Rio Oro Wildlife Refuge Costa Rica

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Rio Oro Wildlife Refuge Costa Rica was created to protect the mouth of the river and beach areas on the southern Osa Peninsula in the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica.

Through this refuge the government pretends to ensure the perpetuity of species typical to the area, their populations and habitats, as well as providing an opportunity to perform different activities of scientific, educational and recreational values, as long as they do not jeopardize the main objectives of the refuge.

Rio Oro National Wildlife Refuge has the same weather that prevails in the Osa Peninsula, with an average temperature of 25ºC (70ºF), which results in a very humid evergreen forest with heavy rains, making it one of the wettest places in the world. Rainfall is abundant throughout the year, and in the months of October and November it can rain more than 700 mm.

There are no public facilities at Rio Oro National Wildlife Refuge. Other nearby Costa Rican parks include Rio Piro National Wildlife Refuge, Lagunazul National Wildlife Refuge, Pejeperro National Wildlife Refuge, Golfo Dulce Forest Reserve, Osa National Wildlife Refuge and Corcovado National Park.

Getting to Rio Oro Wildlife Refuge:

From San Jose, take the Pan-American Highway south, towards Panama. At the town of Rio Claro, take the exit to Puerto Jimenez. The refuge is 22 km south of Puerto Jimenez. The total trip from San Jose takes about 7 hours.

By bus

You can take a bus from the route San Jose – Puerto Jimenez, which takes about 8 hours (Transportes Blanco, 2771-4744). From here you can rent a car and drive, take a taxi or another bus from the route Puerto Jimenez – Carate beach, making the stop at Rio Oro Wildlife Refuge.

You can also take a bus from the route San Jose – Golfito, which takes about 8 hours (Tracopa-Alfaro, 2221-4214). From here you can rent a car and drive or take a taxi to Rio Oro Wildlife Refuge. In both cases we recommend buying the ticket a day earlier to be sure your seat is saved.

By plane:

You can also take a flight from the Juan Santamaria Airport to the Golfito or Puerto Jimenez Airports, either with Sansa or Aerobell Airlines, both with daily flights. From here you can rent a car and drive or take a taxi to Rio Oro Wildlife Refuge, which takes about 30 minutes.

Location: Osa Peninsula in southern Puntarenas, district: Guaycará, canton: Golfito, province: Puntarenas, Costa Rica. Zone postal code: 60703.
Puerto Jimenez GPS Coordinates: 8.535819,-83.303914 (8°32’08.95″N, 83°18’14.09″W)
Size: 39 ha (96 acres)
Osa Conservation Area (ACOSA) Telephone: +(506) 2735-5580 / 2735-5276
INFOTUR Tourist Information: 1192

Address map: Click here to view directions from Juan Santamaria International Airport (SJO), Alajuela, Costa Rica TO Rio Oro Wildlife Refuge, Puntarenas, Costa Rica at Google Maps