by the Pacific Ocean and its primary forest.

The main tour operators in the region operate from Drake Bay, so it has a great and varied offer of activities and excursions in the area that are very worthwhile, at sea, in the forest, at night …

1. VISIT CORCOVADO NATIONAL PARK

Corcovado National Park was created in 1975, it constitutes the largest protected area in Costa Rica with an extension of 45,000 hectares divided into forest and beaches, and according to National Geographic, it is the “most biologically active area in the world”.

In its humid tropical forest there are more than 140 species of mammals, among which the jaguar, the ocelot, the puma, the howler monkey or the tapir, 500 tree species, 350 bird species (parrots, buzzards, pelicans, macaws, herons, ibis, owls….), 100 species of reptiles such as crocodiles or snakes (17 species are poisonous here), amphibians of deadly poison and more than 5,500 types of insects.

It is not possible to visit the Corcovado National Park on your own, it is mandatory to hire a guided tour either in a group or private. From Drake Bay there are daily excursions to the Sirena Station and the San Pedrillo Station, in Sirena more animals are seen while San Pedrillo is better for the vegetation and flora of the forest. Although the most exclusive and preferred option by many of the visitors is to spend the night at the park ranger station, certainly an unforgettable experience. When this alternative is chosen, both stations are normally visited and depending on the plan you sleep in one or the other of them where there is also a night walk in the vicinity of the station.

2. SCUBA DIVING AND SNORKELING AT CAÑO ISLAND

Caño Island is a small and uninhabited portion of land located in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, about 16km northwest of the Osa Peninsula, Puntarenas.

Biological Reserve since 1978, Caño Island consists of 320 terrestrial hectares and 5,800 marine. It has one of the largest and best-preserved coral formations on the country’s Pacific Coast. In fact, it contains five coral platforms with extensions ranging from 0.8 to 4.2 hectares.

The beaches are frequently visited by sea turtles known as Tortuga Lora, which after crossing the coral reefs, come ashore to lay their eggs on the sandy beaches. Offshore, whales, sharks, manta rays, and dolphins congregate in temperate waters. In addition, a wide variety of colorful tropical fish swim very close to the shore, providing divers and snorkelers with an unforgettable spectacle.

Although there is a permanent park ranger position on the Island, it is not allowed to stay overnight, but our daily Diving and Snorkeling tours to the island are an ideal alternative to enjoy the adventure that its depths keep. Do not miss the opportunity to immerse yourself, come and live it!!

3. BIRD WATCHING

Costa Rica has become one of the most popular places for bird watching in the world.

Around Drake Bay You can find more than 360 different species of birds among which we will find red macaws, toucans, tangaras, woodpeckers, hummingbirds, manakins, sparrows, euphonias, orioles and many other species. More than 40% of the entire bird population of Costa Rica, making this area a paradise for bird watchers.

The bird watching excursion lasts about 2 hours and is usually done either first thing in the morning or late in the afternoon, the times when all the birds are most active.

4. DOLPHINS AND WHALES WATCHING

The rich waters of the South Pacific of Costa Rica are home to hundreds of marine species, including dolphins and whales. 25 are the species of cetaceans that we can find in the area, due to this we see whales and dolphins throughout the year.

Although many of these are permanent residents in the area such as common dolphins, rugged dolphins, bottlenose dolphins and spotted dolphins, other of these animals pass through this little piece of ocean regularly due to their migratory movements. Humpback whales from both poles visit these warm, shallow waters twice a year and stay between Caño Island and the coast to give birth and feed their babies.

From Drake Bay there are daily whale and dolphin watching excursions in season. During the summer months an exceptional plan is to go the off-shore, about 30/40 miles from the coast to look for the large banks of thousands of dolphins traveling along the continental shelf searching for food, it is a full day tour that you will not forget.

5. NIGHT TOUR

Definitely Drake Bay is located in an ecological hotspot where both in water and on land you can carry out fantastic activities in full contact with nature. Another highly recommended alternative in the area and one that all travelers love is night walks, since many of the inhabitants of the rain forest are nocturnal and these excursions are an exceptional opportunity to observe them. Iguanas, frogs, snakes or spiders are some of the animals that are sought on these tours, but they also offer the possibility of seeing the cats more closely, present in the surroundings but more rarely identified during the day.

Normally this tour starts around 7 in the afternoon and lasts about two hours. If you are passionate about insects and want to live an experience that you would never have imagined before, you just have to get a good light front and boots. Definitely you don’t have to miss it, is one of our favorites in the top 5 tours at drake bay rank.

Hopefully this small guide with the Top 5 tours at Drake Bay was helpful for you!! From CRAD we can help you organize not only your dives in Caño Island, but also a complete plan of activities so that you can enjoy your stay in Drake Bay to the fullest, do not hesitate to contact us. Pura Vida and Big Blue!!