“We live in a wonderful world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures that we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open”. – Jawaharlal Nehru
As the 14-seat Sansa plane touched down on the tiny airstrip, my heart raced. After a long day of travel, I was finally there. I’d arrived safe and sound in the Osa Peninsula of Costa Rica. I could hardly wait to climb off the plane!
Our plane was met by the fervent waving hands of children who were outside playing in their yards adjacent to the runway. What an odd place to have a home, I mused yet at the same time I was delighted by such a warm and enthusiastic welcome to Puerto Jimenez. The actual airport was equivalent to the size of the runway. Small, empty and nondescript. What was even more unusual however was the tiny local cemetery right outside the door, alongside the runway. Just like other cemeteries I’ve seen throughout Latin America, this one was filled with ornately decorated white gravestones, all above ground and covered with fresh flowers.
The sun was beginning to set in the horizon radiating a golden hue across the graveyard while a chicken quickly scampered off the runway and over to the makeshift wooden homes of the children who greeted us. Smoke rose from a nearby fire rising a steady stream of mist into the hot and humid air.
“Welcome to the Osa!” Lokal Travel founder Eytan Elterman beamed with a relaxed smile. We grabbed my duffel bag and climbed into a rented Land Cruiser which would be much needed for all the unpaved, bumpy roads and river crossing we would encounter over the upcoming week.
Resting on the southern tip of the Puntarenas province next to the Golfo Dulce lies Puerto Jimenez, the largest town in the Osa Peninsula. Known as the launching off point for exploring the world-famous Corcovado National Park, this tiny seaport town of roughly 2,000 welcomes the adventurous tourists who seek to experience one of the most remote and undeveloped parts of Costa Rica.
Screen Shot of Google Map of Costa Rica. The Osa Peninsula is located on the southern tip. Puerto Jimenez is shown on the map.
To see an interactive Google map of Costa Rica, click here. You can zoom in on the Osa Peninsula to see the other small towns and sights.
Often referred to as “the last frontier”, Puerto Jimenez has grown from its roots as a gold mining and logging town in the ’60s to a tourist destination in its own right. Despite only being a couple of dusty streets wide in any direction, Puerto Jimenez has a handful of great local restaurants and bars, a beautiful beach, a reasonably-sized grocery store and a variety of lodging choices ranging from backpackers hostels to high-end eco lodges. It’s prime location makes it the perfect place to spend a day or two before adventuring into Costa Rica’s crown jewel, the Corcovado National Park which was established in 1975 to protect the land and wildlife in one of Costa Rica’s most biodiverse places.
I stayed a few minutes out of town at the local family-owned Osa Lodge. As we pulled into the driveway, I couldn’t help but smile at all the sounds of the jungle. Birds sang and monkeys roared somewhere high above the trees of my little cabin. I was greeted by Karol and her boyfriend Jose who is a park ranger at the Corcovado National Park. Instantly, I was immersed in Spanish and thankfully had Eytan there to help translate for the group. Karol proudly told me how she and her mother ended up in the Osa years ago. Her mother was the very first attorney in the Osa and has practiced ever since. Judging by the small size of Puerto Jimenez she may still be the only attorney there.
The jungle surrounds the Osa Lodge in Puerto Jimenez
I enjoyed one of Jose’s homemade micro brews and then headed to town for dinner at the Marisqueria Corcovado, an open-air seafood restaurant right next to the beach. We were met by a fellow American Expat and laughed at the absurdity of seeing The Rose Bowl (an American football game) shown live on TV. Thankfully this would be the last of American culture I would have to see for the next week.
I ate my seafood pasta listening to the off-pitch singing of the locals at the Bar La Purruja next door. Apparently it was karaoke night and the whole town was out drinking beer and singing the night away to Michael Jackson and other 80s pop stars. I quickly realized why the saying “pura vida” exists in Costa Rica. The Ticos live it every single day of their life. Where else would it take you an hour to say goodbye and leave? Where else would you consume a cup of coffee or share a beer with every new person you meet? And finally, where else would a conversation on the side of the street last hours instead of minutes? (This is what happened as we were trying to leave the restaurant and head back to the lodge. Several beers later -consumed on the side of the street – we left). There is never a short hello or goodbye in Costa Rica, and there is never a shortage of coffee.
