Puerto Jiménez Overview

Named in honor of three-time Costa Rican President Ricardo Jiménez, Puerto Jiménez has become known as the backpacker alternative to Bahía Drake, offering far lower prices and many more options for collective transportation and tours into the nearby Parque Nacional Corcovado. The town is undeniably convenient and has adapted well to the high concentration of passing tourists without losing the traditional Costa Rican feel. The nearby beach is a serene yet unimpressive counterpart to a town center well-populated by confused foreigners and the numerous stores that cater to them. A glimpse of the gregarious scarlet macaws that feed in the almond trees along the soccer field, however, is a reminder to most visitors of the spectacular wildlife that draws so many travelers here in the first place.

• Flights: Sansa and NatureAir both have offices in the small airport terminal across from the cemetery. Both fly to and from San José: Sansa (☎2735 5890; 50min.; 4 flights daily in the low season 6:55, 10am, 12:20, 2:20pm; 9 daily high season 6:55am-5pm; US$108 for tourists, US$83 for residents); NatureAir (☎2735 5428; www.natureair.com; 50min.; departs daily 7:15, 9:45am, 12:15pm with an additional 4:30pm flight during high season; US$79-119.) Reservations are necessary, and tickets sell out quickly during the dry season (Dec.-Apr.) but are more available during the wet season (May-Nov.). Both airlines also arrange rental cars and other transportation.
• Buses: Operate out of a terminal 1 block west of the soccer field’s southern edge. 1 daily bus to San José (8hr., 5am, ¢3620) via San Isidro (5hr., ¢2500). An additional bus runs to San Isidro (5hr., 1pm, ¢2500). 2 buses depart daily for Neily (3hr.; 5:30am and 2pm; ¢1865). Getting to Golfito is easiest by ferry, but it’s possible to take a Neily bus and transfer at Río Claro. Ticket office (☎2771 4744) open M-Sa 4:30-5am, 7:30-11am, 12:30-4:30pm, Su noon-1pm.
• Ferries: There are 7 ferries daily to Golfito from the pier at the north end of town. (1hr.; 5:45, 6am, noon, 3, 4pm; ¢2000; 1½hr., 6am, ¢1000.) Private boats to Golfito cost about US$60-70.
• Taxis: Line up on Calle Comercial. Taxis hold 5 people at most. With some bargaining, you can reach: Carate (US$80), La Palma (US$40), Los Patos (US$70), Matapolo (US$40), Playa Preciosa (US$10), and Puntarenita (US$15). All prices per taxi.

Orientation And Practical Information

The Calle Comercial (main road) runs from the soccer field in the north to a gas station in the south. Buses arrive one block to the west of the soccer field. The beach road runs just north of the soccer field and heads east to the ferry pier and airstrip. The airstrip area is mostly residential and is often referred to as gringolandia for the high concentration of foreigners who live there.

• Tourist Office: Almost every tour company and shop in town advertises tourist information. CafeNet El Sol (☎2735 5719), 1 block south of the soccer field on C. Comercial. Though it’s not a formal tourist office, this Internet cafe connects visitors to general information about area adventures and higher budget lodgings. Enjoy the A/C and use the maps on the walls to figure out your hiking itinerary. Open daily 7am-11pm. The MINAE office is located in a large orange building on the west side of the airstrip. For more specific tour information, see Guided Tours.
• Bank: Banco Nacional de Costa Rica (☎2735 5155), 4 blocks south of the soccer field. Cashes traveler’s checks and has an MC/V ATM. The nearest source of cash for any other cardholder is Golfito. Open M-F 8:30am-3:45pm.
• Laundry: Lavandería Kandy (☎2735 5347), 2 blocks south of the bus terminal beneath Soda y Heladería Antojitos. Same-day service. ¢800 per kg. Open M-F 7am-6pm.
• Pharmacy: Farmacia Hidalgo (☎2735 5564), across the street from Carolina. Open M-Sa 8am-8pm. MC/V.
• Police: (☎2735 5114, emergency 911). South of the field on the main street.
• Red Cross: (☎2735 5109), across from the clinic.
• Medical Clinic: (☎2735 5029 or 2735 5063; fax 2735 5601), 10m west of the southwest corner of the soccer field. Open 24hr. For mosquito nets, sunblock, or other essentials, try Tienda el Record, next door to Osa Discoveries. Open daily 8am-6pm.
• Internet Access: Cafe Internet Osa Corcovado (☎2735 5757), 2 blocks south of the southeast corner of the soccer field, has the cheapest and fastest Internet in town on Skype-capable computers. ¢1000 per hr. ¢250 per min. B/w printing ¢150. Open M-F 9am-8pm, Sa 10am-8pm. CafeNet El Sol (☎2735 5719; www.soldeosa.com), 1 block south of the soccer field on Calle Comercial, has higher prices, but better hours. ¢1500 per hr. ¢500 per min. International calls ¢500 per min. Open daily 7am-11pm.
• Library: just north of the post office. Has a sizable English-language book selection and free 2-week lending for residents and tourists. Open M-F 9am-noon and 1-3pm.
• Post Office: (☎2735 5045), on the west side of the soccer field. Open M-F 7:30am-noon, 1-5:30pm. Postal Code: 60702.

