Jaguar prints in the sand at the high tide line when I walked the beach at dawn. Not a blurry photograph — clear, fresh, large prints three metres from where I was standing. This is what Corcovado offers that nowhere else does. The most intense natural experience of my life. I was not adequately prepared for what it actually is.
✦ Dawn beach walks reveal fresh jaguar and tapir tracks✦ Permits and guides are not optional
Two days and the species count was somewhere above 150 when I stopped counting — scarlet macaws, tapirs, coatis, three monkey species in a single morning, fer-de-lance on the trail. The ranger station bunkhouse is basic but functional. The park fee and ranger escort cost are high but correct given the conservation value. Nothing comes close.
✦ 150+ species in two days is a reasonable expectation✦ Book bunkhouse months in advance
The most demanding thing I did in Central America. The coastal trail in full humidity is punishing — 35°C, no shade on the beach sections, biting insects at the river crossings. The wildlife is real and extraordinary but the physical toll is real too. Go fit, go prepared, go with a guide. Not a casual adventure.
✦ High fitness level genuinely required✦ Insect repellent at every river crossing is non-negotiable
The wildlife is everything described and more. But the experience is brutal in a way I wasn't fully prepared for even having read extensively. The humidity is 90% at all times. The insects don't stop. The trail involves deep river crossings at high tide. The bunkhouse is extremely basic. For the right person this is perfect. I am not that person.
✦ 100% humidity, insects, river crossings — know this before going✦ Spectacular wildlife does not make up for physical suffering if you hate heat
