The Osa Peninsula juts out into the Pacific Ocean on the southwest corner of Costa Rica . It is home to one of the most bio-diverse environments on the planet. It is the lost paradise that the non-traditional tourists only dreams of - a place on the "wild side." This remote area includes primary rain forests, a complex system of freshwaters and a variety of marine resources with all the plant and animal life they support. In 1975 the Nature Conservancy came to Costa Rica to help create more than 100,000 acres of protected lands that now include two national parks, Corcovado and Piedras Blanca.

You can get to the Osa by land, an eight-hour road trip from San Jose , or take a 50-minutes commuter flight into Puerto Jimenez, the gateway to the peninsula. Residents (there are few foreigners) and visitors alike consider the Osa to be the "real Costa Rica" - lush, tropical, unspoiled nature, spectacular wildlife, deserted beaches and untouched forests. Its unique bio-diversity consists of cloud forests and lowland wet forests where jaguars still roam and the Scarlet Macaw can be seem flying overhead. The largest trees and monkey colonies in Costa Rica are found here. Outside magazine calls it "the last best peninsula",

This is the tropics after all, so the weather is warm year around, but because it is a peninsula, surrounded by water, the climate is more favorable. The land is green year round. Like the rest of Costa Rica, the greenest season (when it rains most afternoons) runs from May through October, with daytime temperatures in the 70's and 80's and nights in the 60's. The "summer" temperatures, from December through April, are in the 90's with little or no rain. Bugs abound but with proper repellent, you will not be troubled by them.

The area hosts a unique array of animal life. In addition to the endangered jaguar, the squirrel monkey, Baird's tapir and three species of sea turtles are found here. There are more than 375 species of birds on Osa and it is home to the harpy eagle and the yellow-billed cotinga.

The rain forest is made up of 700 tree species, the largest tree species in all of Central America . A quarter of Costa Rica's tree species are found on the Osa Peninsula . There are more than 4000 vascular plant species in the area.

The preferred place to stay on the peninsula is Drake Bay on the northern end. It is the gateway to visiting the Corcovado National Park (a must see during your stay) and it offers a wide variety of activities and tours in the region. It is accessible only by boat and offers a number of choices of lodges and cabinas, some of which are all inclusive vacation packages including pick-up services.

While here, you will want to visit Parque Nacional Corcovado and the Isla del Caño where you can enjoy some of the best snorkeling and scuba diving in Costa Rica . You will never lack for something to do on the Osa Peninsula . You can go horseback riding, enjoy some of the best sportfishing in the world, take a canoeing or kayaking trip, enjoy a fantastic bird watching expedition or take a hiking trail to a remote beach.