Accommodations And Camping

• Cabins the Corner (☎2735 5328), 1 block south of the bus station and to the right. Cabins has a large, well-kept dormitory and several clean and simple private rooms for up to 3 people. All rooms have ceiling fans and share hot-water showers. Laundry service and communal kitchen available. They’ll watch your bags for free while you explore Corcovado. Tents, stoves, and mattresses available for rent. Dorm ¢3500; singles ¢8000; doubles ¢10,000; triples ¢12,000.
• Cabinas Thompson (☎2735 5148), behind Soda Thompson, 1 block south of the bus station and to the right. Spacious rooms have peach walls with rainforest paintings, fans, and cold-water baths. Popular with backpackers. US$6 per person.
• Cabinas Marcelina (☎2735 5286; fax 2735 5007; cabmarce@hotmail.com), 3 blocks south of the soccer field on Calle Comercial on the left. Rooms are luxurious and comfortably sized, with bedside lamps, private hot water baths, and fans. Laundry service available. Breakfast served daily in the main house (US$6). High season singles US$24; low season US$20. Doubles US$40/US$35; with A/C US$48/40.
• Cabinas Jiménez (☎2735 5090; www.cabinasjimenez.com), 150m north of the northwest corner of the soccer field. A waterfall graces the lobby and rooms have patios overlooking the bay. Offers everything from standard and deluxe rooms to a private bungalow with mini-fridge and private deck. All rooms have A/C, ceiling fans, hot- water baths, parking, and aquatic murals. Prices range from a standard single (US$30) to 4-person in the bungalow (US$110). Reduced rates for long stays.
• Puerto Jiménez Yacht Club (☎2735 5051), near the water at the eastern end of the beach road through the same entrance as the Parrot Bay Village. It has drinking water, bathrooms, cold-water showers, and access to the gulf. The grassy camping area is slightly elevated, so you stay a bit drier than on the beach. Adonis, the camp manager, will also take you to watch him feed the caiman and crocodiles in the nearby mangroves for free. US$3 per person. Bring your own tent. Camping on the beach free.

Food

For such a small town, Puerto Jiménez has a wide variety of dining options. While restaurants can be a bit pricey, there are plenty of sodas offering cheap, filling food as well. Corcovado BM, across the street from the gas station, is the largest grocery store in town. (☎2735 5009. Open M-Sa 7am-9pm, Su 8am-8pm. Super 96 supermarket is more centrally located, one block south of the soccer field across from CafeNet El Sol. (☎2735 5168. Open M-Sa 6am-6:30pm, Su 7am-noon.) For a quick meal, Pandería Monar (☎2735 5523), north of Super 96, sells calzones and sweet bread (¢300). Open M-Sa 5am-6pm, Su 5-9am.

