Corcovado National Park
Corcovado is one of the most remote national parks in Costa Rica, and by far its most rich biologically.
Corcovado National Park Regulations
The trail from Los Patos to Sirena can only be hiked with a guide.
The trail from Sirena to San Pedrillo is closed in rainy season (normally it opens from December to April).
It is not possible to rent the canoes on the Rio Sirena.
It is not possible to leave any rangers station after dark and, thus, it is not possible to do night tours.
The Hiking Trails
There are three hiking trails in Corcovado that link Sirena Biological Station with the outlying stations:
Los Patos to Sirena
This inland trail is 17 kilometers (11 miles) long, and passes through the heart of Corcovado, from Los Patos Rangers Station in the northeast, to Sirena Biological Station in the southwest. It is a beautiful trail that meanders through the Parks luxuriant and majestic rainforests the whole way. The wildlife can be rich along this trail, usually its possible see monkeys, agoutis, coatis, colorful birds and variety of reptiles.
Sirena to La Leona and Carate
This coastal trail is 19 kilometers (12 miles) long, and follows the scenic coast of the park southeast to La Leona Station, and from there to Carate. This trail meanders through coastal forest and along deserted beaches.
Sirena to San Pedrillo
This is an awesome trail! At 25 kilometers (16 miles) long, it’s the longest trail in Corcovado, and undertaken by only a few of the hardiest hikers. This trail is open to hikers only from December to April (the dry season), because the rivers en route are often in spate in the rainy season, and fording them is impossible. We recommend hire a guide.
From Sirena the first 18 kilometers (11 miles) of this trail is all beach, which offers no shade from the searing tropical sun, and no water. Three tidal estuaries intersect this beach section of the trail: The Rio Sirena at the beginning, the Rio Llorona at the end, and the Rio Corcovado in the middle. They can only be forded at, or near low tide: What is a knee deep, 50 meter crossing at low tide, changes to a 4 meter deep, 150 meter crossing at high tide. Added to this difficulty is the fact that these estuaries are home to bull sharks and large crocodiles!!
But, at what time you depart Sirena Station to hike this trail is dependent upon the tides: Tides here advance by 50 minutes a day.
The remaining 7.5 kilometers (4.5 miles) of this trail to San Pedrillo enters what has been described as the most majestic area of tropical rainforest in Central America. The trees here are huge, some towering to 75 meters (250 feet).
The Stations and services
Los Patos
Los Patos is the eastern entry point to Corcovado, and is the only inland Station currently open to visitors. It is a small station set a forest clearing. Camping only there. Currently there are no meals served Los Patos and visitors must provision themselves. Flush toilets, showers and potable water are provided.
La Leona
La Leona the southern gateway to Corcovado. It is beautifully situated on a long expanse beach, 3.5 kilometers (2 miles) from Carate, where the coastal road from Puerto Jimenez ends. Camping only here, and currently no food is served. Visitors must provision themselves. The station does have flush toilets, showers and potable water.
San Pedrillo
San Pedrillo Station is the northern gateway to Corcovado, and its stunning situation on the rugged north coast of the Peninsula make it the most beautiful station in the Park. The same services provided as the two stations mentioned above.
Sirena Biological Station
Sirena Biological Station is by far the largest station in the Corcovado, and the focal point for visitors to the Park. It is the only station situated on the Corcovado plain, where wildlife is at its most dense. Sirena is close to the coast and can be accessed by foot, plane or boat. A grassy runway runs from the station to the coast. Meals are served at Sirena and dormitory accommodation provided. However, these services are limited and must be reserved in advance and well in advance as demand is high! Sirena has flush toilets, showers and potable water, and also provides for campers.
Poker In South America
South America has not been typically thought of as a hotbed of poker activity. While there have been some strong Costa Rican players who are very well known in playing video poker online, there has been little talk historically about poker experts from places like Brazil or Uruguay. However, in 2008, the online poker website PokerStars set about to change all that by introducing the Latin American Poker Tour.
How the Latin American Poker Tour contributes to Poker in South America?
The idea behind the Latin American Poker tour, as behind the European Poker Tour (also sponsored by PokerStars) and the World Poker Tour before it, is to bring high stakes poker tournaments to different places all over the world, in this case, in Central and South America. While you don’t have to be Latin to play in an LAPT event, it is hoped that more Latin Americans will be encouraged to play in tournaments that are in or near their own home countries, and those countries in turn will be inspired to feature more poker year round.
Poker in South America Locales for the LAPT
The first season of the Latin American Poker Tour featured events in Rio de Janiero, Brazil, San Jose, Costa Rica and Punta del Este, Uruguay. The main events drew a total of over one thousand entrants, not bad for a part of the world that is relatively unfamiliar with poker. Season Two, which ran from November 2008 to April of 2009, featured four events, retaining the San Jose and Punta del Este events, and adding events in Vina del Mar, Chile and Mar del Plata, Argentina. Again, all of the events together garnered over a thousand players, giving PokerStars ample reason to feature a third season of the LAPT, which is still in the planning stages.
Future of Poker in South America
While Poker in South America is still in its infancy, the appearance of the LAPT could escalate things fast. The European Poker Tour was founded in 2004, and in 2008, we had a European World Series of Poker main event champion. Who knows, in a few years, it may be a Brazilian or Argentinean claiming the title of World Champion of Poker so from every now and then better get to check some online casino reviews to find out more about who could be the future champions in this gaming industry.
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