June 10th

We met Henry at the local bakery for breakfast and coffee at 5 AM.  Then we went and bought our tickets to ride the collectivo to the entrance of Corcovado National Park.  National Geographic called this park the most biologically intense place on Earth.  It is 164 square miles full of 150 butterfly species, 500 bird species, and 124 kinds of mammal.  When the collectivo pulled up we had no idea it was our ride.  This is because it didn't look like anything equipped to haul humans.  What a ride!  It was an hour of the most bouncy and squeaky ride ever.  It had rained the night prior so the foliage was hanging low.  We were getting blasted with leaves, branches, and bugs.  It was almost humorous.

 We were almost to the point where we start walking when we saw a tree lying across the road.  It was obvious we would not be going under like other vehicles.  The guides and the driver got out with their machetes and started cutting down the tree on the side of the road.  Then they hopped in and we took off through the ditch!  This was all so much excitement for such an early morning.


Once we arrived we had another hour walk to the entrance of the park.  The beach was breathtaking.  For the next 7 hours we encountered a crazy amount of wildlife.  This place is absolutely amazing and I would recommend everyone to put this place on their bucket list.  There are not many places in the world where you can see wildlife this close up.  We saw squirrel monkeys, white faced monkeys, howler monkeys, and spider monkeys.  Anteaters, coatis, deer, squirrels, agoutis, and tracks of a tapir.  So so many birds including toucans and scarlet macaws.  A poisonous frog, boa constrictors, spiders, and insects.  The list goes on.  The land is untouched by humans.  Besides the beaten path we were on, there was no sign of humans.  We crossed over many streams and rivers as we went.  The entire time you could hear the Pacific Ocean waves.  Henry was such a great guide.  He's only 23, but he is full of knowledge.  He answered every single question we had.














































































































We arrived at Sirena around 5:30 PM.  There we went  the list of animals we had seen with Henry.  They prepared a great dinner for everyone.  Lights out at 8 PM.

June 11th

We woke early to visit the river to see if there were any animals drinking.  The morning was beautiful and so peaceful.














It was a much sunnier day than the prior.






The 20 miles back felt much longer than the day before as well.  We took the beach most of the way instead of the trail.  Once we arrived at the entrance to the park we hung out for a couple hours since the collectivo wouldn't pick us up until 4:30.  We took a nap and then we picked Henry's brain about ants.  
It was a long ride back into town.  Once we arrived we grabbed our stuff from Cabinas The Corner and walked to La Palapa where we rented a tent.  We had a smoothie, ate dinner, and enjoyed an ice cold beer at Marbella.  The cold outdoor shower was much needed.  After the 23 miles of walking that day we slept hard.