Osa Peninsula

This tropical humid primary forest covers more than 40,000 hectares of protected land, and is home to monkeys, scarlet macaws, coatimundis and other wildlife.

This small peninsula is host to almost half of Costa Rica's 860 species of birds, 140 species of mammals, and 117 species of reptiles and amphibians. Almost 750 species of trees have been catalogued in the area, more trees than in all of the northern temperate regions of the world combined.

The 43,000-hectare Corcovado National Park occupies a large swathe of the peninsula, and its ecosystems comprise rainforests, swamps, rivers, lagoons, marshes and beaches. The park is home to endangered species such as Baird's tapir, the white-lipped peccary, jaguars, ocelots, crocodiles, giant anteaters, scarlet macaws and the harpy eagle. The seas shelter three species of marine turtles, and even witness the migration of humpback whales in December and January.

On the other side of the peninsula is the Golfo Dulce, which is a sheltered area of ocean ideal for kayaking, visits to mangrove swamps or hiking and wildlife viewing at the Piedras Blancas National Park.

Finally, forest-covered Cano Island is a biological reserve which offers superb snorkelling and, for experienced divers, superb deep freshwater experiences with large schools of jacks, barracudas, manta rays and sharks.