Why is stressed, if you don't mind?

My wife and I were there in the '90's so I don't know the situation today, but we saw a tapir right on the landing strip near the station, and a jaguar several hours hike up the beach. That's a tough one to beat!

Not to mention peccaries, howlers, macaws, all right by the station.

If memory serves me well that was February. No guarantees of course ...

Good luck!

It's not the same. Similar, but not the same. Variety of habitat, primary and secondary forest, etc. Bull sharks, tapir, puma are all not considered unusual. Big things and little things.

Long story short he needs to suck it up. Yeah, it's rustic to the extreme, but there's no danger and it's as pristine as you can visit.

The costs involved and he has sleep apnea, so without his cpap machine he won't get much sleep while we're staying overnight in the park.

Thank you so much for your advice. It's very helpful and I might just have to use that "suck it up" line... LOL!

We stayed in the area at BdC and saw a lot of wildlife just on the property - all 4 kinds of monkeys, an anteater, sloths, macaws, toucans, agoutis, and coatis. Pumas have also been spotted on the property. I can't speak to the specific properties you're interested in, but it is possible to see quite a bit of wildlife without going into the park.

Ah, the need for CPAP is the key. The real problem is not so much stress as uncertainty about electrical supply. I believe there is no overnight electrical supply. He might try sleeping in a hammock before the trip to see if he can get any sleep without apnea that way. If the CPAP is absolutely critical, perhaps the decision is one for the doctor, not us.

Does his CPAP machine have the option of battery power? Had I known it was a medical issue, I wouldn't have made the "suck it up" comment. The perils of advice sharing on the Internet . . .

Two more alternatives:

1) You could stay in Drake and boat in for a day trip. A lot of people do this.

What you miss out on in day tripping is the early morning. The sound of the tiger herons roaring (yes, they roar, ergo the name tiger heron), and depending on tide that may mean you chance to see the bull sharks and crocodiles in the mouth of Rio Sirena. It would also provide you the chance to see multiple trails that provide different ecological perspectives--the secondary forest trail, the primary forest trail (not a lot of wildlife compared to other trails, but by far the coolest trees), the beachside hike (this is where we saw both species of peccaries and almost saw a puma).

2) As another alternative, you could both do the day trip by boat with you staying behind to spend the night in Sirena while he spends the night in Drake.

I know that this is less than ideal for a couple traveling together, but it's not that unusual. My wife has arthritis issues, so she sometimes will pass on the more grueling uphill hikes I do while birding. Also, the time spent inside the Sirena bunks is about the least romantic time you would ever spend together anyways.

Laura, are you thinking of going to the Sarapiqui at all? We saw a lot of wildlife at La Selva Biological Station and Selva Verde - peccaries, fer de lance, howlers, toucans, etc. It's a pretty accessible area so might pair nicely with your other locations.

No, there is no electrical supply. I asked.
His apnea is not serious medically (he lived with it for ~2 years before I convinced him to see someone). I know for some people it can be life threatening. His is just irritating as he snores really loudly and wakes both himself and me often.

There is about an hour of electricity there--just after meal time as people get ready for bed.

Maybe it would be a safety issue if you're in a bunk room with other people kept awake by the snoring . . . though after hiking in that head and humidity, people usually crash pretty hard.

Maybe just bring Breathe-right strips?