Lying in the south west of the country jutting out into the Pacific coast and covered in primary rainforest, it’s one of Costa Rica’s wildlife hotspots. The adventure starts with a scenic flight by light aircraft from San Jose over the country and along the coast to the peninsula. This area has numerous wildlife lodges from which you can start to explore the rich biodiversity of the national park. Naturalist guides will take you on guided bird watching hikes in the rainforest and on boat trips. You’ll see a wonderful variety of wildlife from ocelots and tapirs to the hundreds of species of birds like hummingbirds and toucans. It’s the only place you can see the scarlet macaw and sometimes it’s even possible to see the elusive jaguar. Cool off at Drake Bay and go whale-watching or sail out to Isla Caño looking for rays, big fish and dolphins. For more activity go kayaking among the mangroves at Puerto Jiménez before heading into the Gulf to watch a spectacular sunset or go deep-sea fishing from Zancudo. We use many lodges but we particularly recommend the romantic Lapa Rios, perched on a hill overlooking its own private reserve and the Pacific Ocean. A true naturalist’s delight When to go: All year roundA wild experience with pristine rainforest and rare species.