Our Overnight Experience at the Sirena Ranger Station, Corcovado National Park

This post recounts our once-in-a-lifetime experience doing an overnight tour at the Sirena Ranger Station inside the Corcovado National Park in Costa Rica.

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Our experience staying overnight at the Sirena Ranger Station

I don't usually write diary-style posts, but our experience spending the night at the Sirena Ranger Station inside Corcovado National Park in Costa Rica was so wonderful, I feel like recounting our time is the only way to share it with you! We did an overnight tour with Corcovado Information Centre, which was undoubtedly the highlight of our time in Costa Rica.

If you'd prefer to have all the facts and general information first, I've also written a guide-style post about Corcovado National Park. This post covers more of the logistics of visiting the park, with more explanation and travel tips like transport, tours etc. Get all the details in that post here.

But for now, let me recount our incredible two days at the Sirena Ranger Station.

Day one Sirena Ranger Station overnight tour

⏰ What day one of our tour looked like…

• 4:30am – wake up and pack bags
• 6:00am – meet at the main beach in Drake and get on the boat for 1.5 hrs 
• 8:00am – landing at Sirena Beach, short hike towards the check in area 
• 8:30am – check into the park, start hiking to the Sirena Ranger Station 
• 9:45am – arrive at station, drop off overnight bag, break for toilet, drink and snack 
• 10:00am – start first official hike around Rio Serena
• 11:45am – return to station for 2 hour lunch break 
• 2:00pm – head out on second hike, including a short swim in Rio Claro
• 6:00pm – return to the station just as it getting dark, dinner straight away 
• 6:45pm – shower and prepare for the following morning
• 7:15pm – in bed, reading and fell asleep before lights out at 8pm 

From Drake Bay to Corcovado

Our day started at 4:30 am when our alarm sounded. It was still completely dark outside our room in Drake Bay, but we both woke easily, full of excitement for the day ahead. We finished packing our bags, made a hearty breakfast and checked out of our accommodation.

We were instructed to meet on the main beach in Drake Bay near Roberto's restaurant at 6 am. We arrived to find a flurry of activity, with plenty of eager hikers buzzing around and guides herding groups onto boats. We found a staff member from Corcovado Information Centre, who connected us with the other travellers joining us on the tour. In addition to Brayden and myself, there were two young guys from Austria and a German couple who were only visiting for the day.

Our guide Raymond arrived shortly after, and we headed onto the sand to board our boat. The boats land directly on the beach in Drake Bay and we had to wade in through the water, so we came in shorts and water shoes. After a quick refuel, the boat motored away around 6:15 am. The sun was shining, which we almost couldn't believe after days of torrential rain and persistent grey skies.

The journey to the park was beautiful, sticking along the coastline and passing countless secluded coves and palm-lined beaches. As we edged closer to Sirena Ranger Station, the boat got a little rougher, passing rocky outcrops with waves crashing over them. At one point, our captain sharply braked and turned the boat around, coming face to face with a pod of Spotted Dolphins swimming around us! Our first Corcovado wildlife experience did not disappoint. We had never seen spotted dolphins before, and they had gorgeous silver-coloured polka dots.

As Playa Sirena came into sight, the waves intensified and it was a rough and rocky welcome to the park. The rough conditions diverted us from the usual landing spot on the beach, so we had a couple of nail-biting moments battling the waves to land further along the coast. But it was a relatively smooth exit, and we had touched ground at Corcovado National Park!

Getting to Sirena Ranger Station

Our group found a shady spot to change into our hiking shoes, and Raymond got straight down to business, whipping out his telescope and tripod. I asked him how long it would be until we reached the station, and he replied ‘as long as it takes. It could take an hour, it could take three hours, it depends on what we find'. As self-confessed planners and control freaks, we were slightly frustrated by the lack of communication. We were under the impression we would be arriving very near to the Sirena Ranger Station and could drop off our overnight bags almost immediately, rather than carrying them around on our hikes.

But just a few moments later when our group entered the dense forest, we understood why Raymond couldn't give us a definitive answer. Within minutes we had spotted our first group of spider monkeys, the last species of monkey we had yet to see in Costa Rica. Raymond was already setting up his telescope, and handing around the binoculars. We weren't going to miss a wildlife sighting on account of a heavy(ish) bag, and we were completely fine with that!

