Cano Island Drake Bay Osa Lodging & Dive Information
The Osa jungle is listed by National Geographic as the most bio-diverse spot on the planet. Osa Peninsula - constantly changing. From October through November, torrential rains can wipe out primitive roads, transform creeks into swollen, raging rivers and nourish swift-growing foliage. Residents must vigilantly trim back the undergrowth, lest it consume them. Osa represents Central America's last stand of rain forest on the Pacific coast, and, like Cocos Island, the lack of development means pristine diving conditions. Many lodges close in the month of October and some thru Nov. Advance reservations are required at all lodges. All lodges sell out December through April, so plan ahead.
Cano Island Drake Bay Osa Lodging & Dive Information
Just getting there is like something out of an Indiana Jones movie. First, catch an eighteen-seater plane from Pavis or SJO airports in San Jose to the tin shack airport at Palmar Sur. Then, grab a cab for the ride through banana plantations to the village of Sierpe, where you'll hop an outboard skiff heading down the Sierpe River, past yawning crocodiles and screaming howler monkeys. Your empty into Drake Bay, and, if you survive the crashing breakers, you can hang your pith helmet in one of a handful of isolated, waterfront jungle lodges. New option to fly in or out of Drake Bay airstrip & Aguila. More than anywhere in Costa Rica, you'll see color off Cano Island, an 800-acre biological preserve one hour from the coast where the diving takes place. Red and yellow sea fans and blue cup corals accent volcanic sea mounds, where mobila mantas congregate by the hundreds. Expect isolation. Even during the relatively dry period from January to April, 15 people might be diving Cano. If you don't mind a soggy topside, you'll dive virtually alone from May through September - rain rarely diminishes the 60-foot visibility
Aguila de Osa Inn Consider the upscale dive and nature lodge, and not just for the dive amenities. Deluxe thatched-roof bungalows come with vaulted ceilings, sunken showers, cane-frame beds and bay views. Have fans and A/C and small refrigerators. A Dominican chef serves jerked chicken and continental meals in an open-air family style dining room with tables that seat 8 people. Features the jungle's most extensive CD collection - Motown to Italian opera. Fishing, kayaks, ziplines, mountain bike and guided horseback guided tours. Plus Cano Island snorkeling or scuba and Corcovado Reserve Park tours. Only PADI lodge with its own boat dock, dive and fishing boats, scuba dive shop on site and their own local nature guides. Dive gear included with dive packages.
Copa de Arbol Lodge is an Upscale deluxe Includes lodging, all meals & snacks, transfers for all guided tours, transfer in & out from Palmar Sur & Drake Bay airports. If Palmar Sur is not open you will fly to and from Drake Bay. Transfers & tours to Corcovado Reserve and Cano Island Snorkeling Tours. The luxury cabinas featuring two levels built with post construction. The lower level is a large deck with two hammocks, and the upper level features a spacious room and balcony with great views.
Constructed using eco-friendly recycled materials and reforested wood, it features both ocean and rainforest views, pillow-top orthopedic mattresses, air conditioning, ceiling fans and a tiled bathroom with a walk-in shower. This room comes with two queen-sized beds. No on site Dive operations here. Uses off site dive operators. They offer diving through a local diver not on site. Only lodge with a pool.
Casa Corcovado is another lovely deluxe property on the border of Corcovado Park, no diving here. Walk in to Corcovado Reserve from this nature lodge.
Jinetes De Osa is a budget lodge that offers diving trips to Cano Island and horseback riding tours. Has many mango trees around the property that drop fruit and attract mosquitos and other insects. Lower budget rooms do not have a/c. Deluxe rooms are 168 steep steps up the mountain with a/c.
For topside adventure, dodge charging wild pigs on the trails of Corcovado National Park. Or, for real wildlife, migrate to Brisas, a dance shack on the beach in the village of Agujitas, where locals travel for miles by skiff and horseback to salsa, cumbia and meringue all night.
