Matapalo Beach – The Secret Hideaway On The Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica
April 24th, 2010 by Marina K. Villatoro, under Vacations. No Comments
We had the great opportunity to visit my friends who live in Puerto Jimenez, a cute town on the Osa Peninsula. It’s full of expats and I fell in love with it to the point that we were considering moving there for a while. Puerto Jimenez itself is a fairly big town with a population reaching well into the thousand, maybe even 2.
During the trip, our friends took us another one hour south to visit a teeny coastline village. The road was so bad, that were told that during the rainy season the residents (which is about 90% foreigners) have to either stock up for 3 months, or fly into Puerto Jimenez due to floods and total washouts. Just the drive over there will give you an experience of a life time!
My friends drive a big bad 4×4 and we were able to tackle some of the rough terrain as cows blocked the roads and sleepy iguanas chewed leaves from the surrounding trees.
When we finally arrived we saw that there is not actual town per say, it’s just a bunch of hidden houses and eco lodges all along the rocky coastline with virgin rain forest as the back drop. There is also little foot paths allow you to experience the place way better than driving a car.
We headed to explore since my friend’s son and my son in the water all day and my husband helping out by hanging out in the water with them.
However, the beach where we ended up hanging out was deserted, with plenty of shade and perfect for a homemade BBQ.
All the eco lodges of the area offer tours to the surrounding jungle and some take you on tours to Corcovado National Park, which, quoted by National Geographic as the most biologically intense place on Earth!
Marina K. Villatoro, has lived in Central America – Costa Rica and Guatemala for over 10 years. She’s traveled these parts extensively and now loves to organize vacations to these amazing parts of the world. With her first hand experience, she can recommend the best options for you. Contact her for advice and to plan your perfect trip!