We spent around half an hour making our way slowly through the forest towards the check-in point. Once we arrived at the official entry to the Sirena Ranger Station, we had to sign in to the ranger's book and present our bags to be checked for any prohibited items. The main thing they were looking for was food, and we had strategically gobbled down our final snack before getting off the boat. There were bathrooms and drinking water at this point, and we had a short break and obligatory photo stop with the sign.

Once the formalities were done, we set off towards the Sirena Ranger Station. The distance from the check-in point to the station is only around 1 km / 0.6 mi, but it took us over an hour to cover the ground. It was like a switch flicked on our guide Raymond. Where we thought maybe communication was going to be a little lacking, he just hadn't gotten started yet!

In just 1 hour, we saw all kinds of birds, bats and butterflies. We learned fascinating information about ants, spiders and other creepy crawlies, and spotted multiple groups of spider and squirrel monkeys. I was absolutely ecstatic and loved every second. Raymond was a wealth of knowledge, and as a complete nature nerd, I couldn't get enough of his facts.

We emerged out of the dense forest, eyes blinded by the sun and bright blue skies, onto a grassy, disused airstrip. It honestly felt like we were in some kind of alternate reality when compared to the weather we experienced the previous few days, and we were counting our lucky stars. The Sirena Ranger Station loomed ahead at the end of the airstrip, a wooden lodge-style building with a wrap-around veranda.

A sign officially marked our arrival at the station, and we removed our shoes, a rule strictly enforced, before climbing the stairs onto the porch. We were given 15 minutes to dump our bags in an open locker area, use the bathrooms and have a drink or snack if we wanted. Our meals were to be included in the tour, but any extra snacks were at our expense. We couldn't resist a choc chip cookie each from the small store at the station, which at $1 USD didn’t seem too unreasonable given the location. We had a quick peek around, padding barefoot along a stilted covered walkway connecting a handful of wooden buildings. It felt like a cross between a school camp and a Jurassic Park research science vibe, and we couldn’t wait to spend the evening there.

First hike

At 10 am, we laced up our shoes and headed out in chase of Raymond who was off like a rocket towards the forest on the far side of the airstrip. There are a number of trails around Sirena Ranger Station, but we took little notice of which we were on. The forest is so thick, it would be impossible to navigate without a guide, so we relinquished complete control to Raymond and followed him blindly.

It wasn't long before we spotted some cute little agoutis scampering around on the forest floor. Raymond pointed out a lot of different trees and plants and shared a lot of interesting information about the forest and the relationships between different plants and animals.

Our next sighting was some hummingbirds. We had been lucky enough to see a ton of hummingbirds around Costa Rica, but what we hadn't experienced before was the encyclopaedic knowledge of our guide Raymond, who absolutely blew my mind with his hummingbird facts.

These tiny little creatures live life at a speed we can’t comprehend, with their hearts beating at over 1,000 beats per minute, and their wings flapping over 3,000 times per minute. Because of this, Raymond demonstrated to us that we can’t really hear the true sound of their song with our naked ears. He recorded a video through the telescope in slow motion, and only then could we hear the depth and detail of the beautiful song the hummingbird is singing to its potential mate. My mind = blown.

Check out my Instagram highlights from Corcovado to see the hummingbird's song in real-time and in slow motion

We ran into our first group of white face aka capuchin monkeys. It was so nice to see them interacting with each other and searching for food naturally, rather than coming down to try and pinch bags and food from humans, as they are known to do in busier, more developed parts of Costa Rica like Manuel Antonio National Park.

We passed another group, and Raymond spoke with their guide in hushed Spanish. I gathered that the guides don't like to let on too much if there is an exciting animal sighting, as there is no guarantee the animal will stick around. But Raymond did let slip that a Baird's tapir had been spotted, and we were going on a mission to find it.

We walked quickly and soon arrived to find another group beaming with smiles. A Mum and her baby were sound asleep in a pile of mud, created by the recent rains. Raymond shared that he hadn't seen the pair for almost a month and that the wet, soggy ground was their favourite environment, so all that rain we had wasn't for naught!