Cano Island Dive Sites –For more dive sites see “Cano Island Drake Bay Osa Dive Sites”
Bajo del Diablo - Depth: 20 to 80 feet Skill Level: Intermediate "Under the Devil" - Volcanic mounds and canyons are patrolled by white-tip reef and bull sharks. Barberfish and king angels groom needlefish. Remember to look up - hundreds of mobila mantas fly overhead, silhouetted by sunlight.
Paraiso -Depth: 65 to 70 feet Skill Level: Intermediate "Paradise" - Drop in on hundreds of circling barracuda eyeing schools of horse-eye jacks. Four-foot amberjacks stare boldly into your mask. Five rocky mounds are separated by sandy crops of garden eels.
Cueva del Tiburon - Depth: 50 feet Skill Level: Intermediate "Shark Cave" - seven feet high, 40 feet long - obviously houses big4oothed predators, but expect diamond stingrays and boxfish as well. Watch for pilot whales and sailfish during the safety stop.
Costa Rica Dive Locations
OSA CORVOCADO
AGUILA DE OSA INN
Offers deluxe accommodations overlooking Drake Bay with ceiling fans and private baths, distinctive cuisine and comfortable atmosphere. Beautifully furnished with lavishly decorated hot water bathrooms. You can fish, dive and hike the jungle trails with or without a guide. National Geographic calls this the “most bio-intense spot on the planet”. Just getting to Aguila de Osa is an adventure that you will enjoy and not soon forget.
Aguila de Osa Inn at Osa Peninsula
Corcovado National Park Area/Drakes Bay
“AN INDIANNA JONES ADVENTURE JUST GETTING HERE”
Aguila de Osa Inn
“Our Osa favorite” offers deluxe 5 star jungle accommodations overlooking Drakes Bay with ceiling fans and private baths, distinctive cuisine, and comfortable atmosphere.
Beautifully furnished with lavishly decorated hot water bathrooms. You can fish, dive, and hike the jungle trails with or without a guide. The Mangrove tour is one of Costa Rica’s best Eco nature adventure tours. National Geographic calls this area one of the “most bio-intense spots the planet”. Just getting to Aguila de Osa is an adventure that you will enjoy and not soon forget. It is a tour in itself to get to The Osa. You go by charter airplane, car through Banana and palm oil tree plantations to board a boat and go down the Sierpe River, then down coast line to Aguila de Osa Inn. Best scuba diving in all of Costa Rica. Many world fishing records from the Osa and very nice fishing boats and equipment A/C not needed in this area due to off shore breezes and trade winds. Includes all meals, transfers tax, optional tours, diving or fishing available, best to reserve in advance Aguila de Osa Inn is located in Costa Rica’s Osa Peninsula, situated on a high bluff overlooking the Aguitas River with panoramic views of Drake Bay. Reaching out into the Pacific Ocean along the southwest coast, the Osa was once described by National Geographic as one of the most biologically intense places on earth. Encompassing Corcovado National Park and Caño Island, two of Costa Rica’s most prized protected areas; the Osa Peninsula is a priceless natural treasure with an abundance of tropical plants, mammals, insects and over 350 species of birds. No other region of Costa Rica offers the visitor a more pristine, virgin environment to discover. The Aguila de Osa Inn offers visitors to the region a comfortable and private refuge from which to explore the magic and beauty of Mother Nature in all her glory and complexity. We welcome you to Aguila de Osa Inn and look forward to providing you with a long lasting, memorable vacation experience.
Includes all meals, kayaks and dive & snorkel gear. Among Osa Peninsula’s delights are its remoteness and undeveloped, primitive state. Accessible only by boat, the Drake Bay area is free of roads, cars, and even TV’s and radios. (Aguila has power 24 hours a day.) We have, however, made it surprisingly accessible for the savvy adventurer. Transportation to and from the hotel can be coordinated through your Tour operators office. Several domestic airlines offer chartered scheduled flights from San Jose to Palmar Sur with flights lasting approximately 40 minutes. From Palmar Sur a comfortable 15 minute minivan ride through locally co-opted palm oil plantations bring you to the Aguila de Osa Inn dock along the Sierpe River. Once at Sierpe you’ll board one of our personalized tenders and begin a one hour boat ride to the hotel, which in itself is a memorable experience. The first half of the journey includes a scenic ride down the Sierpe River, which is relatively flat and lined with towering bamboo trees and low-lying mangroves. At the midway point you’ll reach the mouth of the Sierpe River where it empties out into the Pacific Ocean. At that point you’ll turn left and head south along the rugged, lush coast for five miles until you disembark at Aguila’s very own private dock.
