pura vida passENES

Piedras Blancas National Park (La Gamba entrance)

Park · Osa Peninsula · hidden gem

Piedras Blancas National Park (La Gamba entrance), park in Osa Peninsula
Photo: Central Intelligence Agency · Public domain (CIA / US Government)

A big, rarely visited block of Golfo Dulce rainforest (the old Esquinas sector of Corcovado) crossed by the Esquinas and Piedras Blancas rivers, with scarlet macaws, toucans and more than 300 bird species and almost no other visitors.

Cost
about $10
Time there
4 h
Best time
morning
Kids
3 / 10
View
6 / 10
Crowds
1 / 10
Swimming
3 / 10
Effort
5 / 10
Location
8.7084, -83.18505 — Google Maps

Tip

Start at the park office in La Gamba village and go early: the park is open 8 am to 4 pm and works more as a birding and research area than a polished tourist loop.

Be careful

Wear closed shoes and long pants (many snakes live in the forest), stay on marked trails and bring your own water: it is only available at the entrances.

Getting there

Take the turnoff to La Gamba from the Pan-American Highway (about 3 km from Villa Briceño, km 37); the park office is in the village. Taxis run from Palmar and Golfito.

Places nearby

  • Esquinas Rainforest LodgeStays · takes 1.5 h–3 h · from $70Rainforest lodge in the Golfito area with full-board stays and a pool and gardens set in the jungle.
  • Cielo LodgeStays · from $290Intimate luxury eco-lodge of private canopy suites high above the Golfo Dulce, with farm-to-table dining and ocean views.
  • Restaurante La Playa (Golfito Marina Village)Food & CoffeeWaterfront restaurant at the marina in Golfito with ocean views, known for ceviche, fish tacos, burgers and well-made cocktails; open for breakfast and dinner.
  • Restaurante Buenos DíasFood & CoffeeRetro diner in Golfito's Pueblo Civil with air conditioning and a long opening day (6 am to 10 pm), known for fish and chips, burgers and typical Costa Rican plates.
  • Restaurante Mar y LunaFood & CoffeeA relaxed seafood restaurant right on the water in the southern part of Golfito; the whole fried fish is the dish to order, and it's good enough that visitors come back for dinner the same day.

Sources: OpenStreetMap way/411690727 · Wikidata Q4551539 · https://en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/Piedras_Blancas_National_Park · https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Gamba · https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4551539 · https://www.openstreetmap.org/way/411690727