After the previous group had finished, we took turns getting a closer look at these strange, gentle creatures. Neither stirred nor even opened an eye as we all marvelled and communicated excitedly in silent hand and face gestures. A tapir, so soon! Tapirs are definitely one of the ‘bucket list' wildlife to see in Costa Rica, and we felt so blessed we got to see two!

We emerged from the forest onto the beach and headed towards the mouth of the Rio Serena. The scene before us felt like Jurassic Park, with a wide, snaking river backdropped by an intense grey sky. Raymond told us the river is home to many crocodiles, and at high tide, bull sharks occasionally swim in.

Just seconds after re-entering the forest, we came face to face with another group of squirrel monkeys. These funny-looking guys are the smallest monkey in Central America and are considered one of the most elusive to spot. We had already seen two groups in one day and it wasn't even lunchtime!

We headed back towards Sirena Ranger Station, with some stops along the way to learn more about the giants of the forest, and the complex root systems that support trees. At this point, Raymond sent us and the Austrian boys back to the station, while he accompanied the German couple back to the boat. We couldn't believe their time was already over, and we were silently thankful for our choice to stay overnight.

Lunch at Sirena Ranger Station

We arrived back at Sirena Ranger Station just before lunch was served at 12 pm. We had 2 hours to eat and rest, before heading back out for one more hike that day.

Lunch was a buffet-style meal served by the kitchen staff, and we were shocked at how huge and delicious it looked! We sat in the communal dining hall, where we had access to drinking water to refill our bottles. Our plates were absolutely loaded with rice, beans, vegetables, salad and some enormous portions of golden fried chicken. In the middle of a remote national park? We were impressed. It tasted good too, and any fears of being left hungry after meals were quickly evaporated! We even had juice included and some fruits for dessert.

We were given our bed assignments for the evening and had some time to move our bags to our beds. Lodging is in large, open-air rooms full of bunk beds. My count was 40 bunk beds, all covered in tight mosquito netting. This made sense, as the capacity for overnight visitors inside Corcovado National Park is just 80 people, and the Sirena Ranger Station is the only place you can stay. I can imagine it would be pretty close quarters if the lodge was full, but luckily we could already tell it was going to be pretty quiet that evening.

The bathroom facilities were clean and spacious, with a handful of separate female and male toilets and showers. I think every time I went to the toilet it had recently been cleaned, and as someone who isn't the biggest fan of communal amenities, I was very comfortable.

Second hike

We geared up again and set off for our second official hike of the day at 2 pm. It wasn't long before we were back under the shade of the canopy, and Raymond was pointing out a new animal. Our first sighting was a chilled-out group of collared peccaries. These pig-like fellas spend most of their time foraging on the forest floor, moving in large groups. The collared species is laidback and easygoing, and they continued on their journey without so much as a second glance our way.

There had been whispers of a boa constrictor back at the lodge, and Raymond took us to find the enormous snake. Curled up on the forest floor, I would have totally missed it if it wasn't for the arrow stencilled into the dirt by a generous guide who had passed before us.

We continued further into the forest, reaching trails we hadn't yet traversed. We spent some time looking for birds and got a great look at a black mandibled toucan, and a busy woodpecker working away on a tree.

We emerged from the trail at the Rio Claro, where Raymond deemed it safe for a swim. After the humidity of the forest, cooling off in the clear waters was heaven!

We got a surprise as we reconnected with the trail, with a snake slithering off right in front of us. Raymond assured us it wasn't venomous, and led us off the path to have a closer look. As Australians, our first instinct when we see a snake is to run in the opposite direction to avoid a deadly bite, so it was amazing to be able to stand close and watch this fascinating creature move.

Raymond directed us ahead of the snake's path, where we stood completely still for a few minutes. He explained that the snake would process our presence, and if we were quiet enough, would realise we weren't a threat and continue on her way. This resulted in the snake slithering right through our group, even checking out the shoe of one of the Austrian boys, before diverting and continuing on her way! I think all our breaths were held, even knowing the snake wasn't venomous.

