Still planning Costa Rica trip....best place for wildlife??

Osa is an easy drive do it a lot servicecarrental.com
way cheaper than driving many great wild life places
on your way down. costaverde.com haciendabaru.com
lookout-inn.com atcorcovado.org Bosquedelcabo.com
if budget permitsbest for me. Osa Shuttle if you do not
want to drive.

Happy Hunting!

The options for wildlife are best IMHO on the Osa due to very low development, compared to the North. Which isn't to say you won't find many monkeys, birds etc in the places you listed. I just think it's much more intensive there than other places I have visited, plus so many more hiking activities.

The plane ride is pretty short (50 minutes), safe and the planes aren't that small - they hold about 12-20 people. A private driver one way would be about 7 hours from San Jose, not sure of the cost but probably around $250 one way.

For us, the Osa has beaten other areas for wildlife hands down. We've seen wildlife in other areas but not in the abundance and prevalence that we've seen it in the Osa. Also you can get much closer in the Osa, and the wildlife isn't affected by interactions with people like somewhere like Manuel Antonio. What is it about flying that you don't like? Are you scared of confined spaces or think it's not safe? We love Bosque del Cabo if you can afford the cost. They have great hiking and trails.

Thanks for the responses. Has anyone heard anything about Shuttle Osa (seems to be a van service that runs from San Jose). Either personal experience or anyone you know who has used them? If so, please let me know. Thank you.

We went (as first time visitors) to Arenal, Manuel Antonio and Osa. There was not a lot of wildlife in Arenal (except for birds). Manuel Antonio has tons of monkeys (and birds, sloths, etc.), but they are very close to humans. They are still wild…but not really. By far, Osa is number one in terms of both numbers and variety. We loved our 5 nights at Bosque del Cabo, and although we never go back to a place we’ve been before, I am sure we’ll go back there.

We flew, and it was fine…the plane, as tully mentioned, is not that small.

Depending on when you go, look into the area where turtles nest. That might be another option, although I don’t know where that is or how to get there. I think the season when turtle babies come out is in the summer (July?) but again, not sure.

Don’t get me wrong, we loved both Arenal (and the Cano Negro day trip) and Manuel Antonio, but Osa is just special.

We had great wildlife sightings one day in Arenal, but it's because we hired an awesome guide to take us out. Zender who works for Sunset Tours, and he's really amazing. I guess part of it is just the luck of the draw too, but he found an anteater, a peccary, howler monkeys, toucans and tons of other cool birds for us close to our hotel in Arenal. We stay on the outskirts of town out by the lake, so if you go to Arenal, I'd recommend getting away from town. We've also seen coatis and a tyra at our hotel, but predominantly lots of birds and butterflies. Other good places are at the Cano Negro tour and the Penas Blancas river float.


At our cabin in the Osa, we saw all 4 kinds of monkeys just from the front porch of our cabin and saw toucans and macaws too. Very cool. It's just a lot less work to see wildlife there.

In Arenal, another place to stay if you want to see wildlife is the Arenal Observatory Lodge. It's far different from the La Fortuna side. There is a free nature hike in the morning and the guides know what time the monkeys (spider and howler) come thru on their morning feeds. They are also good snake-spotters.

There is a lot of wildlife onsite at Arenas del Mar, sloths, basilisk lizards, iguanas, howlers, capuchin, squirrel monkeys (although you need to know their schedule). The raccoons and monkeys break into the balcony refrigerators.

You can see coatis nearly anywhere there is a kitchen.

Tarcoles river is too easy for croc spotting.

There are many places in Costa Rica where I saw wildlife, the problem with Fodors is that the Osa fanboys make is sound like it's the only option.

Lost Iguana is the place that we like. We've also stayed at Nayara, but it doesn't have the grounds that I think you would enjoy.

We also had some pretty good wildlife sightings in Monteverde - it's a little more rustic than some other spots, and you can hike in the Reserve there and do a night hike at Hidden Valley. We've seen holwers, quetzals, toucans, sloths, a fox, a raccoon, and some cool insects in that area.

Manuel Antonio is pretty but you'll see a lot of tourists crowded around one monkey. The guided hike we did was great, but to see all the tourists crowded around one little monkey and taking pictures wasn't all that natural to us. And the monkeys are so used to people that they'll steal from you, try to take food from you, etc.

This Osa fangirl agrees VG . Last MA visit, 6-7 years ago, was right after I'd gone to the Osa and it was like night and day. Too many hotels, restaurants & people crowded into too small of a place.

To the OP, re Shuttle Osa. The only experience I have w/them, and only in passing, was meeting a girl in Puerto Jimenez who had a transfer scheduled with them. She was scrambling about w/the front desk to try and find other options as they didn't pick her up. Here is a good option - email Paul or Marijana at Osa Corcovado Travel - reservations@soldeosa.com They are right in town (PJ) and would have much better info as to how reliable they are and if there are better options. They can also help out with anything else you may need, they've been a tremendous help to me over the years.

Osa weighs heavily in the variety, numbers, and unspoilt nature and wildlife against many areas in Costa Rica. That's just a fact, mlgb.