Located in the southwestern corner of Costa Rica, the Osa Peninsula is known for the remarkably high diversity of fauna and flora that it harbors. Once an island in the Pacific, the Osa Peninsula evolved in isolation until it merged with mainland Costa Rica two million years ago by way of the same fault line that extends to California. As one of the last places in Costa Rica to be settled, this iconic peninsula is almost entirely covered with lush primary rainforests.

With Golfo Dulce to the east, Drake Bay to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west, the peninsula is surrounded by waters that contain important aggregation areas for marine mammals including humpback whales, Bryde’s whales, bottlenose dolphins, and spotted dolphins. Various beaches around the peninsula also serve as nesting sites for green, Olive Ridley, hawksbill, and vulnerable leatherback sea turtles.