The Night Tour with Tracie

"The Bug Lady"

Drake Bay, Costa Rica

Discover the hidden treasures of Drake Bay,  Costa Rica with Tracie "The Bug Lady" .

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With it's iridescent blue headband and it's long racquet-tipped tail, the Blue-crowned Motmot is one of Costa Rica's most distinctive birds.

Motmots are frequent visitors to the resort gardens of Drake Bay. When alarmed, they wave their tails back and forth like a pendulum.

Every year, between March and May, they dig underground nests that may extend up to 14 feet into muddy embankments along rivers, roads and trails.


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Male Gladiator Tree Frogs have an extremely strong paternal instinct.

They construct a watery nest, adjacent to a stream or pond, and begin their advertisement call.  Once a female joins him, she may lay up to 3,100 eggs in a matter of 10 minutes!

The male will then defend his offspring from marauding males, often fighting to the death.


 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Of Costa Rica's roughly 240 species of mammals, less than thirty are  regularly active during the day.

 Even excluding the bats, which total around  109 species, about three quarters of Costa Rica's mammals are active mostly at night. 


 

the bug  Lady's  guide

to Drake Bay, Costa Rica ...


 

Travel to Drake Bay

 

Given its remote location just north of Corcovado, traveling to Drake Bay - while not difficult - is certainly more involved than other eco travel destinations.  With your extra effort, however, you will be rewarded with lush scenery,  incredibly rich biodiversity, and one of the most exotic vacation destination in all of Costa Rica.

Humback Whale

Humpback Whale breaching off the coast of Drake Bay - Megaptera novaeangliae

Because of the logistics involved in traveling to Drake Bay,  it is important to reserve with one of the area resorts prior to your trip.  Your resort will then help coordinate your transportation to Drake Bay.  

Possible Itineraries: 

  Fly San José - Palmar Sur 

Drake Bay, Costa Rica - If you're flying to Palmar, you'll enjoy a scenic boat ride to Drake Bay.Air Transport to Palmar Sur:  The first leg of your travel itinerary begins with a morning flight to Palmar Sur.  This 40-minute flight offers spectacular vistas of the rainforest and southern Pacific coastline.

Palmar Sur can also be reached by bus (6 hours) or car (five hours) from San Jose, if you prefer to travel overland. 

Taxi Transport to Sierpe:   After touching down in Palmar Sur, a taxi will be waiting to transport you to the sleepy riverside village of Sierpe.  On this  20-minute ride, you'll pass through a large expanse of banana and African oil palm plantations.

Boat Transport to Drake Bay:   Once in Sierpe you'll begin the maritime leg of your journey - a 25 mile boat ride to Drake Bay.  This hour and fifteen minute ride will take you first through the Sierpe-Terraba Mangrove Reserve, the largest mangrove reserve in Costa Rica. 

With a keen eye and the help of your captain, you may spot caimans, iguanas, and certainly a variety of water birds along the river's edge.  Then on the final twenty minutes of the trip, you'll pass through the mouth of the Sierpe River and onto the blue Pacific.  The passage is spectacular with stunning views of  Caño Island and the Osa Peninsula Coast.  


  Fly San José -  Drake Bay 

While the adventure of traveling through the Sierpe-Terraba Mangrove Reserve is lost, flying directly to Drake Bay does  offer travelers a  faster route to the area.

Air Transport to Drake Bay:  This flight  also takes just less than an hour.  

Taxi Transport to Agujitas:   After touching down in Drake Bay, a taxi will be waiting to transport you to the  village of Agujitas.  The taxi ride takes about fifteen minutes.

Boat Transport to Your Resort:   Unless you are lodging at one of the small hotels in the village (which are accessible by car),  the next leg of your journey will be a quick boat ride from the village to your resort.  This is a beachside pick up, so you'll definitely get your feet wet boarding the boat.  There's usually not much surf in the village. Even so, it's a really good idea to have your camera gear protected beforehand.   


  Airlines with service to Drake Bay and Palmar Sur 

Sansa 

  Airlines with service to Drake Bay 

Click on your airline of choice to book your reseravtion!


Drake Bay, Costa Rica - A world of adventure awaits you in Drake Bay.

Gladiator Tree Frog - Boana rosenbergi

NEW!!   Overland Shuttle from San José to Sierpe  NEW!!

Toyota-Hiace

There is a brand new daily shuttle service from San José to Sierpe and from Sierpe to San José being offered this year.  Private services are also available. Visit their website for reservations at: www.shuttlecorcovado.com or contact them by email at: transalvarezso@hotmail.com .

