A Week in the Jungle: Cabo Matapalo, Costa Rica
Shaun had been to Cabo Matapalo on the Osa Peninsula in southern Costa Rica a handful of times growing up, and we finally planned a trip (my first time) there in April 2021. I had heard all about it for years and was so excited to finally see the jungle for myself!Matapalo is out there. From the largest airport in Costa Rica, San Jose, it's at least a 6 hour drive. (We broke up the drive and spent 1 night in Playa Hermosa en route, which I definitely suggest doing.) The drive is fairly easy, all typical highways and paved roads – until the last hour. The final town you'll hit is Puerto Jimenez, and you'll want to stock up here before continuing... the final stretch is an hour drive on an extremely bumpy dirt/rock road with occasional river crossings. Puerto Jimenez has one major grocery store (and gas stations, and a few restaurants etc.) so definitely pre-plan what you need to stock up your house/Airbnb rental (gallons of bottled water!!) – otherwise you'll be driving this brain-rattling 2 hour round trip again.
As of April 2021, there were still a handful of river crossing and the status of the road from Puerto Jimenez to Matapalo was quite rough. However, we did see a few spots of active construction that looked like they were building bridges over the rivers, and we heard rumors of them paving the road entirely. I'm curious when that construction completes and how it will effect tourism in Matapalo. We plan to come back in 2022 and I'll update!
The final, final section of the road (when you turn off the main dirt road) you'll make a hard left turn onto what doesn't even remotely look like a road, but this is the final stretch to reach the beaches (and surf spots) like Playa Pan Dulce and Backwash. Gorgeous rental homes with huge private gates are spotted along this final stretch. You'll definitely need a car with 4X4 for the drive from Puerto to Matapalo to get past the boulders that make up the "road".
Out in the Matapalo "town" - if you can call it that - there is not a single store, gas station, or convenience shop. However there is one main restaurant/bar called Martina's! Once a week there's a simple craft and art fair in the parking lot and all the locals gather to have a good time with a drink in hand! You won't find any menus here, the owner literally makes up the menu each evening and writes the five or so options for the day on the chalkboard behind the bar. I did find it a bit expensive compared to the rest of the meals we've had in Costa Rica, but it makes sense given the monopoly on dining options in the area. A meal ranged from $18-25 USD.
There's also one major resort in the area, Lapa Rios Lodge, situated high above the beach on the jungle cliffside. They also have a beautiful restaurant but because we went during covid, it was limited to in-house guests only. Lapa Rios is a National Geographic Unique Lodge of the world, which was exciting to us because we stayed at another Nat Geo Unique Lodge during our time in Morocco, at the Kasbah du Toubkal - read more about that here!
We saw a handful of signs for other boutique resorts and lodges that probably had additional dining options, but we didn't explore any while we were there. We stocked up on groceries in Puerto upon arrival, actually drove back one time to stock up again, and ate at Martina's one night.
Although it wasn't a National Geographic Unique Lodge, we did stay in a super unique open-air Airbnb in the jungle, which was quite the experience! The bungalow was a two-story A-frame house with no walls - literally zero exterior barrier. It was super cute and well stocked, but it was definitely like we were camping. We knew what we were signing up for because the listing was super accurate, but I guess we underestimated the bugs and critters that we would inevitably be cohabiting with. But, it was surrounded by wildlife and endless open land, with a private trail that led you straight to the beach. Read more about that experience here!
There's not much to do in Matapalo except relax, explore wildlife, and spend time at the beach or go surf. And that's the beauty of it. It's the most slowed-down lifestyle I've experience in a while, and at first I was taken aback (ie. what are we going to do here for a whole week?) but I quickly gave in to the experience and enjoyed my time unplugged (barely any wifi at the bungalow). The weather in April was super hot but mostly cloudy. I'm a sun worshipper so I definitely complained on the cloudy days, but as soon as we got a full-sun day you'd want the clouds to return because the heat is brutal! The rainy season is May - November, which Shaun says is beautiful but prepare and beware of passing storms if you go in the summer/fall.
My absolute most favorite thing about this trip was the wildlife. There is an insane amount of creatures in the trees above you, whether you can see them or not! As soon as you take a moment of quiet to look up, you're sure to find a monkey peering back down at you. This was my favorite part of each day, we would go on a "wildlife walk" and simply bring the camera and walk up and down the rocky roads of Matapalo looking to add another animal onto our list. See all the photos we captured and learn about all the wildlife in this dedicated post.
It's not too common that Shaun and I feel so enamored with a travel spot that we want to go back the very next year, but we are in fact plotting a return to Matapalo in 2022! We want to soak it up as it is right now, mostly untouched and raw with wildlife, before the construction completes and mega tourism inevitably eats away at it's beauty.
Watch my highlight reel of the entire trip here! (3 min 40 second video)
