Day 13: The other side of the Osa Peninsula

 March 15

What did we do?

Warning: When you are leaving Drake Bay go left at the main fork in the road. Unfortunately, we went right, and after fifteen minutes of bumping down a narrow gravel track we came to a deep stream crossing at the bottom of a very steep hill. Oops! Thankfully it was easy to turn around and the navigational error was just a picturesque detour through the outskirts of Drake Bay.

We arrived in Peurto Jiminez in the early afternoon and after stopping at the large BM Grocery Store for groceries we set out to find the produce store that had been highly recommended. It's a small town, and Steve now knows every block -- thirty minutes driving up and down, up and down looking for the Verduleria. The perfect avocados we finally bought there were worth the search (well, Krista thinks so).

We continued on our journey for a final thirty minutes to our accommodation near the south end of the Osa Peninsula at Cabo Matapalo.

Where did we stay

We spent five nights at Casa Bambu . It is set in a beautiful tropical garden on the edge of Playa Pan Dulce, and we spent a lot of time enjoying the ocean views and wildlife on the property (anteaters, agoutis, coatis, monkeys, and so many scarlet macaws you almost ceased to be amazed by them). The house is beautiful, rustic, large, and functional and it has a spacious and well-equipped kitchen. The beds are queen-sized and comfortable with good mosquito nets and bed fans. They have several kayaks available for your use and beach chairs you can take down to the beach. The property manager, William, was friendly and helpful.

Casa Bambu (the main floor window shutters are closed in this pic)

The Casa Bambu kitchen. The biggest security concerns were Capuchin monkeys breaking in and stealing food. We had to be careful.

Where did we eat?

There are a couple of restaurants in the Cabo Matapalo area, but the nearest grocery stores are thirty minutes away in Peurto Jiminez and so we came with enough food to last us five days. It was also at this point we were asking ourselves “Can we do it? Can we finish these KIND Bars before our last day?”. We were determined.

Travel Tip:

All of the river crossings on Route 245 from Peurto Jiminez to Playa Carate have bridges. You don’t have to drive through any streams as long as you stay on route 245.

Sunrise at Casa Bambu

Casa Bambu sits on Playa Pan Dulce