 Here are the departure schedules on the San José - Sierpe route as well as the prices:

 

Pick up points on route San José - Sierpe

Departure Time*

Travel Time to Sierpe*

Rate

San José ( Downtown Hotels)

05:30 am

04:50 hrs

$60

Alajuela: Rostipollos, located near Casino Fiesta

06:20 am

04:30 hrs

$60

Jaco: Soda Marea Baja, located 400 mts south of MaxiPali, Ruta 34.

07:45 am

03:30 hrs

$60

Quepos: Safari Tours Office, located near Poder Judicial

08:50 am

02:15 hrs

$40

Dominical: Dominical Information, located at the entrance to Dominical

09:25 am

01:15 hrs

$30

Uvita: Information Center, located in front of Banco de Costa Rica

09:45 am

01:00 hrs

$25

Ojochal: Hotel Villas Gaía, located on Cosatal Highway

10:00 am

0:45 hrs

$25

  • Pick up will be provided at your hotel if you are lodging in downtown San José.

  • If you are not lodging in downtown, pick up will be in front of Gran Hotel Costa Rica, on Avenida 2 between Calle 1 and Calle 3.

  • Drop off in Sierpe will be at Restaurante Oleaje Sereno where you can connect with your boat transfer to Drake Bay. 

  • Boats depart Sierpe for Drake Bay at 11:30 AM.

  • The shuttle service arrives in Sierpe in time to connect with the boat to Drake Bay.

Here are the arrival schedules on the San José - Sierpe route as well as the prices:

Drop off points on route Sierpe - San José

Arrival Time*

Travel Time from Sierpe*

 

Rate

Ojochal: Hotel Villas Gaía, located on Coastal Highway

09:25 am

0:45 hrs

$25

Uvita: Información Center, located in front of Banco de Costa Rica

09:40 am

01:00 hrs

$25

Dominical: Dominical Information, located at the entrance to Dominical

10:00 am

01:15 hrs

$30

Quepos: Safari Tours Office, located near Poder Judicial

10:45 am

02:15 hrs

$35

Jaco: Soda Marea Baja, located 400 mts south of MaxiPali, Ruta 34.

11:55 am

03:30 hrs

$40

Alajuela: near Juan Santamaría International Airport

1:40 pm

04:30 hrs

$50

San José: Downtown

2:00 pm

04:50 hrs

$50

Here are the rates and departure times if you are travelling from Ojochal or Uvita to downtown San José:

Pick-up Points

Departure Time*

Travel Time to San José*

 

Rate

Ojochal: Hotel Villas Gaía, located on Coastal Highway

09:25 am

04:05 hrs

$40

Uvita: Información Center, located in front of Banco de Costa Rica

09:40 am

03:50 hrs

$40

  • Drop off will be provided at your hotel if you are lodging in dowtown San José.

  • If you are not lodging in downtown, drop off will be in front of Gran Hotel Costa Rica, on Avenida 2 between Calle 1 and Calle 3. 

  • Shuttles arrive in San José in time to make transfers by bus to Limón, Monteverde, La Fortuna, Guanacaste and Montezuma.

  • Transfers to other shuttle services departing San José for Monteverde, La Fortuna, Montezuma anf Guanacaste can also be arranged.

*Arrival and departure times are approximate and depend on road and traffic conditions

 

  Overland by bus from San José to Palmar Norte  

Hoffmann's Two-toed Sloth - Choloepus hoffmanni

TRACOPA runs daily bus services from San José to Palmar Norte. There are two routes to choose from: via Cerro de la Muerte or via the Coastal Road.

Both routes are beautiful, but the coastal route is much shorter and does not take you through curvy mountain roads.

  Overland to Drake Bay

There is a 4WD-dirt road that leads to Drake Bay.  Depending on the time of year, road conditions range from ok to impassable.  There are river crossing without bridges. 

If you are considering traveling by car, you should check with your resort and car rental agency for their advice before making the trip. 




Mammals of the Osa Peninsula


The Bug Lady's Guide To Drake Bay ...



Facts about Drake Bay, Costa Rica

 



Travel To Drake Bay

 



Drake Bay Area Map

 



Hotel Information

 



Tips for Travelers



Tours



Recommended Reading



 

 

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Contact us at  drakebaycostarica@gmail.com

 


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Costa Rica Tel: (506) 8701-7356 / (506) 8701-7462

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