Check out the video of the snake slithering right past our group and over a shoe on my Instagram stories

The light was fading fast under the dense canopy, and we were slowly heading back towards Sirena Ranger Station. In the middle of a detailed explanation about strangler fig trees, one of the Austrian boys pointed ‘Look, look, it's that thing, with the long nose, you know, the the the…'. In his excitement, he couldn’t spit the name out. But he had seen an anteater!

This was the number one animal I was hoping to see inside Corcovado National Park. I had never seen one before, and I was silently crossing my fingers for a sighting. And here one was, a collared anteater, wandering across the path just metres from us! Raymond stealthily led us in front of the anteater's path, and we got an amazing view as he climbed the tree. He wasn't in any kind of hurry, and we got to admire him from very close for quite a long time. Tick!

As we were still living the hype from the anteater, Raymond stopped in his tracks and set up his telescope. ‘You'll never guess. It's a three-toed sloth!'. Just minutes later, at the end of a long but magical day, we spotted a sloth. I couldn't believe our luck at this point, and we were all truly gobsmacked at how incredible this place was. At this point, I completely understood the National Geographic quote – Corcovado really is the most biologically intense place on Earth.

We emerged out on the beach as the sun was setting, and enjoyed a glow in the sky, before trekking up the airstrip and making it back to Sirena Ranger Station as the last light quickly faded.

Overnight at Sirena Ranger Station

It was 6 pm by the time we arrived at the station, and dinner was being served. We all tucked into another huge meal – rice, beans, mashed potato, veggies, salad and pork ribs. Even cake for dessert! We reflected as a group on the incredible day we'd had, but we didn't chat for long. Eyes were closing involuntarily at this point, and everyone was ready for a shower and bed.

Before arriving, I had visions of card games in the dining room, sitting out on the balcony and looking at the stars… but by 7:30 pm, I was in bed falling asleep reading my book! We had enjoyed a cold but much-needed shower and laid out clothes for the next morning before crawling into our bunks. The lights go out at 8 pm sharp, but I was sound asleep well before then, revelling in the fact that we were two of just 80 people allowed to be inside this special place for the night.

👉🏼 Wondering how you can plan your own visit to Corcovado National Park? Read this post for everything you need to know

Day two Sirena Ranger Station overnight tour

⏰ What day two of our tour looked like…

• 4:00am – alarms and howler monkeys signal the start of the day
• 4:30am – shower and get ready 
• 5:00am – morning coffee listening to the forest wake up 
• 5:30am – head out for morning hike
• 7:30am – return to the station, breakfast, pack bags
• 8:30am – second hike of the day 
• 11:30am – return to the station, pick up bags and continue walking to the boat 
• 1:00pm – board boat to return to Drake 
• 2:30pm – land on the beach at Drake, experience done 

First hike

Our second day at Sirena Ranger Station started early, with a 4 am wake-up call from the howler monkeys, roaring their unearthly howl. The forest slowly came to life, as did its visitors, with different groups slowly crawling out of bed and hobbling towards the bathroom. Coffee was on early in the kitchen, and we enjoyed our morning cuppa watching a group of spider monkeys swinging and playing in a nearby tree.

We were meeting Raymond at 5:30 am for a short hike before breakfast. He explained that today's walks would focus more on birds, trees and the make-up of the rainforest. Of course, we would still be looking for wildlife, but after knocking off some of the ‘big ticket' animals the day prior, Raymond wanted to share some knowledge on the underappreciated, but no less fascinating, parts of the park.

But even if you're not specifically looking, Corcovado delivers on the wildlife! Our first big sighting for the day was a little scary, to say the least… Yesterday we had seen the collared peccaries, but these guys are not the only types of peccary found in Corcovado. The white-lipped peccary is a larger species, and notoriously known for being very aggressive.

Deep into the forest, Raymond caught a whiff of the sour smell peccaries release from a gland. Used to communicate with each other, this strong odour is the first clue you have that peccaries are, or have recently been in the area. My heart skipped a beat, wondering if it would in fact be the white-lipped peccaries. I had read a few nailing-biting stories of visitors being chased in the park, and I was on edge.

