Osa Peninsula · Corcovado · Drake Bay
Small-group, guide-led expeditions in the most biologically intense place on Earth. We're local operators who read the jungle — pace, patterns, scent and timing — so you see more in a vertical rainforest where wildlife hides from floor to canopy.
Not traditional tourism — alternative expeditions for the real Costa Rica.
Watch the short film
Our Costa Rica wildlife tours are built around what the forest is doing now—not a fixed sightseeing checklist. Follow our local naturalist guides as they read first light, tides, fruiting trees and wildlife movement to shape one continuous expedition through the Osa.
Compare 4–7 Day ExpeditionsWildlife density
“The most biologically intense place on Earth.” — National Geographic
700+
tree species
more than all of North America's temperate forests combined
140
mammals
4 monkeys · Baird's tapir · 5 wild cats
460+
bird species
the largest scarlet macaw population in Costa Rica
6,000+
insects in Corcovado
including 220 documented butterfly species
4 of 7
sea turtles nest here
humpback whales pass offshore Jul–Nov
We don't hand you a checklist — no honest operator guarantees wildlife. On our Corcovado tours we read the timing of the forest and move you where life is unfolding.
See wildlife expeditionsChoose how deep you want to go. Each itinerary unfolds as one continuous expedition through the Osa—not a bundle of separate day tours.
Travel your way: Basic includes the guided expedition; Standard adds shared lodging; Premium adds private rooms and end-to-end logistics. Corcovado permits are limited—we confirm availability within 24 hours.
Easy · 4 days / 3 nights
Enter the Osa through four connected habitats. Cruise wildlife-rich mangrove channels, hike Corcovado’s rainforest trails, discover the jungle after dark and explore the Pacific waters around Caño Island—all guided as one continuous journey.
Basic $430 · Standard $541 · Premium $635
Easy · 5 days / 4 nights
Slow down and follow wildlife on its own schedule. Sleep inside Corcovado at Sirena, explore again at first light, photograph the forest after dark and extend the search from Sierpe’s mangroves to the marine life around Caño Island.
Basic $655 · Standard $766 · Premium $985
Moderate · 7 days / 6 nights
Go beyond the classic route and experience the Osa at its wildest. Explore both Sirena and San Pedrillo, descend rainforest canyons to hidden waterfalls, search after dark and move from Sierpe’s mangrove channels to Caño Island’s underwater world.
Basic $975 · Standard $1,123 · Premium $1,250
We're local wildlife specialists. In a vertical rainforest you don't spot animals by luck — you read pace, patterns, scent and timing. That's our craft.
Tracks on muddy bends, alarm calls, canopy movement, fruit fall, tidal and wind shifts — our guides work like field naturalists to put you where life is unfolding.
Wildlife peaks at the edges of day. We plan routes and boat timings around light, tide and heat to maximize encounters and image quality.
Nature groups of six or fewer. No baiting or calls; we keep respectful distance and coach fieldcraft so the wildlife stays wild.
Permits, boats, transfers, remote trails — Osa & Corcovado are capped and complex. We're the operator, not a reseller.
What explorers say after the Osa
Whether you explore for four, five or seven days, you travel with the same local team, field knowledge and frontier logistics. These are reviews of Sukia Travel—not isolated ratings for one itinerary.
“One of the most absorbing weeks of my life… Every moment. Every memory. Utterly sublime.”
“The organization was flawless, but what made these two days life-changing was our guide, Eduardo… It’s the best decision you’ll make for your trip.”
“The best experience in Costa Rica. The experience was exceptional.”
The rating belongs to Sukia. The difference is how much of the Osa you want to experience.
In Osa & Corcovado, wildlife lives in a vertical rainforest — floor to canopy. To see more, we read pace, patterns, scent and timing and move between different ecosystems, rather than walking one flat trail all day.
Baird's tapir, Central America's largest land mammal, roams here year-round — best met with a patient, quiet approach.
Two sloth species and all four of Costa Rica's monkeys, spotted with practiced canopy scanning.
Scarlet macaws, toucans and trogons work the fruiting routes — the Osa holds the country's largest macaw population.
Dolphins and seasonal humpbacks offshore (Jul–Nov); crocodiles, caiman, herons and egrets in the river mouths.
Guided night walks reveal nocturnal mammals, frogs and insects — a completely different forest after dark.
Puma, ocelot, margay, jaguarundi and jaguar all live here — possible, but never promised. Ethics and distance first.
Nature is wild — no operator can guarantee a specific animal. But guests commonly log 100+ species on a 5–7 day expedition. Ethics always: no baiting, no calls, respectful distance.
See wildlife expeditionsPermits are limited. Choose a tour, request availability, and we’ll confirm within 24h.
Most travelers reach us from San Jose. Two ways in: a scenic shuttle to Sierpe, then a roughly one-hour boat down the Sierpe River and along the coast to Drake Bay (Agujitas) — mangroves, crocodiles and macaws on the way; or a short domestic flight straight into the Drake Bay airstrip. Corcovado itself is reached by boat to the Sirena or San Pedrillo ranger stations.
We coordinate every transfer — boat, shuttle or flight — so you just arrive and we handle the rest. See our Drake Bay tours.
