Costa Rica Living in the Sierpe River Area – The secret harbor

The Sierpe River on the Northern border of the Osa Peninsula in the Southwest of Costa Rica is well known for a number of reasons.

One thing it is not widely known for is it’s value as a sea harbor of the Pacific Ocean. If you own a property with access to the Sierpe River, you have access to the Pacific Ocean.

The Sierpe River is a deep water river that is navigable for thirty miles with boats up to 60 feet long, in any tide. It is a tidal river which can makes you wonder if you drank too much when you see it flowing the opposite direction the morning after.

The river begins at Lake Sierpe and wanders through palm fields, rain forest and mangroves on its journey to the big blue Pacific Ocean.

Boat traffic has increased in the last few years as the river is the main highway between the town of Sierpe and the ever increasing number of resorts on the ocean and in Drake Bay.

Most of the traffic is down stream from Sierpe and still very minimal. Passengers and captains always wave to each other as they pass other boats. If you travel early in the morning between Sierpe and the mouth of the river you may not see another boat in the 15 miles of beautiful river.

Ticos are often seen paddling of putting along in boats with tiny motors on their way to town to do their business or bring children to school.

Generally speaking the boat captains driving larger boats will slow down and minimize their wake for the smaller family boats. Up river from the town of Sierpe the river is quiet and very tranquil for an additional 15 miles.

I have been up and down this river at least 100 times and I always love the trip. It is truly beautiful with mountain views, wild life including, crocodiles, birds of all types, turtles, fish and raccoons.

As it nears the ocean it splits into two separate mouths and becomes a maze of channels through the largest mangrove preserve in Central America.

Bring your camera and make sure you can get to it for the journey down the Sierpe River, it is certainly a large part of the fun of getting there.

When traveling to the various resorts on the pristine beaches, Drake Bay, Cano Island, Corcovado National Park, San Josecito or just fishing or scuba diving, you will need to go through the ‘boca‘, mouth of the river.

Most of the time the boca is smooth sailing and you just pass through carefully and easily. Occasionally when the tide is low and still going out and there are large swells, it becomes dangerous or maybe un-passable.

It can be “bravo” which is CostaRican Spanish for angry. With big waves breaking on the sandbar making it impossible to get through.

If you come to Southern Costa Rica, don’t miss a trip down the spectacular Sierpe River.

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Written by Jim Cameron.

If you are an adventurer and are seriously interested in buying Costa Rica real estate in the Sierpe River area, you can:

Andrew Makarik

to@welovecostarica.com

Andrew Makarik is the main editor of WeLoveCostaRica, a fan of this sunny country. He is also a loving husband and a has a lovely daughter. By being a devoted family man and the biggest Costa Rica fan, he wants to make more people feel at home there. WeLoveCostaRica unites people and helps them find new home or a new travel destination. This website is a friendly community where everyone can find not only information, but also new friends and travel pals. Andrew is also passionate about IT and programming, so he himself maintains a friendly atmosphere in this cozy environment of WeLoveCostaRica.com.