Sure enough, just a few paces later, we spotted a herd deeper into the forest. Raymond confirmed they were white-lipped, and we could easily see they were a lot bigger than their friendlier cousins, the collared peccaries.

Over the proceeding few minutes, we stealthily worked our way around the herd, trying to stay behind their path, whilst safely getting a good look. The group were definitely aware we were there, and you could feel their tension. Their crunches and cracking through the forest floor intensified, and they started making an ominous clicking noise. This noise is made by clashing their canine teeth together to warn off potential predators. The noise coming from multiple peccaries echoed around the forest, and it felt like we were surrounded by them on all sides. Raymond encouraged us to be very quiet and still, only moving at his signal. So there wasn't really a lot of communication on what we should do if one decided to turn towards us…

Well, this in fact happened a few minutes later, as Raymond signalled us to move forward, a lone peccary had split off from the group and was approaching us from the back. Brayden quickly stuck me in the middle of the group, and gallantly brought up the rear. Raymond kept us moving forward, and luckily that seemed to appease the peccary, who headed back to the herd. My heart was absolutely racing at this point, and I stuck by Raymond's side as close as I could!

Although scary, I had complete faith that Raymond would handle any situation. After the herd left the area, he explained more about their behaviours, and it was unlikely they would actually attack us, the chase would be more of a scare tactic to get us out of the area and away from their herd. Although my heart was still racing, and I was constantly scanning for the closest tree to climb at all times for the rest of the hike… I don't have any photos or videos from this encounter, I was too terrified to lift up my phone or camera to capture it!

The excitement for the hike didn't stop there, but we had a much less scary surprise. Another Baird's tapir! Out of nowhere, Raymond stopped mid-walk and pointed out a lone, female tapir relaxing in a muddy patch near the river. She was so close, and so calm, completely unphased by our presence. I think I had tears in my eyes at this point, we were so blessed to be in such close proximity to this beautiful and rare creature. A very special way to start the day, and this was before it was even 7 am!

Breakfast at Sirena Ranger Station

We made it back to Sirena Ranger Station just before 8 am, and another huge, delicious meal was waiting for us. I love a typical Costa Rican Tico breakfast, and we had gallo pinto, eggs, plantain, sausage, cheese and crema served up. Don't forget coffee, juice, fruit, yoghurt and muesli – we were eating better in the middle of the forest than we had for weeks!

We had a few minutes to pack up our bags and clear out our beds. We left our things in a locker and met Raymond out the front at 8:30 am for our final hike.

Final hike

As we wandered into the forest for the final time, we counted our lucky stars with the weather. Besides a light drizzle overnight, we hadn't had a drop of rain and nothing but perfect sunny skies. Each time we set out for a hike, I told myself if we could just get through this hike, then it could rain. Well, it was our final one and it still showed no signs of rain!

It wasn't long before we saw a caiman sunbaking in the morning rays on the banks of a river. We could hear the noisy calls of a group of howler monkeys nearby, and we followed the racket. We had snatched glimpses of howlers the previous day, but they were the only monkeys we hadn't had a good lookout. Of course, Corcovado delivered and we came out into a clearing by a river to find a big group lazing on the trees right above us. All four species of monkey in Costa Rica? Check!

We set off deeper into the park, following a new trail towards a section of primary forest. On the way, a lone coati casually crossed the path in front of us. Raymond explained that the males are solitary, whilst the females and babies are always found in large packs. A coati was the last animal I was really hoping to see, another lucky moment. 

We noticed the difference in the trees and plants around us, with a lot more palms. We had entered a section of primary forest, meaning the area had never been cut down or cleared. Trees aging hundreds of years towered above us, with vines as big as branches climbing towards the canopy and strangler fig roots reaching for the forest floor. Raymond taught us some impressive facts about different plants, their symbiotic relationship with each other and animals, and the natural survival instincts they have in their makeup. I am constantly blown away by the complexity and intelligence of nature, and I was again reminded of how in sync our world is.

We came across another group of what looked like spider monkeys at first glance. Upon closer inspection, a lone male coati was hanging out in a tree, and the monkeys were picking on him! It was hilarious watching these two different species interact with each other. The coati held firm, relaxing on his branch – he was there first after all – while the monkeys eyed him off, and made a general ruckus.

