The history of the Osa Peninsula is steeped in mystery, and at one time this biologically intense place was a part of the ocean floor. However, as the volcanoes continued to erupt and the tectonic plates collided, an unbroken land bridge between North and South America formed, and the Osa Peninsula rose above the surface of the water for the very first time. The land bridge between these two vast continents is in large part responsible for the incredibly high biodiversity found in this area.

Humans have visited the Osa Peninsula as far back as 6,000 BC, and various indigenous groups such as the Chiriqui and Borucas hunted in the lush rainforest of the peninsula. Some 20 years after Christopher Columbus landed on the beach near Limon (1502), explorer Gil Gonzalez Davila meets a local cacique or tribal chief named Osa, hence the name of the peninsula. Then in 1569, Sir Francis Drake visits the shores of the Osa and was alleged to have buried a treasure somewhere along the coastline that has yet to be discovered. As the next couple of centuries passed, the Osa became a place that time forgot.

In 1848, Costa Rica became a Republic, and around that time, a colony of Panamanians were the first to migrate to the area around the Golfo Dulce. The President of Costa Rica sent a mission of colonists to compete. At that time, cattle became king and the original village of the Osa Peninsula, Santo Domingo, began to take root. In 1910, the town changed its name in honor of the first president to ever visit the Osa Peninsula, Ricardo Jimenez. The settlers of the Osa processed and sold coconut derivatives and other local produce to passing steamships.

Also around this time, the Osa was gaining a reputation as a place to drop off criminals in the most remote locations of the peninsula. The natural barriers of the area isolated these lawless individuals to a life of fending for themselves in the wilds of the last frontier. In the 1930’s, gold is discovered on the Osa. This is where myth and storytelling shade the truth. Some say it was the criminals who discovered the valuable metal; while others say it was a settler who found gold dust in a shell on the beach. Whatever the truth might be, the Osa was now gaining notoriety as the last frontier, which was lawless, and full of opportunity.

In 1938, Puerto Jimenez had grown into a slightly larger and less demure frontier town gaining an airstrip with passenger flights to San Jose. In the 1950s, the Puerto Jimenez town center was moved to its present location. “In those days the streets were grass,” says Anita Polanco, who initially arrived on the Osa in the late 1930’s in search of gold. “It was a very small place, and all the families knew each other. There were the Quintero, the Ceballos, the Aguirres, the Chavarria, the Pinzon family, the Lezcano, the Franceschi, some 25 families…. “  

Between 1962 and 1973, over a thousand scientists visited a tropical research outpost stationed in Rincon. Their environmental land use studies, along with conservation-oriented activity, soon provoked a revolutionary shift on the Osa. But in the early 1970’s, things started to heat up on the Osa Peninsula. Control of its natural resources was at the center of the battle, and there were many different players involved; original settlers, gold miners, scientists, the Costa Rican government, and corporations looking for profits.

By 1975, the settler’s situation worsened. Chris Vaughn, one of the scientists, wrote at the time…. “not one square meter in the Corcovado plain or in the nearby hills was not marked with boundary lines and claimed by an owner.” In October 1975, President Oduber signed a decree exchanging lands of the Osa Corcovado Basin for territories of the surrounding Baldios Nacionales. On the same day, he signed a decree establishing “Parque Nacional Corcovado” in the Corcovado Basin… and a paper park was created. Corcovado National Park Included extensions in 1978, 1980, and 1985.

The 1980’s brought more trouble, as the Osa exploded with a perfect storm of calamities that included: the collapse of the banana business in the gulf with widespread unemployment; the spillover from the wars of Nicaragua, El Salvador, and the contagious narco-militarism of Panama; gold peaked at atmospheric levels and another gold rush began.

In 1895, Alvaro Ugalde (The Director of the National Parks) asked President Monge to declare the Osa in a state of emergency, and the University of Pennsylvania biologist, Dan Janzen, was asked to conduct a study on the impact of gold mining in and around the park. It was his recommendation that led to the complete eviction of miners in 1986.

The government of Costa Rica at this time started to tie its economic future to the relatively new concept of ecotourism. And, with that Costa Rica became one of the world’s most prominent examples of sustainable development. In the 1990’s , the last of the big mining companies left the Osa, and the first full-service eco-lodges on the peninsula started to develop. Over the last 25 years, the peninsula has succeeded in not only conserving its reputation as “the most biologically intense place on earth,” but also growing a sustainable tourism approach to this magical place.

Robin Williams came to the Osa in 1998 and purchased a cattle farm next to the town of Puerto Jimenez. In 1999 construction started, and the original lodge opened at the end of that year. His two sons, Beau and Cory, joined the staff a few years later. Beau and Cory opened the next chapter for Crocodile Bay and worked on the development of Botanika which opened its’ doors in May 2011. Botanika’s accommodations with premium amenities complimented with Crocodile Bay’s fishing and Eco Excursions make this a must visit destination.