You have now arrived. A tour in its self just going to Aguila de Osa and Drake Bay.
Ask about our exclusive specials from May 1 to December 14
Aguila de Osa Inn
Welcome to Aguila de Osa Inn!
To better help you plan and maximize your stay at Aguila de Osa Inn we have prepared this information for your review. We begin by highlighting the hotel’s services and procedures, which is then followed by a detailed description of each of tours available. After reading this information please feel free to consult with our office 800 928 9767 PST to make reservations and plan all of your itinerary for a wonderful adventure vacation.
Hotel Services
Drinking Water
The drinking water at Aguila de Osa Inn originates from a well, which before reaching your tap passes through a series of filters to ensure its pureness. From the well the water first gets deposited into a holding tank where it is passes through a sediment and charcoal filter and then passes through UV light. All drinking water is tested three times a year; at the well, in the holding tank, once having passed through the filters, and again in each room. At Aguila de Osa Inn we have gone to great lengths to provide our clients with safe, pure drinking water so feel free to drink the water in your room.
Hot Water
Aguila de Osa Inn utilizes a forced hot water system run by gas. If you find yourself without hot water kindly consult with the hotel staff so they can change gas tanks and restore hot water to your room.
Hot Coffee & Tea
For those who wish to begin their day with a warm cup of coffee and/or tea, we ask that you kindly notify the hotel staff. Coffee and/or tea will be placed just outside your room at 5:00 a.m. every morning.
Dining
Below we have listed the approximate time that meals will be served in our restaurant. If, at any time during the day you wish to have a snack and/or drink please feel free to consult with the hotel manager or the hotel’s kitchen. We recommend bringing a flashlight to dinner as the sun sets close to 6:00 and extra light is always helpful, especially on the stairs.
Breakfast – normal time is 7:00 a.m. for those departing on tours unless you’ve made other arrangements. If you are not leaving on a tour please feel free to sleep in and come down anytime for breakfast.
Lunch – normally served at 12:30 p.m. If you would like to make other arrangements feel free to do so.
Appetizers – begins at 6:00 p.m. During this time guides will be available to help coordinate tours for the following day.
Dinner – will follow after appetizers at 7:00 p.m.
Bar Drinks & Services Full service bar and a cocktail hour with appetizers served
Massages
Tired or sore, Aguila de Osa Inn can help you relax with a massage in the privacy of your own room. At $50.00 per hour, our professionally trained masseur can attend to your needs upon request.
Tips
While the entire staff at Aguila de Osa Inn is salaried, tips are always welcome and very much appreciated. We are frequently asked by our guests for recommendations on proper tipping. We suggest: For guides, the average tip is 10% of the cost of your tour per person. Of course if you feel that your guide went above and beyond for you, tip accordingly. For general staff, any tips you leave are divided evenly between 30 plus people. This includes chambermaids, kitchen help (for those wonderful meals), waiter’s, carpenters, boat captains, and all the hardworking guys who carry your bags up and down all those stairs! We suggest $10 per adult per day. If you want to leave something extra for somebody, please specify on the envelope or during your checkout. Thank you very much for your generosity!!!
Vacation Video
Want to take your vacation home with you? Whether it be an underwater or land based video Aguila de Osa can prepare a digital video to your liking for just $50.00. Using a combination of prerecorded and real time footage your vacation video will be edited and mixed with your choice of sound track. Upon completion the video will be transferred to CD ROM. If you would like to see a sample video or are interested in recording a video of your vacation, please feel free to consult with Vincent at our reception desk. He will be delighted to answer any questions you may have or help you coordinate the recording process according to your schedule. Leaving everything in their capable hands, you’ll leave Aguila de Osa Inn with the best souvenir of your vacation!
