or, watch a slideshow with even more photos.)
Map of Costa Rica
We spent six days and five nights at La Paloma Lodge, a true eco-lodge just outside the village of Aguitas in the Drake Bay area of the Osa Peninsula in southwestern Costa Rica. La Paloma (and the entire Drake Bay area) is very remote and not easily accessible. In fact, it's only been in recent years that the road and airport were built. Prior to that, the only way to reach the area was by boat. (In fact, the dirt road is impassable during the rainy season.) To get there we flew on a small (~12 passenger) plane from San José to the Drake Bay airport, then got into into a four-wheel drive truck and drove on a dirt road through a river and a couple of streams until we reached the village of Aguitas, where the road ended. We then boarded a small boat for a short trip across the bay and into the mouth of the Rio Aguitas, to La Paloma's dock. After that, it was just a short hike up the hill to reach the lodge!
La Paloma is situated on a hillside next to the ocean, surrounded by secondary rainforest, and the grounds are lush with tropical plants and flowers. We encountered sloths, coati, agouti, and scores of lizards and colorful birds without ever leaving the property! The weather here is warm, with highs in the 80s or low 90s and nighttime lows in the 70s, but it's also quite humid. As in most tropical locales, life moves along at a leisurely pace.
Drake Bay is a relatively poor area, and most people seem to make their living as a result of tourism. It is also a biologically rich and diverse area, so tourists and biologists alike flock to the Osa Peninsula. Luckily, the locals realize the value of their surroundings, and virtually all lodges, campsites (there are no hotels here), and jungle activities are centered around the admiration and preservation of the rainforest and undersea habitats.
Our rancho is at the upper left
Landing at Drake Bay airport
Our deck, overlooking the ocean
The road to town
Arriving at La Paloma
Pretty red dragonfly
Our first Costa Rican sunset
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