That night, I slept well in my cabin drowning out the sounds of the jungle to the powerful whoosh of the AC. I had literally went from -10 F to 80 degrees in one day and my body was sweating bullets. It would be my first and last night with AC for a week and I was going to enjoy it until I adjusted to the humidity of the jungle.
I rose to the morning light at half past six and immediately turned off the AC. I embraced the morning sounds of the jungle looking forward to my big day of adventure. Today, we would head to our first rural community about 40 minutes away called Dos Brazos de Tigre. From there, we would meet our host for the next twenty-four hours a local woman named Xiña and hike up to her mountain cabin in the jungle for the night. It was bound to be a real experience to say the least.
I enjoyed my first Costa Rican breakfast of fresh papaya, mango, pineapple and juice alongside scrambled eggs and toast. I would get spoiled with all the home cooked meals, the rich local coffee and the dripping-with-juice fresh fruits I’d have over the next week. I would never get enough of pintos, Costa Rica’s preferred breakfast of arroz y frijoles (rice and beans) stuffed inside a freshly-made tortilla and topped with sour cream. I loved it so much I even bought the special Lizano sauce used to spice up the pintos so I could make it at home.
After breakfast, it was time to pack up and head out to Dos Brazos de Tigre where our journey and adventure would begin. Since I would be leaving Puerto Jimenez, and not returning I thought the least I could do was snap a few photos.
I had read that there are tons of things to do in Puerto Jimenez if you have a few days. You can experience world-class fishing, go whale and dolphin watching, visit an animal sanctuary, enjoy water sports and activities such as kayaking, snorkeling and swimming or just lounge on the beach. The lovely laid-back feeling and Tico hospitality is bound to make your stay quite enjoyable.
The beach at Puerto Jimenez
If only I had a few more days! But atlas, the real adventure of the trip was on its way.
Stay tuned…
Another wonderful post Nicole. I felt like I was there with you. I love all the details, and photographs.
Alison
Thanks Alison! I am embracing my trip as long as I can. 🙂
A place full of natural beauty. Lovely!
Thanks Arv!
Well, it was off to a great start, to say the least! Nice to hear the details of your trip, Nicole. :))
Thanks Peggy! More to come! I’m savoring every minute of this trip as long as I can. 🙂
Ha! That’s the way to do it! 🙂
Wow, the start of an adventure, looks great, can´t wait to see what happens next….
Cheers, Ron
Thanks Ron! So glad you enjoyed the post. I’m writing these more like a travel journal and was hoping it make people interested in the story of the trip. I’m enjoying the writing process and more will come soon!
Very nice way of storytelling, and definitely keeps me interested! Sounds like an amazing place too by the way 😉
Thanks Ron!
Beautiful! I’ve taken those Sansa flights, as well as Nature Air (at Pavas airport).. so many stories compliments of unstable weather.
Costa Rica definitely wins on the most beautiful beaches – ha, as well as ‘Una mas cervesita!’
On the flight back on Nature Air from Drake Bay it was really windy and I was petrified!!!! I felt like I was almost going to threw up. It was really scary and I was so relieved to land safe and sound and get on a bigger place. yes the beaches are extraordinary. I sure love Costa Rica.
Ha! I remember flying out of teh Nicoya Penisula one April-fool’s Day morning. We had horrible winds the night before, but drove to the little commuter strip in hopes of leaving.. when the plane finally landed, one gal got off and said, “It was ugly.” I will always remember her blunt statement, spoken in her second language.
Another time I was in the copilot seat from sjo to that same strip… clouds and bad weather, and the pilot got lost.. i knew more than he from looking down, and when we finally landed, i went to another pilot that was on the ground and said, ‘He needs to be reported.”