Travelers Checks
If, when checking out of the hotel if you are using Traveler Checks kindly make them out in the name of ISLA FANTASMA and make sure that BOTH SIGNATURES ARE EXACTLY THE SAME, otherwise we can not accept them.
Sanitary System
Our sanitary system is very delicate so we ask that you kindly refrain from throwing paper or other solid objects in the toilet.
Laundry Service
Aguila de Osa Inn provides same day laundry service at a cost of $6.00 per load (20 lbs.). We ask that you kindly fill out the laundry list and place your clothing into the plastic bag that is supplied in your room. To ensure that your clothing be completed in a timely fashion we recommend that you leave the bag outside your room in the early morning hours before departing on any tour. Later the same day, before dinner, your clothing will be returned to your room having been washed, dried and folded. For those with wet footwear, your tour guide can place your shoes and/or sneakers in our generating room overnight which should leave them dry for the following morning.
Beach Towels
You will be supplied with beach towels on all of your organized tours, so don’t worry! However, if you find yourself in need of a beach towel for a private walk along the beach we’ll gladly supply you with one. Just inquire with reception in the restaurant area.
Things You Should Bring
Small flashlight, Sun lotion, Sun glasses, Hats, Bug spray, Binoculars
Drake Bay School
Águila de Osa Inn is dedicated to helping the schools in Drake Bay. The children in the area study in a one room school house with no access to many of the things other children take for granted. Recently, with affords from the local hotels and tourists we now have a high school. Local hotels in the area are selling note cards asking for donations to support the schools English program, which includes hiring a teacher which gives 5 hours class per week. Any contribution you make will be greatly appreciated. If you like to donate we have a box in the restaurant where you can deposit your contribution.
Medical Treatment
For minor injuries like cuts, bruises and twisted ankles there is a small medical clinic in Drake Bay where the doctor can take care of these problems. Clinic opens 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. For those non-serious medical issues the hotel we have a first aid kit. For major medical treatment we have in place an evacuation plan. Should any major medical problem arise please contact hotel’s administration.
EXCLUSIVE SPECIAL
MAY 1 TO DEC 14-STAnY 4 NIGHTS PAnY 3 NIGHTS
Transfer to Pavas airport for domestic charter flight to Palmar Sur or Brake Bay / Osa Peninsula A Indiana Jones Adventure just getting to Aguila de Osa, fly in charter plane San Jose to Palmar Sur, go by car through the banana plantations, then by boat down the Sierpe River, through the mangroves to Aguila de Osa” all meals, & tours listed
Our SPECIAL – Aguila de Osa – Stay 4 nights – pay 3 nights during Green Season
OPTION – for divers – 2 days with 2 tank boat dive & all gear dive at Cano Island
• Zipline Canopy Tour on arrival day, after lunch
• Aguila de Osa – Corcovado National Reserve Tour
• Aguila de Osa – Cano Island Snorkeling Tour
• Aguila de Osa – enjoy your last day in paradise explore on own, do kayaking
• Transfer to Palmar-Sur for flight to San Jose transfers upon arrival to
Copa De Arbol Beach and Rainforest Luxury Eco Resort- Drake Bay, Osa
#1 Small Hotel in Costa Rica
#1 Small Hotel in Central America
#7 Small Hotel in the World
Experience the Costa Rica of your dreams
Copa De Arbol Beach and Rainforest Resort is a luxury beachfront eco- resort set among 70 acres of
pristine rainforest reserve. We are located in Southern Pacific Costa Rica on the Osa Peninsula, perfectly situated between Drake Bay and the Corcovado National Park in an area known as “Caletas” (small coves). This area of the Osa Peninsula is accessible by boat only and is one of the most remote and untouched places on Costa Rica’s entire Pacific coastline. Our luxurious Drake Bay resort accommodations sit near the ocean, immersed in the rainforest for an experience you won’t forget. During your stay, you will be surrounded by the diverse melody of the tropical rainforest and peaceful rhythm of the ocean. White-faced monkeys swing from the trees while toucans and scarlet macaws circle overhead. Endless small coves and beaches, fresh-water lagoons, and miles of hiking trails that wind through the rainforest make this the perfect spot to simply relax all day or embark on an eco-adventure experience second to none.
