In the search for unique wildlife...

And off we went, with so much happiness in our faces to the Proyecto Ecoturistico La Tarde. It was Saturday 1pm and the happiest of all was probably Jessica, our logistic and sales manager who knew she could close the office early; we were heading to see something way better than sitting in the office chair and answering emails. We took the 1pm bus that goes to San Isidro and got off at La Palma, where Berni, La Tarde's owner's brother, picked us up and took us on an 8 km car trip.

Osa Wild Team (left to right: Luis Daniel, Ifi, Jessica, and Veronica) 
enjoying our time together at the rainforest

La Tarde is a hot spot of biodiversity, located in the northern part of the Corcovado National Park. On the way to La Tarde, after driving through the community of La Palma and Guadalupe, you can observe from the highest point the "Laguna de Corcovado", a pristine ecosystem that is surrounded by a special type of palm locally called “yolillo” or Raphia sp.

Walking next to Quebrada La Tarde 

Some members of our team forgot one of the most important things you need to bring when visiting this pristine place: boots, rubber boots. Jessica, Vero and Luisda had all to borrow boots; luckily it seems there were enough for us all. At La Tarde you can observe an outrageous amount of snakes. If you go for a night hike, you can encounter many Fer-de-Lance. Last time I heard they had seen over 12 Fer –de-Lance (Bothrops asper) on a 3 hours night tour!

So our guide, Amador was ready to take us to the spot where a unique and incredible species was seen. It has been 8 years since Eduardo, La Tarde's owner, last saw the Black-Headed Bushmaster. We took some water, binoculars and a spotting scope and started our journey. The hike was great, La Quebrada La Tarde is absolutely beautiful, and it’s like walking in a river and having the tropical rainforest just next to you. Huge trees and stunning sounds accompanied us in this pleasant hike.

Lachesis melanocephala

It took us less than 45 minutes to get to the place where more than 8 other passionate naturalists and herpetologist where waiting for the perfect light to shoot a picture. Among them, my teacher, second father, friend and one of the most important persons for me in our community; Mike Boston an specialist in snakes who has waited for more than 18 years for this particular moment to come. He received us with great enthusiasm and we all stayed for at least one more hour admiring the beauty and talking about its ecology.

The Lachesis melanoceophala is a member of the Viperidae family, one of the most specialized predators among all snakes. Their long, hollowed, retractable fangs stab and inject lethal venom into prey animals, which are usually rodents and marsupials. This is the only viper I know that lays eggs (oviparous), and that is endemic to the southern part of our country.

Can you see the snake here? Terrestrial species of snakes are often found coiled, with their head resting on the top of the coil. The coloration tends to mimic their surroundings, especially when coiled. 

We share our gratitude to Eduardo and his family, who has been taking many naturalist, guides and nature lovers to see this breathtaking reptile and which we know that is taking absolute care of his land and educating more and more people about the ecological importance of extraordinary reptiles such as the Plato Negro.

Sharing experiences with Eduardo from La Tarde

Article by: Ifigenia Garita C.

OSA WILD TEAM: working together to support the community through tourism

Meet the OSA WILD TEAM!

We are a group of passionate workers and believers of sustainable development in rural communities such as the Osa Peninsula.

OSA WILD TEAM in front of a Ceiba tree (Ceiba pentandra) one of the tallest trees found in the southern tip of Costa Rica, sacred tree for Mayas and other indigenous cultures who believed that their ancestors' spirits inhabited the treetop.

Starting with Ifigenia Garita (standing in the middle of the tree with Jessica on her shoulders), tropical biologist and conservationist who founded with love this small business based on the idea of providing alternatives to the community through tourism and who at the same time believes we can all save the pristine lowland tropical rainforest throughout education.

 To the right, you can meet Luis Daniel Montero, a young and enthusiastic software engineer who started studying biology after meeting our boss and new wife Ifi, while he was volunteering at Corcovado National Park. Today, he's our assistant manager and a very important part of our team.

Certificate of Sustainable Tourism
 Highest level 

On the other side we can find Verónica Flores, our sustainability coordinator and a jewel of our business. She and Jessica did great efforts for achieving the highest level of the Certification for Sustainable Tourism - CST - for our office. Vero is an Environmental Health professional and a passionate social worker.

Finally, our most recent member of the team, Jessica Fonseca, a girl from Naranjo who fell in love with the region when working with sustainability. Jessica (on top of Ifi’s shoulders) has wrap up in a perfect way, the unity and love that we all have for the people of this region.

Luis Daniel is great at imitating
the Spider Monkey's call

As we all are nature lovers, we also guide tours around Corcovado National Park and other areas of the Osa Peninsula. We enjoy to walk in the tropical rainforest and explaining about its ecosystem while looking for interesting animals that live in this habitat.


At Osa Wild we all work constantly to make sure that by helping the community develop in a sustainable way, we will ensure the protection of Osa's beautiful forests! If you want to help us in our mission, please contact us at osawild@gmail.com

A Puma concolor relaxing at La Leona beach

Salsipuedes beach, Corcovado National Park

Article by: Ifigenia Garita C.