Casa Nirvanita - A Little Biological Jewel by the Sea

“WHEN IT COMES TO HAVING A NICE NATURE ADVENTURE:
IT’S ALL ABOUT LOCATION.
COME JOIN US AT NIRVANITA DE OSA, THE BEST OVERALL LOCATION IN BAHIA DRAKE”

Casa Nirvanita is the main home at Nirvanita de Osa, our family's little biological jewel since 1981. The house is located in front of the beach, in the last cove to the southwest of Drake Bay, on the Southern Pacific coast of Costa Rica.
Nirvanita de Osa is a beautiful 23 hectare (57 acre) property, which enjoys 440 meters of oceanfront ,and 4 clear streams that flow from the farm to the sea year-round (3,75 are born on the property).

There are about 3 hectares (7.5 acres) of various fruit trees including Mango, Rambutan, Starfruit, Mamey, Colombian Zapote, 2 types of Breadfruit, Malaysian Water Apple, Arazá, Fruta Milagrosa, 3 types of Bananas, Oranges, Cashews, 5 types of Coconuts; , and other crops.(Availability depends on time of the year and wildlife competition);
There are mature tropical gardens, and about 3 Hectares of 50 year old secondary rainforest. The rest is composed of some of the Osa Peninsula's famous Primary Tropical rainforest (reputed to be one of the world's tallest) which is connected by forest to Corcovado National Park a few miles away.

The house which is about 410 M2; was designed by us and our architect to provide a simple, ample, open, luxurious shelter, that blends with the beautiful surroundings, and works well with the ocean, surrounding trees, and streams to stay cool and comfortable.
It has a natural Air conditioning system by roof water mist cooling which we rarely use, as the house stays cool from the ocean breezes that flow thru it and the huge trees that surround and shade it.

It is a unique beach front home located 70 Mts from the sand at Las Caletas Beach, and conveniently located to all the other beaches, islands, parks, and all other adventures available in Drake Bay, and Bahia Ballena.

The house has in the first floor the kitchen, living ,and ,dinning rooms and a full bathroom. in the second floor you will find the 3 bedrooms with one king and 2 queen beds and private full bathrooms on each, which have very beautiful ocean or forest views from every room. (there are 2 double sofa beds and 2 large cots that can be used in any of the bedrooms)

It has been powered by a combination of Micro-Hydro and Solar for many years, but it was recently connected to the grid for back-up and energy storage.

Our house is open, with only half walls (which can be shuttered) and no screens (although all the beds have quality net canopies which we rarely have to use). All in all, our house is very much a part of the natural surroundings.
Nature lovers love our house, but if you are not comfortable with the great outdoors, this is probably not the vacation spot for you.

It is a place to disconnect, (There is 3g internet but it is available 70-90% of the time and sometimes slooow),

Casa Nirvanita is a place to practice or train in some serious Hammockology, relax, unwind, and enjoy the peace, natural beauty, and serenity.

There are a couple of Kayaks for your enjoyment. (1 single, 1 double), .

We can help you arranging tours such as : Horseback riding, night forest walks, Boats and guides to take you Whale and dolphin watching, to Corcovado or Isla del Caño National Parks, sports fishing, or any of the other fun and adventure activities available in the area at no extra cost to you.

The Osa Peninsula has been called by some botanists the 'Galapagos of Mesoamerica' due to its great diversity in plant and animal species. The Osa most probably has many more secrets to reveal about its flora and fauna, since only about 75% of the species believed to exist here have been recorded.

With its unique climate, unlike that of any other area for hundreds of miles in any direction, The Osa harbors up to 500 different species of trees of which at least 4 species only exist in the Osa peninsula making it very important to keep the forest intact.

The Osa Peninsula has the single largest expanse of a lowland tropical rainforest in the Pacific coast of Central America and is reputed to have one of the tallest tropical rain forests in the world.

The Osa Peninsula is one of the most biologically diverse places on earth. The home of over, 375 species of birds (including several endemic species), It has the largest population of Scarlet Macaws in Central America, 117 species of reptiles, and over 10,000 species of insects.

Flocks of macaws, toucans, parrots, monkeys of four different types, coatis, kinkajous, agoutis, and sloths can be seen often.

Peccaries, and from time to time even jungle cats (like pumas, jaguarundis, ocelots and very rarely jaguars) can be spotted by the careful observer.