What sets Copa De Arbol apart from other Drake Bay hotels:
100% commitment to exceptional customer service & attention to detail
Beachfront 4 level infinity pool & Jacuzzi
Fully appointed, beachfront open air bar / restaurant
Very private boat access only location, 2 miles west of Drake Bay
Luxury air conditioned cabinas just a stone’s throw from the Beach
Call Costa Rica Deluxe Vacations to make reservations 800 938 9767 PST
CASA COROVADO JUNGLE LODGE
Casa Corcovado Jungle Lodge, tucked away in the trees and cooled by the Pacific Ocean, is a 170 acre private reserve bordering Corcovado National Park. Carefully designed and built by an American naturalist with over twenty-five years of local experience. This unique lodge offers accommodations constructed with the highest concern for conservation in harmony with the landscape and the environment. Casa Corcovado Jungle Lodge provides the ideal base for your in-depth rain forest experience. There are no roads to Casa Corcovado Jungle Lodge, access is only by motor launch. The adventure begins upon your arrival at our reception center, “La Hacienda”, in the town of Sierpe. After your captain has the luggage packed aboard your boat, you can embark on a one and a half hour ride down the Sierpe River, winding your way through the largest mangrove wetlands system on the Pacific Coast of Central America. You then follow the coast until arriving at Casa Corcovado. Refreshments will be served during the trip and lunch and a complimentary cocktail will be ready to welcome you to the Jungle.
Your accommodations at this “Lost World” are artfully-appointed individual bungalows offering unpretentious comfort, mosquito-netted beds, ceiling fan, tiled floors, lounge area, dry mini bar, safe deposit box, hammock, and ample closets. Roomy private bathrooms have hot watered showers and designer fixtures. As you stroll down the sidewalk, your eye can’t help but being drawn to the beautiful stained glass in the door and wooden shutters in the windows, handmade by Costa Rican artisans.
Deluxe Bungalows Follow the walkways and you will find nestled in a green sanctuary of natural beauty our Deluxe bungalows. Each one is tucked away in its’ own private garden and designed with your comfort in mind. These larger tiled bungalows offer a queen bed and two or three other beds, draped by mosquito nets making them perfect for groups of families or friends. There is a table with chairs for writing postcards, a safe deposit box, ceiling fans, ample closet space and the “wooden chest” which is your Jungle minibar so you can sip a glass of red wine. As you sit back and relax you can’t help but noticing the beautiful details such as the stained glass in the door, wood beamed ceilings and shutters handmade by Costa Rican artisans. The hot water shower and toilet are in separate rooms and the sink and mirror decorated with colorful Mexican tiles are sure to please. You will enjoy the fact that there is 24 hour electricity provided by our hydroelectric and solar systems. If you want a closer interaction with nature there is a hammock strategically placed outside or take advantage of the bench just beside the door. The Deluxe Bungalows are the perfect balance between nature and style and a restful end to each adventure packed day.
LA PALOMA
La Paloma Lodge nestled atop a high bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean and nearby Caño Island, in Costa Rica’s isolated Drake Bay. The resort is spread over 12 richly landscaped acres and surrounded by dense tropical rain forest. We have planted hundreds of plants and trees that are not only lovely to see but also attract a variety of birds and wildlife. Scarlet Macaws soar overhead, nesting nearby. Toucans can be heard calling each other from the depths of the rain forest. Hummingbirds feed on the brilliant heliconias. White-faced monkeys lunch on ripe mangoes, and lizards bask in the sun. The sounds of the jungle surround you. Rooms are moderate in décor and casitas are very nice and more upscale for your comfort and enjoyment. All meals included. Scuba diving and fishing available along with Cano Island and Corcovado tours.