Raymond told us we were off on an extra special mission. To visit a cave where a puma occasionally hangs out. We were all ears! We followed Raymond at his usual high-speed pace until he came to a stop at a large tree root. This particular root had a hole in it, and in a matter of seconds, Raymond had disappeared inside!

The opening was very small and very dark, but Raymond beckoned from inside, so we turned on our torches and jumped in. We crawled through a short but very tight space, before emerging in a vast open area. It was impossible to see without a light, and it took me a second to realise, we were inside a tree! Literally, we had crawled inside a hollow tree, at least 40 metres tall. There was plenty of room for all five of us to comfortably stand and look around. Raymond pointed out a few creepy crawlies, some spiders, scorpions and a few sleeping bats. But wow. We were inside a ginormous tree! You can't make this stuff up, and it felt exactly the type of experience you could only have inside Corcovado National Park.

The best way to describe this is by showing you! Check out my Corcovado Instagram stories to see us crawl inside a tree!

After some time resting, learning more about the history of the park, and taking some fun panoramic photos, it was time to return to Sirena Ranger Station for the final time.

Returning to Drake Bay

We made a quick pit stop at the station to collect our bags, and it was straight off again towards the boat. Despite Raymond's desire to make it to the beach quickly in time for the boat, the wildlife wasn't playing along.

Much to our delight, another group were stopped ahead of us on the trail, looking intently through the telescope. ‘Perezoso, dos dedos' said the other guide. A two-toed sloth. We hadn't seen one of them inside the park yet, and it felt like the icing on the cake. He was quite far away, so even through the telescope we saw no more than a patch of fur, but our group collectively claimed the win and added another tick to our list.

While we were looking at the sloth, a group of squirrel monkeys appeared from nowhere and even came down onto the forest floor. Raymond was so patient, despite being in a hurry to get us to the boat, he never rushed our encounters, and let us soak up our final time gazing at these incredible animals!

The trails were crowded as everyone was heading to the beach to catch the boat back to Drake Bay. But this just meant we had spotters in front of us. Not a few steps later, another group pointed out an anteater making his way across the forest floor. Another anteater, you have to be kidding me. I was bursting with sheer joy and gratitude at our luck!

And as a final cherry on top, we walked into a huge group of female and baby coatis! They were scampering across the trail, foraging on both sides of the path, and playing and wrestling. Male coati? Check. Baby coatis? Triple adorable check! They weren't phased by our presence at all, and we were able to observe them up close for a long time.

We finally emerged onto the beach and headed for the water to board the boat. On the way, we noticed some markings in the sand. A guide had circled a paw print. A jaguar! They might be elusive to spot, but it was pretty cool knowing they were around, and so recently too.

It was a smoother entry to the boat this time around, and with the sun still shining on us, we zoomed back towards Drake Bay. The collective attitude was tired, a little smelly, but absolutely beaming. I couldn't wipe the smile off my face and was already feeling nostalgic for the once-in-a-lifetime experience we had just had.

We landed on the beach in Drake Bay, and couldn't believe it when it started raining the second we stepped foot on the sand. We swapped Whatsapp numbers with the Austrian boys and bid farewell to our lovely guide Raymond with much gratitude for sharing this special place with us. I don't like goodbyes, but the intensifying rain forced us to make a quick getaway and close the chapter on Corcovado National Park and Sirena Ranger Station.

I can honestly and wholeheartedly say our experience at Sirena Ranger Station in Corcovado National Park was the best wildlife experience we have had, anywhere in the world. To see so many different animals, in such as short space of time, was truly wonderful. In our opinion, the overnight tour was worth every cent, and we can't recommend Corcovado Information Centre more highly.

If you're interested in planning your own Corcovado adventure to the Sirena Ranger station, be sure to check out our post with all the logistics and planning information here.

Our other Osa Peninsula travel guides

• How to Visit Corcovado National Park
• Drake Bay Costa Rica Travel Guide
• How to Get to Drake Bay Costa Rica
• 10 Best Drake Bay Tours and Activities
• Drake Bay Hiking Trail Guide