Drake Bay

Drake Bay (Bahia Drake) lies on the northern end of the Osa Peninsula in the Puntarenas province. Probably one of the most well known destinations in the region, the tiny town of Agujitas in the bay was actually one of the most in-accessible places in the entire country for many years but that has changed recently.

There is a small modern airport in the bay with several daily flights from San Jose, and Puerto Jimenez.

Several daily public boats now make the beautiful 90 minute trip from Sierpe in the morning about 11 Am, and 1, about 3PM, and we can hep you arrange a private boat with the best capitains for your group that will drop you off right infront of the house for about $225.00.

The road access to the bay from the Golfo Dulce is long but beautiful, and passable year around and now you can drive all the way to the house but it does require a 4wd with good ground clearance..

You can take a day trip to Drake Bay, but at least 3-7 days are recommended.

After being '¨discovered¨by Sir Francis Drake in 1579 during his circumnavigation of the globe, Drake Bay has now become the gateway to Isla del Caño island and Corcovado National Park.

There are plenty of outdoor activities in the area including ocean kayaking, river canoeing, horseback riding, hiking, surfing, swimming, snorkeling, scuba diving, and zip lines. Bird watching and photography are also very popular around the bay and beaches. Caño island offers some of the best snorkeling and scuba diving in all of Costa Rica.

Nirvanita de Osa is probably the most beautiful and most private beachfront property in Drake Bay.

Humpback whales from the southern hemisphere are here from August to October, and whales from the northern hemisphere come later and remain longer from December to April.

The song of the Humpback Whale is a very unique phenomenon in nature. The male emits a melody of series of unique sounds that resemble musical instruments. The male may sing for close to 15 minutes, and when his song is complete, he usually repeats the song almost exactly the same for sometimes up to an hour. These marvelous songs will travel through the ocean for up to several kilometers, so this fascinating behavior may be heard while swimming, snorkeling, or diving in around Marino Ballena National Park, Corcovado National Park, and Drake Bay.

During this two separate Drake Bay Whale watching seasons each year, you may see and interact with some of the various beautiful Whales and Dolphins that migrate to the warm waters around Drake Bay to calve their young. Many of the Humpback whales in the world are conceived or are born in the waters of the Osa Peninsula.

Whale sightings are common in the waters of the Osa Region to Puerto Jimenez in the southern part of the peninsula. The peak Whale observation months are January thru April, followed closely by July thru October. Nutrient rich and warm Osa Peninsula waters also draw Sperm whales, Pilot whales, Bryde whales, Killer whales, and False killer whales.

Large Dolphin schools with many species can be seen at play in the waters of the park, Drake Bay, the Golfo Dulce, and the near by continental shelf.

Corcovado National Park:

FORBES MAGAZINE HAS NAMED CORCOVADO NATIONAL PARK AS ONE OF THE 'TOP 10 MOST BEAUTIFUL PARKS IN THE WORLD'

The 41,000 hectare Corcovado National Park is known as the crown jewel of the Costa Rican national parks system. It protects 13 major eco-system habitats including a montane forest, which covers mo than half the park, a cloud forest, located in the highest region, richly populated by oak trees and tree ferns, swamp forests, flooded practically all year round, a yolillo forest, predominated by palms, a mangrove swamp, located on the estuaries of the Corcovado, Llorona, and Sirena Rivers, and a freshwater herbaceous swamp. The park lands are home to some 500 species of trees, an amount equivalent to a quarter of all the tree species in Costa Rica. Corcovado National Park contains approximately 140 species of mammals, an estimated 375 species of birds, 117 amphibian and reptile species, 40 types of freshwater fish, and it is estimated that there are some 6,000 types of insects. All four Costa Rican monkey species can be seen within the park, including the endangered squirrel monkey, white faced capuchin, mantled howler, and spider monkey. Other mammals include two and three-toed sloth, northern tamandua, the silky anteater, agoutis, tayras, and coatimundi. There is a large variety of bird species with trogons, tiger herons, guans, hawks, tanagers, parrots, toucans and two distinct macaw species. All four of the sea turtle species that nest in Costa Rica visit the beaches of Corcovado as well. Over 40 species of frogs including red-eyed tree, rain, glass, dink, and poison dart varieties, dozens of snakes including a variety of boas, and the bushmaster, 28 species of lizards, and more than 100 species of butterflies call the Osa Peninsula home.