• Café de la Onda (☎2735 5312), just south of Banco Nacional. This colorful coffee shop has a variety of tasty breakfast and lunch offerings and always plays good music. Everything from a simple bagel and cream cheese (¢1500) to crepes with banana, whipped cream, and chocolate sauce (¢2200). Try the bagelwich, your choice of bagel with garlic/basil cream cheese, egg, melted mozzerella, and tomato (¢2000). Book exchange and frequent live music performances.
• Bar/Restaurante Sarpes (☎2735 5373), 2 blocks south of the southeast corner of the soccer field. Recently opened, Sarpes has already become a local favorite with its masterfully prepared fish dishes like grilled tuna with garlic and ginger marmalade and grilled mahimahi with papaya chutney. All dinner plates come with salad and potatoes or rice (¢4500). Lunch ¢2500-3500. Open M-Sa 11am-11pm, Su 4-11pm.
• Bar, Restaurante, y Hotel Carolina (☎2735 5185), 2 blocks south of the soccer field on C. Comercial. Always packed with tourists, this is a great place to chat with other travelers, people-watch, or plan your next trip. Tico and American food available at slightly inflated prices. Granola, fruit, and yogurt breakfast ¢1900. Rice dishes ¢2100-2700. Garlic fish fillet ¢2500. Open daily 7am-10pm.
• Juanita’s (☎2735 5056), east of CafeNet El Sol. With its cavernous wooden adobe interior, Juanita’s looks a little out of place on the Osa Peninsula but serves decent semi-authentic Mexican food. Happy hour (4-6pm) serves beer on tap (¢600). Mixed drinks ¢1200-1500. Most entrees, including some vegetarian, ¢1500-3500. Open daily 9am-11pm; bar may stay open longer depending on crowd.
• Restaurante Delfin Blanco (☎2735 5998), in the white and blue building a block south and east of Carolina. The new, spacious dining room features a huge flat-screen TV and sizable bar. The food is an eclectic assortment of Chinese-American (chop suey ¢2400-2700), Italian (fettuccine alfredo or carbonara ¢2700), and Costa Rican cuisine ( ceviche and casados ¢2200-2500). Open daily 7am-11pm.

Guided Tours

Puerto Jiménez serves as a launching point for the Osa Peninsula, and tour operators have a variety of options to satisfy this demand. Tours are not exactly “budget,” but they do provide access to places that would be difficult to reach on your own. The high level of tourism also means that most guides speak fluent English.   Escondido Trex, inside Restaurante Carolina, one block south of the soccer field on C. Comercial, is the oldest and most extensive operation in town. They offer everything from budget to deluxe tours, with student and group discounts available. Trips are led by English-speaking naturalists, and include sunset dolphin watching (US$35), mangrove kayaking (US$35), waterfall-rappelling (US$75), rainforest day treks (US$50), two to ten day kayaking expeditions (US$250-850) and multi-day hikes through Corcovado. (☎2735 5210; www.escondidotrex.com. Open daily 8am-8pm.) Three blocks south of the soccer field, Osa Discoveries specializes in beach tours but also offers birdwatching, snorkeling, gold prospecting, sportfishing, and horseback riding excursions. Guided ATV tours are also offered during the high season (6, 9:30am, 2pm). Drivers US$129, passengers US$20, lunch included. (☎2735 5260. www.osadiscoveries.com). The helpful and friendly staff at the Ministerio del Ambiente y Energia (MINAE) office, on the inland side of the airstrip, takes reservations for overnight stays in the park (US$8 hostel; US$4 camp), and supplies free tide charts, detailed maps of the park’s trails, and up-to-date information on which trails are waterlogged. (☎2735 5036. Reservations can also be made online at www.pncorcovado.blogspot.com or by emailing pncorcovado@gmail.com. Open daily 8am-noon and 1-4pm. )

Beaches And Nightlife

Though the beach in Puerto Jiménez may be unimpressive, one doesn’t have to journey far to find a superior substitute. Playa Preciosa, located 6km east of the airport, offers 5km of black-sand beaches and impressive views of the gulf and of Zancudo and Pavones on the other side. Here the beach is clean and the sand is plentiful. Though visitors should watch out for riptides, swimming and boogieboarding are possible during low tide. The beach is rarely crowded, and when it is it’s usually because there’s a local beach volleyball game going on. (1hr. walk or 20min. bike ride. Taxis should cost around US$10 round-trip.) Bathrooms and bag storage are available at La Perla de la Osa Hotel and Restaurant. The restaurant also offers a nice bar and tasty sandwiches for those who didn’t bring their own supplies. Every Friday night, La Perla hosts the biggest party in town. Ticos and tourists show up for a hearty buffet-style dinner (US$6) followed by several hours of Latin dancing (6-9pm). (☎8829 5865 or 8848 0752; www.thepearloftheosa.com. Open daily 11am-8pm.)