As the legend goes, Sir Frances Drake moored at Drake in the 1570s to bury treasure along its lush green coast. Although locals say that small pieces of Spanish currency wash ashore on a regular basis, all serious treasure hunts have ended unsuccessfully, and no pirate stash has ever been found. Divers might not come from all over the world to look for plunder, but they do come for the chance to swim with marlins, rainbow fish, dolphins, and pilot whales in some of the country’s clearest waters. Those who prefer to keep their feet on (relatively) dry land can explore Corcovado’s diverse wildlife (including four species of monkeys and over 400 species of birds); which is just a short hike away. Though Bahía Drake (pronounced DRAH-keh by locals) is not conducive to budget traveling, few who travel here end up regretting the expense.
All hotels are along the bay’s coast, while farms and uninhabited jungles lie farther inland. Agujitas, the main pueblecito on Bahía Drake, lies approximately in the center of the bay. The main thoroughfares in town are the beach and a dirt road hugging the coast. Most boats make land near the pulpería (☎2770 8210 or 2770 8051, open M-Sa 6:30am-6pm, Su 7am-2pm) where main roads intersect. A public phone can be found inside. Internet access is available 150m west of the school at Corcovado Expeditions. (☎8818 9962 or 8850 5387. Open daily 9am-8pm. ¢1000 per hr.) Public restrooms are available inside as well (¢300). The medical clinic, Hospital Clínica Bíblica, is located 200m down the road.
The following hotels are the least expensive in town, though the average resort cost is three times as much—Bahía Drake’s seclusion has its price. All supplies must be brought in by boat from Sierpe or via the unreliable dirt road from La Palma, until recently, all electricity has been either solar or generator-driven. Nearly all activities are organized through hotels, with more extensive offerings at larger resorts. All of the following hotels can arrange boat rides from Sierpe (1hr., US$15), and it’s a good idea to make reservations in advance, particularly from November to April. Most hotels also include meal packages in their price, though several inexpensive sodas can be found throughout town.
Soda Justin , next door to Bambu Sol, has a small menu with casados (¢2300-2500), rice dishes (¢1500), and hamburgers (¢800) written on the chalkboard on the wall. The fish casado made with fresh sea bass is particularly tasty. Though the dining room may be small, the dishes are not, and locals can be found eating and chatting with the owner at any time of day. (☎8877 6508. Open daily 7am-8:30pm.) Soda Mar y Bosque is 100m up the road from Hotel Jade Mar and serves gringo food. The English-language menu offers fast food (¢2000), pastas and lasagna (¢2500-3300), and a variety of steaks including filet mignon (¢5500). Join the locals watching TV on the large flat-screen television while you wait for your order. (Open daily 6am-1am. Mixed drinks ¢2000. US$/¢.) Just up the road from Jade Mar, the recently opened T La Jungla Café and Bar has the best nightlife in town. Packed with locals and a few tourists, the wood-paneled bar has plenty of comfortable seating and a relaxed atmosphere. If you get there before sunset you might even get lucky enough to see sloths and other wildlife out the bar window. (☎8818 9962 or 8850 5387. Happy hour daily 4-6pm with 2 for 1 Imperials. Open daily 4pm-2am. )
All of the excursions that Drake Bay has to offer can be arranged through hotels. Prices are negotiable for large groups. Most hotels offer two options for exploring Corcovado National Park from either the San Pedrillo or Sirena ranger station. Some tours include horseback riding. The cost of guides varies widely, but the average is around US$75 per day including boat transport and lunch. From Bahía Drake, visitors are strongly discouraged from entering Corcovado without a guide. For solo treks, the park is more easily accessible from the southern part of the peninsula around Puerto Jiménez . Visitors interested in an adventure excursion will find opportunities are available to kayak through the mangroves, zip-line through the rainforest canopy, whale watch in the bay, and snorkel and scuba dives in the coral and rock formations of San Josécito or Isla del Caño. Most snorkel trips to Isla de Caño are priced around US$70 per person. There are also daytrips available for early morning birdwatching, as well as night hikes to view insects and nocturnal mammals through night-vision goggles. The only independent tour company, Corcovado Expeditions offers all of the above tours for visitors whose hotels do not. (☎8818 9962 or 8850 5387; www.corcovadoexpeditions.net. Corcovado day tours US$70-95; Caño Island snorkeling US$70; mangrove kayaking US$45; dolphin and whale watching US$80; birdwatching US$35; mountain biking US$45. All tours include guide, transport, and lunch or a snack. Open daily 9am-8pm.)
Located 17km west of Osa Peninsula. Because Isla del Caño is a protected area, only 10 divers are allowed at each of the 5 dive sites at a time. Most hotels in Bahía Drake offer tours to the island that include transportation, snorkeling or scuba diving, and lunch for about US$70. Boats depart between 7 and 8am; approx. 1hr.
Trips to the stunning Isla del Caño National Preserve are in many ways the best way for a traveler on a short stay to experience the best of Drake Bay. Snorkeling and diving boats typically depart from hotels around 7am and return around 2 or 3pm. Captains are happy to interrupt the 1hr. voyage to observe passing pods of humpback and pilot (or “false killer”) whales, or to play with the dolphins.
Boats may choose to wait at one site or move to another while other divers are exploring. Once at these crystalline depths, divers may encounter manta rays, Pacific sea turtles, and bull sharks and white-tip reef sharks among rock caves, canyons, and coral. While divers explore the ocean floor, snorkelers float and dive from the surface through large schools of rainbow runners, big-eyed jack, butterflyfish, and abnormally friendly barracuda that congregate near large rocks and coral. These teeming waters are also home to exotic tropical loners such as bluetail tigerfish, spotted porcupinefish, parrotfish, giant damselfish, and the rather elusive reef shark.
After the divers’ first tanks are depleted, dive boats moor off the beach of Isla del Caño’s northern shore, which only opened to tourists 20 years ago. Trees and palms give shade to the beach and picnic areas where boat crews and tourists prepare lunch. The ranger station, located where a cool stream meets the warm surf, is the only building on the island. Though the majority of the station is only open to rangers, it does have flushing toilets and a porch with a small display of indigenous artifacts open to the public.
Just behind the ranger station, concrete steps mark the beginning of Isla del Caño’s hiking trail. The hike is initially quite steep, rising to an altitude of 110m in less than a mile before leveling out to a large plateau. Partway through the hike, the trail splits. The eastern trail (turn left at the fork) leads to a Pre-Columbian burial ground where the mysterious diquis stones (granite spheres) can be observed. The western trail (turn right at the fork) ends at a vista on the southwest edge of Isla del Caño. Either hike will take about 45min., and both can be seen in about 2hr. Most day tours to the island include diving or snorkeling in the morning and a guided hike in the afternoon after lunch.
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For 52 years, we have published the world’s favorite budget travel guides, written entirely by students and updated every year. With pen and notebook in hand and a few changes of underwear stuffed in our backpacks, we spend months roaming the globe in search of travel bargains.
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