Gabi7

Has anyone hiked into Corcovado to the La Sirena ranger station? I'd appreciate suggestions, advise, etc as I'm finding information telling me that the hike is anywhere from 6 hours to 10 hours as well as the range of difficulty.
We're planning on being there end of May and love the sound of the adventure. Both my husband and I love to hike but we are keen to know the challenge level and if there are situations we should be aware of.
I understand accommodation is very basic -- any feedback from anyone who's stayed there?
(I believe we'll be starting at Los Patos.
thanx

qwovadis

3 kilometers hike to the actual station and then continue to the Sirena Park Ranger Station. The hike is through the true heart of the Corcovado National Park and starts at 110 (meters on the level of the sea), down to the Sirena beach Station. This segment of trail offers great possibilities of wild life watching. In total the hike is for 25 kilometers, about 11 hours. Camping night at the Sirena Station.Be sure
you are permitted and reserved.

www.corcovado.org

plumboy

Haven't done it, but I'm thinking of doing it with a guide maybe in December or January. If you haven't already, you should also post this to the Lonely Planet Thorn Tree forum -- many people over there who have done the hike.

You've probably already found these websites, but they're both good for providing detailed information about the park and accommodations:

http://www.osaaventura.com/guided-corcovado-treks.php

and

http://www.corcovadoguide.com/

Gabi7

Thanks for the comments so far. I just discovered that we are actually entering the park at La Leona not Los Patos -- if it makes a difference...
I'd like to know more about getting to the actual entrance as we read something about taking horses to the spot where the park begins. We don't much care for a long hike BEFORE the hike into the park so would appreciate feedback.

plumboy

I know you can 'rent' horses from the Danta Corcovado Lodge in Guadalupe (near La Palma), but that's to the Los Patos entrance of the park.

Haven't read about taking horses from Carate to the La Leona entrance, but maybe it is possible. Carate is only about 2 miles to the La Leona entrance to the park, and it's along the beach -- so it should be pretty flat and relatively easy (except for the sun and heat!). Plus, I doubt there's a real discernible difference between that stretch and after the official entrance into the park -- I bet it all looks pretty much the same.

Gabi7

I have just returned from this trip and wanted to add some comments now that I know it well! I can see why there are so many variations in describing the time it takes to hike from La Leona to Sirena as we had one couple with us who were very slow which resulted in us being held back a lot and also having to wait a couple of hours for the river to go down before we could cross it.
The terrain itself is very simple as it is almost completely level for most of the way. Since the trail is mostly in the jungle, it is protected by the sun by the trees and we only went onto the beach for a very short while in the blazing sunshine.
Also, one does not want to rush through this as there is so much to see and so many wonderful experiences along the way (including our guide spotting a tapir which resulted in us hanging out with it for quite some time!).
As most people have said, it is essential to take a LOT of water for the trip and I would also suggest a small towel or facecloth you can carry in your pocket to wipe your face along the way.
We started the hike at 6am and arrived at Sirena at 4pm since we'd stopped several times along the way for rests and waiting for the rivers.
Our guide and friend, Erick Ramirez Binns, made this simply perfect for us since he is an expert in the area, fluent in English with a wonderful sense of humor and an uncanny sense of the jungle and everything in it. He is doing small private group tours in the region and can be reached at [email protected]
We also stayed at the La Leona lodge the night before starting the hike and found it to be spectacular....tented cabins on the beach with the sounds of pounding surf outside your room all night long.

cmerrell

It sounds wonderful, Gabi!

I'm envious of your tapir sighting. I'd love to see one. I'll be down on the Osa at the end of June so maybe I'll be in luck, although I won't have a chance to visit Corcovado, itself.

plumboy

Thanks, Gabi7 -- you're whetting my appetite even more! Thanks for the guide suggestion -- I'll make a note of it. I'm still determined to do this.

Gabi7

One more useful tidbit to whet your appetite is that we stayed the night before the hike at the La Leona ecolodge - www.laleonaecolodge.com - and would not stay anywhere else. While it is slightly more expensive than other places along the way, the biggest advantage of staying here is that you do not need to walk any further to begin the hike into the park.

It also happens to be one of the most beautiful spots you can imagine. You sleep in tented cabins on raised platforms just a stone's throw away from the pounding surf of the Pacific ocean and listen to crashing waves all night long.

There are hammocks dotted throughout the grounds where you can laze back and observe the ocean and tropical grounds and, while there are only single beds in the cabins, it is an incredibly romantic spot and should not be missed.

plumboy

Gabi7 (or anyone for that matter) -- I'm curious, but did you consider doing the Los Patos to Sirena trail? If you did consider it and decided against it, can you share why? I'm just trying to check out all the possibilities.

My thought is to go from Los Patos to Sirena, spend a two or three nights at Sirena, and then hike out from Sirena via La Leona. That way, I get deep into the park -- not just the beachy areas. There's a lodge called La Danta closer to the Los Patos station where I could spend the night -- they also have horses for hire to take you closer to the trailhead.

Just curious about your thoughts and what you found from your research. Maybe there's not much more to see by being deeper into the forest? It does sound like hiking along the beach is much less strenuous -- it's basically flat the entire way.

Thanks!