Yesterday I pushed the easy button and instead of two buses and a question mark I got to Sierpe from Dominical on a $30 straight shot taxi ride. Not bad considering the trip took over an hour and a half. The driver dropped me at a café bar called Las Vegas. I requested a collectivo and was directed to whoever was in queue. My name and destination was jotted in a book and I was told a boat would leave at 11:30. I ordered a fresh fruit shake and met a couple of Americans to chat clear English with. I’m tired of speaking broken English with the French. Yes, I’m still in Costa Rica.
Sierpe is a somewhat remote small village that sits next to a river. The river weaves its way through mangroves to the sea. From there it’s south along the Shoreline to Bahia Drake. A little further south and you reach Corcovado National Park. According to National Geographic and the Lost Planet Guide, it’s the most biologically intense place on the earth. Whatever that means.
I wasn’t planning on visiting Drake Bay but was persuaded by a woman I met in a bar in Quepos during the Super Bowl. She highly recommended a place called the Mirador so I put it in the option department. Many travelers rave about the Osa Peninsula so I figured I’d check it out. It’s located on the bottom southwest portion of Costa Rica.
The boat ride down the river is really cool. When you get to the mouth of a river that dumps into the ocean things can get a little interesting. The currents were confused and fairly large swells were breaking off rocks and sandbars. The boat driver had to creatively weave, dodge, and surf swells as various speeds to avoid crashing the wrong way into a break. It wasn’t scary. Just exciting. Just off shore we cruised south and made a beach landing to drop off a couple of people.
There are a number of places to stay along the shore near Drake bay. Some places are a bit on the Jungle themed swanky end of the scale and cater to a high end clientele while other places are quite basic and geared towards the budget eco traveler.
Don’t expect a dock landing as all drop off points are beach landings. I had tried emailing the Mirador a few times and called the night before. Communication was poor but as I understood I had a place to stay at least one night. When I got off the boat there were a couple of local guys asking a few us where we were staying and walked us to a truck. I made sure the ride was free and got the impression it was a courtesy of the village or something. They took right to the Mirador and I was walked up a hill.
Wow! The view is magnificent. The place was crawling with French but a Canadian from Ontario greeted me as he is a friend of the family who owns and runs the Mirador. He filled me in with info as I was being served lunch. Afterwards he showed me to my room which in my opinion is the best of the lot.
My accommodation sits somewhat precariously upon stilts and is built on a hillside. The building provides three separate cabinas. An open but covered deck allows for a nice breeze to pass through with a broad view of Drake Bay. My room is very basic. The walls are screen at the front and on one side with light cotton drapes for privacy. The floor is made of rough cut 1x6 boards with gaps in between. A solid homemade bunk bed provides a place to sleep and creative plumbing allows for a shower, sink and toilet at the back end. Everything is rustic but clean and reasonably maintained. For $46 a night I get accommodation plus 3 meals and the food is excellent. I dropped my pack and went for a walk and swim along the beach.
With waves crashing on the shore below and the light hum of a floor fan it makes for really good sleeping. Needless to say I slept very well last night. I think this is a 3+ night place but the lady in charge of booking keeps telling me she will check and see. Looks like I’m ok for night two. Don’t know about night three yet.
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