There’s no bad season for wildlife here — only different ones. The dry months (roughly December to April) mean easier trails and river crossings. The green season (May to November) brings lush forest, fewer crowds and superb birding, with humpback whales offshore from July to November.
One honest note: the Sirena sector usually closes in October, so for those dates we route you to San Pedrillo and the Tamandua reserve. Tell us your dates and we’ll match the season to the best sightings.
A single day tour to Sirena gives you a powerful taste. But wildlife rewards time: our sweet spot is 4 to 5 days — enough for a Corcovado overnight at Sirena (the mammal hotspot), a Cano Island snorkel and a night walk. Photographers and serious hikers go 7 days to reach two stations (Sirena and San Pedrillo) and deeper trails.
More time in the forest simply means more encounters. See our 4 to 7-day expeditions.
Yes. Since 2014, every visitor to Corcovado National Park must be accompanied by a certified guide — it’s a park rule, not an upsell. It’s also the whole point: in a vertical rainforest you see far more with a trained naturalist reading tracks, calls and canopy movement than you ever would alone. Every Sukia expedition is led by ACOSA-certified local guides.
Corcovado has strict daily limits. We check your dates, hold permits if available and confirm within 24h. Early requests = better chances.
The Osa Peninsula packs 2.5% of the planet’s biodiversity into a sliver of land — 140 mammal species, 460+ birds and 700+ trees. On a typical trip you might meet four monkey species, Baird’s tapir, sloths, scarlet macaws, toucans, crocodiles and caiman, poison dart frogs, and — with quiet feet and a little luck — one of five wild cats.
Nature is never guaranteed, but guests commonly log 100+ species on a 5 to 7-day expedition.
Nature isn’t guaranteed, and no honest operator promises specific animals. But Osa & Corcovado offer some of the highest biodiversity and encounter rates in the Americas. Our local guides maximize your chances while keeping distances ethical.
Both — and that’s the honest answer. Sirena sits on land that regenerated from old cattle pasture, which makes it a mammal magnet: open trails, river mouths and the country’s best odds for tapir, wild cats and herds of peccary. San Pedrillo is ancient primary forest — towering trees, waterfalls and a different cast of species.
For most travelers we pair them or default to Sirena; two-night Sirena stays are for dedicated photographers. We read your goals and pick the station that fits. See our Corcovado tours.
These are moderate adventures. Longest walking days can reach ~15–20 km with plenty of wildlife stops. Tell us your level and we’ll match you to the right route.
Small groups for better sightings and low impact (overnights typically ≤6; day trips ≤8). Private departures are available—ask us.
Not recommended for children under 12. Active families with motivated teens do great. Older travelers need a good level of fitness to enjoy the excursion—ask a guide.
Price depends on the accommodation level you choose for each package and on dates/group size. We’ll send a clear quote once we verify permits.
See tours & request availability or chat with a local guide.
Your base is Drake Bay (Agujitas) — the closest, fastest launch point to the Sirena and San Pedrillo stations, and to Cano Island. It’s a small village with no ATM, so most guests let us arrange lodging.
On our Standard tier we book shared accommodation; on Premium, private rooms with more comfort — all vetted, all local. Tell us your style and we’ll match it.
Osa is the last tourism frontier: remote boat routes, limited park permits, strict caps and scarce infrastructure. That means complex logistics and small groups for low impact.
We are the operator, not a reseller—you’re not paying a middle-man. For the level of logistics and conservation fees here, our prices are fair and transparent.
To secure park access we take a permit/park-ticket deposit (non-refundable by the park). The remaining terms depend on the itinerary level. If we don’t deliver what we promise, our 100% money-back promise applies.
Trips are guide-led by WFR/SAR teams with radios, route plans and weather calls. Remote ≠ risky when run by professionals. If a route isn’t safe, we don’t run it.
Sturdy hiking shoes, light rain layer, quick-dry clothing, daypack, refillable bottle. We send a simple, proven gear list after you request availability.
Yes—tell us your needs in advance (vegetarian, vegan, allergies). Our guides speak Spanish & English.
Wildlife in the Osa lives from forest floor to canopy. Our local naturalist guides combine tracks, calls, fruiting cycles, tides and timing to understand where life is moving—and shape every Costa Rica wildlife expedition around what the forest is doing now.
David built Sukia in the Osa, where finding wildlife is less about luck than knowing how to read a living rainforest. The team does not follow a fixed sightseeing checklist: we adapt routes and timing to the conditions, the season and the animals.
That means knowing which trees are fruiting, where tracks converge, when tides open the mangroves and how first and last light change animal movement. It is field knowledge earned through years of observation—not a script.
Our guides are certified in wildlife observation and keep studying Costa Rica’s natural history, field biology, animal behavior and photography. Their craft is noticing the detail most visitors walk past—and turning it into understanding.
They do more than identify a species. They explain why it is there, what it is doing and how the forest connects around it. That is how a sighting becomes a memory—and a multi-day tour becomes a true wildlife expedition.
Permits are limited. Choose a tour, request availability, and we confirm within 24h.
Pick the 4, 6 or 7-day jungle itinerary that fits your pace and goals.
See toursWe check Corcovado permits, lodging tier (Basic/Standard/Premium) and logistics for your dates.
We hold permits, send your quote by accommodation level, and share a secure payment link.
No commitment until permits are confirmed.