My friend waiting on the ground said the pilot on the ground was talking to the other and saying, ‘we can hear you…’ etc….
Whew… but of course, incidents like that make us fee alive and cherish that we survived!
Wow glad I am reading this after I did my trip Lisa! Crazy!
yes, but most of those commuter flights have twin engines — right? so if one engine goes out, they can land w/the other…. plus a smaller plane can ‘set down’ in many places… i’d much-rather fly small ones!
.. one person mentioned that a pilot once buzzed the strip so the farmer could get his cows off the runway! there are stories and stories, but they all had good endings!
What great stories you have Lisa!Love how the pilot helped the farmer! Hilarious!
Exciting start to your trip, Nicole! Wonderful photos and narrative.
Thanks Jane! Appreciate you stopping by and reading it. 🙂
Thank you Bob Martin
Beautiful
Thanks and glad you enjoyed!
Beautiful pictures! I have been to Costa Rica once before and can’t get over the beauty that surrounds it. I hope to make it there again soon…and now that I have seen this post, I’ll definitely have to consider Osa which definitely doesn’t get as much attention from travel sites. Oh and tiny planes scare me always!!
Thanks for stopping by! Yes the Osa is in my opinion Costa Rica’s best kept secret. Very low tourism, pristine beauty and so incredibly remote that you can drink water from the rivers (I did). I would highly recommend going and you can always opt for the one hour boat ride versus flying. Yet flying saves many hours and is cheap.
How beautiful and interesting..
every island 🌴 has its own unique beauty ..
That breakfast 🍳 looks and sounds so enticing…
Thanks for sharing your trip/ vacation with us..
Hopefully you enjoyed the beach 🌊…
Thanks for the lovely comment! I enjoyed all the little pictures! Yes, it was quite the trip and even more adventure awaits for me to share with you! 🙂
Looking forward to your next adventure
Thanks so much! 🙂
This is so right up my alley! I studied the map to see where you were in relation to my two trips to Costa Rica (farther south in both cases), and I savored along with you the first days in that wonderful country. Looking forward to the more remote part of the story!
Thanks Lexi! I have a handful of posts to write on it and am working on the next one now. It takes me some time to put it all together and make sure I’m telling the story in an intriguing way!
Sounds fabulous! 🙂 Glad you made the most of it, Nicole.
Thanks Jo! I needed it!
A beautiful beginning to your amazing trip. Isn’t it astounding to go from so cold to so hot in a matter of hours? I often feel like I have landed on another planet.
Yes well said Sue! Another planet indeed! Now if only I could blink my eyes and go back! 🙂
Wow! It is so beautiful! I wanna make it my goal to go there at least once in my life))
Yes it was so lovely. You should definitely make it a goal. It is a very special place!
I recently took an adventure tour to Costa Rica. It must be the most beautiful place in the world. The water is some unique color of blue that just isn’t any other place. I didn’t stay in the jungle, my travel agent booked me a 5-star hotel. I went from the beach to drinking by the pool in 5 minutes. Next time, I’ll try a more outlying hotel. Cheers!
Sounds amazing! Yes the water there is so clear and almost iridescent. It is a magical place! Thanks for commenting!
The Osa Peninsula is an area of Costa Rica we have always said we would return to but have not yet made our way back. I am very anxious to read about your experiences. Beautiful images!
Thanks LuAnn! you would love the Osa! I want to bring my family someday. We are going to CR with the kids in April but doing the northern part to ease them in. Next time, the Osa!
Always such a treat to follow your travels and to see the world through your eyes (and lens of course). Look forward to what’s to come 🙂
Thank you Andrew! 🙂
Your Pictures look awesome 🙂
Thank you so much!
Wow, that looks amazing! The food and the rooms look so great. I remember the jungle sounds of Peru and being surprised at how loud they were. Thanks for all of the photos. I eagerly flipped through each one.
Thanks so much! I’m really glad you like the post. Yes the sounds of the jungle are quite amazing. Like nothing I’ve ever experienced.