Maze Lodge
Corcovado has five ways in and no roads inside. Which gate you choose decides how early you get up, how far you walk, what you are likely to see, and how much you pay — and most people pick badly, because almost everything written online treats “visiting Corcovado” as one thing. It is five quite different days.
Here is each entrance, judged on the things that actually matter.
At a glance
- Sirena — deep inside the park, boat access. The best wildlife. Earliest start, hardest to book.
- La Leona — southern corner, road plus a beach walk. Macaws, coast, forest. The most physical day trip.
- El Tigre — eastern edge, 25 minutes from Puerto Jiménez. Shortest travel, steepest walking, community guides.
- Los Patos — inland, the start of the multi-day traverse. Not a day trip.
- San Pedrillo — northern corner, visited from Drake Bay. Forest plus a waterfall.
A certified guide is mandatory at every one of them, and every permit is capped per station per day. The wider picture — fees, permits, what to pack — is in our complete Corcovado guide.
Sirena — the one worth fighting for
Getting there: 90 minutes by boat from the Puerto Jiménez pier, leaving at 5 am; about an hour from Drake Bay. There is no road. The landing is on the beach, in shallow surf, with your bag over your shoulder.
The day: on the trails by 7 am, before the heat. Flat, wide paths through primary forest and along the river, a lunch break at the station, a second shorter walk, boat back mid-afternoon.
What you are likely to see: this is the densest concentration of large mammals in Costa Rica. Baird's tapirs sleep in the mud near the station and ignore people entirely. Herds of white-lipped peccaries move through. Spider monkeys, agoutis, coatis, caimans, bull sharks in the river mouth, scarlet macaws all day.
Effort: moderate — flat trails, but four to five hours of walking in real heat and humidity.
The catch: permits. Sirena's daily cap has been cut repeatedly through 2026 over the station's wastewater problems, and it closes every October for maintenance. In high season, book weeks ahead.
Choose it if: wildlife is the reason you came, and you can plan in advance.
La Leona — beach, forest and macaws
Getting there: meet at 5.30 am in Puerto Jiménez, then roughly two hours by 4x4 down the gravel road to Carate, and a 40-minute walk along the beach to the ranger station. The tide dictates the timing, which is why departures are early and fixed.
The day: the beach walk, then trails inland through coastal forest, then back the way you came. You are in the park's southern sector, which sees a fraction of Sirena's traffic.
What you are likely to see: scarlet macaws in the beach almond trees are close to a certainty. Monkeys, coatis, agoutis, snakes, an enormous amount of birdlife, and — with luck — tapir tracks in the sand.
Effort: the hardest of the three day trips. Soft sand, full sun, and a long drive at both ends.
The catch: that road in the wet months, and the sun exposure on the beach section.
Choose it if: Sirena is full, you would rather drive than boat, or you want the version of Corcovado where the forest meets an empty Pacific beach.
El Tigre — the quiet one
Getting there: 25 minutes from Puerto Jiménez to Dos Brazos de Río Tigre, a village that lived off gold mining until the park absorbed the land around it. The easiest entrance to reach in the whole park.
The day: a circuit of steep secondary and primary forest above the Tigre river, with hanging bridges and river crossings, run by guides from the village itself. Shorter than a Sirena day and no 5 am boat.
What you are likely to see: excellent birding, poison-dart frogs, insects, snakes, monkeys, and the forest at close range. Large-mammal odds are lower than Sirena — anyone who tells you otherwise is selling.
Effort: steep. Plenty of climbing, and slippery underfoot in the green season.
The catch: expectations. Come for the forest and the birds, not for tapirs.
Choose it if: you want a shorter or cheaper day, a rest between two big ones, or you like the idea of your money going straight into a village of twenty families.
Los Patos — for the traverse
Getting there: inland, near La Palma, up a rough track.
The day: it is not a day. Los Patos is where the classic crossing to Sirena starts — roughly 20 km of forest trail, done over two or three days with nights in the station's bunks, guide included and booked well in advance.
Choose it if: you are fit, experienced, and want the version of Corcovado that involves waking up inside it.
San Pedrillo — the Drake Bay day
Getting there: by boat from Drake Bay, on the far side of the peninsula.
The day: coastal forest trails and a waterfall, often combined with a Caño Island snorkelling stop on another day of the same trip.
Choose it if: you are based on the Drake side. From Puerto Jiménez it makes no sense — see our comparison of Drake Bay and Puerto Jiménez.
Which one, in one line
- Best wildlife: Sirena.
- Best if Sirena is sold out: La Leona.
- Best on a budget or a short day: El Tigre.
- Best for families with young children: El Tigre, or a half day at La Leona.
- Best for birders: El Tigre and La Leona both beat their reputation.
- Best for photographers: Sirena, without question.
- Best for a serious hiker: Los Patos to Sirena, with a night inside the park.
- If you have two days: Sirena plus El Tigre. Different forests, different animals, and the second day is where you notice how much your eye has improved.
What each costs
Park entry is around $15 per person per day, paid with the permit. A guided day from Puerto Jiménez to Sirena or La Leona is about $175 per person all in — permit, guide, boat or 4x4, food and water — which is what our Corcovado day tour costs. El Tigre is generally cheaper because there is no boat and no long drive. Overnight at Sirena adds the bunk and meals at the station.
Frequently asked questions
Which Corcovado entrance is best?
Sirena for wildlife, La Leona for beach-and-forest, El Tigre for a shorter, cheaper day close to town. All three are worthwhile; they are not the same experience.
Can you visit Corcovado without a guide?
No. A certified guide is mandatory at every entrance.
How far is the walk at La Leona?
Roughly 40 minutes along the beach from Carate to the ranger station, then trails from there — expect five to six hours of walking across the day, much of it in the sun.
Is El Tigre worth it if I have already done Sirena?
Yes, precisely because it is different: steeper, greener, more intimate, better for small things. It is also the entrance most guests say they underestimated.
Which entrance is best for children?
El Tigre for a shorter day, or a half day at La Leona. A full Sirena day is long and hot for young children.
How far ahead should I book?
Four to eight weeks for Sirena in high season, less for the others. In the green season a week or two is usually enough — except October, when Sirena is closed.
We book the whole thing
Every Corcovado day starts before dawn, which is a good reason to sleep close to the pier. Maze Lodge is 5.8 km from Puerto Jiménez — four private lodges from $110 a night on the wildlife corridor between the park and the Tranquility reserve. We check the live permit situation, book the guide, and get you to the boat or the truck on time.
Send us your dates on WhatsApp and we will tell you which entrance is actually available that week, and which one we would pick for you.
Read it from the terrace.
Four private lodges from $110 a night.