Costa Rica’s Osa Peninsula contains Corcovado National Park and much of the Osa Conservation Area.
The peninsula projects into the Pacific Ocean from Costa Rica’s southwestern coast. It is famous for exceptionally intact tropical rainforest, mangroves, beaches, and marine habitats. Corcovado National Park, established in 1975, protects a large part of its wilderness.
The Osa is often confused with Costa Rica’s Nicoya Peninsula, which lies farther northwest across the Gulf of Nicoya. The Osa is smaller but generally regarded as one of the most biologically rich places on Earth. Its forests shelter species such as scarlet macaws, Baird’s tapirs, and all four of Costa Rica’s monkey species.
The region also includes the Golfo Dulce, a tropical fjord-like gulf that opens toward the Pacific. Puerto Jiménez is the peninsula’s principal gateway and a common base for visiting Corcovado.