No menu items!

COSTA RICA'S LEADING ENGLISH LANGUAGE NEWSPAPER

HomeTopicsBusinessCorcovado Foundation opens budget hostel in Osa Peninsula

Corcovado Foundation opens budget hostel in Osa Peninsula

Courtesy the Corcovado Foundation
Courtesy the Corcovado Foundation

Budget travelers, rejoice: Visiting the Southern Zone just got a lot more affordable, thanks to Drake Bay Backpackers, a nonprofit hostel recently opened in Corcovado. Conceived of by the Corcovado Foundation, a sustainability-conscious NGO, founders hope the hostel will attract a new wave of visitors – and help environmental stewardship.

“All proceeds of this hostel are destined to help us support our sea turtle conservation and environmental education program in Drake Bay,” wrote Alejandra Monge, executive director of the foundation, in an email to The Tico Times.

Historically, the living space has accommodated foundation volunteers, and the hostel is actually based in the foundation’s camp on the Osa Peninsula, where guests have gathered, trained and donated their labor since 2003. Now the space will be open to any traveler, who may sleep there for as little as $10 per night.

Courtesy the Corcovado Foundation
Courtesy the Corcovado Foundation

“We have volunteers here helping the community to protect the sea turtles between July and December,” said Rob James, director of the foundation’s sea turtle program, in a statement. “But the rest of the year the building is empty. It seemed like an obvious opportunity to generate income for our environmental programs and promote responsible tourism at the same time.”

As many Drake Bay veterans know, the region is filled with expensive resorts and upscale eco-lodges, and it is difficult for shoestring travelers to stay in the area for a reasonable price. Even reaching the Osa Peninsula requires either a day-long bus ride or a somewhat costly NatureAir flight. For travelers counting their colones, the new hostel will offer bunk beds ($10-15), private rooms ($20-25), a homestay ($30, including three meals), and even the option to camp ($5). The homestay program is an extension of the foundation’s volunteer network, giving travelers the chance to stay with local residents.

“Because we don’t have to focus on profits, we are able to offer [lodging] at a much cheaper rate than the larger hotels,” added James.

Guests will have access to the same amenities that volunteers have enjoyed for years: a community kitchen, hot showers, free WiFi, a library, a video projector and cinema screen, hammocks, laundry service and a “chill-out zone” for sultry afternoons. Because the foundation was partly established to encourage ecotourism, guests may sign up for community visits, hiking tours, scuba diving and whale-watching excursions.

For information and directions about Drake Bay Backpackers, visit the hostel’s official website.

Trending Now

UN Denounces Guatemala Over ‘Inhuman’ Indigenous Evictions

The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing, Balakrishnan Rajagopal, called on the Guatemalan government on Friday to halt the “inhuman”...

El Salvador at Center of Controversial U.S.-Venezuela Detainee Exchange

Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele received the 10 Americans exchanged on Friday between Washington and Caracas for 252 Venezuelans who had spent four months in...

Keylor Navas Joins Pumas UNAM in Major Liga MX Transfer

Keylor Navas has agreed to become the new goalkeeper for Pumas UNAM, marking one of the biggest signings in recent Liga MX history. The...

Panama Farmer Receives Land Title After 60-Year Wait at Age 109

A 109-year-old Panamanian farmer has received the land title for the property where he lives and works—six decades after first requesting it from the...

Costa Rican Lottery Official Investigated in Money Laundering Case

Another money laundering case has shaken Costa Rica. Following a series of raids that dismantled a laundering network operating through legal and illegal lottery...

Cosby Show Star Malcolm-Jamal Warner Dies in Costa Rica Drowning Accident

Malcolm-Jamal Warner passed away at 54 from an accidental drowning. He gained fame as Theo Huxtable on "The Cosby Show," playing the son in...
spot_img
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Coffee Maker Chorreador
Costa Rica Travel Insurance
Costa Rica Rocking Chait
Costa Rica Travel

Latest News from Costa Rica