March 10
What did we do?
We started the day with a three-hour boat tour along the Sierpe River where we saw many wetland birds and songbirds, scarlet macaws, lizards, monkeys, caiman, and even a boa constrictor
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A boa high in a tree on our Sierpe River tour |
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Green Heron - Sierpe River |
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Double-Toothed Kite - Sierpe River |
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Caiman - Sierpe River |
The drive to Drake Bay
Most tourists take the boat from Sierpe to Drake Bay, but I really wanted to drive. I had done a lot of research but most of what I read, and the videos I saw, were cautionary descriptions of a bad gravel mountain road with unpredictable river crossings. After reading the following blog post late last year I became convinced that driving to Drake Bay was a pretty safe adventure, and most importantly, not likely to breach our car rental agreement.
You can get excellent and detailed driving instructions at the website link here
The Actual Road
From Finca la Puesta del Sol, we continued along the Rio Sierpe dirt road for about 45 minutes until we reached Route 245 near Rincon where we turned right before turning right again a few km’s later onto the gravel road to Drake Bay. There are helpful road signs along the way*.
The first reassuring thing to say about the drive from Rincon to the town of Agujitas (Drake Bay) is that there are NO rivers that you have to drive through; all of the rivers have bridges. Not sure what the road would be like in the rainy season, but we found it to be a decent gravel road; it was steep and windy in several sections, but nothing really scary and there was very little traffic. The scenery along the way is beautiful; initially passing through open forested farmland before reaching the denser jungle mountain road before Drake Bay.
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About 7 km from Agujitas don't miss going left at the fork in the road or you will miss this bridge |
Where did we stay?
We stayed at an AirBnb property called Binya House. It’s conveniently located on the main road of Drake Bay with great views out over the ocean. We especially loved the birdlife in the backyard, the A/C, and the washer and dryer. It’s steps from shops and restaurants, but not ideally located if you are looking for a quiet property closer to the jungle and wildlife.
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The view from Binya House at sunset |
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A view from Binya House |
Where did we eat?
Breakfast at Finca la Puesta del Sol restaurant, KIND Bars, obviously, and a mediocre and expensive dinner at La Choza in Drake Bay.
Note on gas: If you decided to do the same route make sure you fill up with gas in Palmer Norte before turning off Route 2. Once we crossed the Sierpe River there were no gas stations on this route and there are no gas stations in Drake Bay.
*Important navigation note: About 20 minutes past Finca la Puesta del Sol, on the Rio Sierpe road, you come to a fork in the road. There is a sign pointing right to Sabalo and it also points right to Drake Bay. My understanding is that the road to the right will take you to Drake Bay, but there are unbridged river crossings along this route. We stayed left to meet up with Route 245 to avoid river crossings.
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Clay Coloured Thrush - Costa Rica's National Bird |
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Female Scarlet Rumped Tanager - Binya House |
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This Great-tailed Grackle doesn't look pleased - Binya House |
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Scarlet Macaw - Binya House |
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Scarlet Macaw - Binya House |
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