Costa Rica Guide
The Central Pacific and southern Nicoya
The Karen Mogensen Reserve
The wildlife-rich REFUGIO DE VIDA SILVESTRE KAREN MOGENSEN, 57km north of Curú and 20km southeast of Playa Naranjo, offers the most rewarding eco-tourism experience on the southern Nicoya Peninsula. This nine-square-kilometre patch of primary and secondary dry-humid tropical forest functions as both a private reserve and tourist lodge and has become the most crucial link in an expanding biological corridor that runs between Cabo Blanco, 85km south at the end of the peninsula, and Parque Nacional Barra Honda, 50km north in Guanacaste. Named after the late Karen Mogensen, the Danish conservationist who was instrumental in creating Cabo Blanco, the reserve was established in 1996 by the local not-for-profit ASEPALECO ( 
650-0607, 
www.asepaleco.com ) – a name that references the peninsula's three main towns, Paquerea, Lepanto and Cóbano.
Fence removal, tree planting and natural regeneration has returned this former patch of farmland into a fully functioning jungle eco-system. Many of the peninsula's farmers have embraced the project, preserving pockets of forest on their own properties to help create a vital corridor for migrating birds and animals. Along with the privately owned forest terrain, it's estimated that the Karen Mogensen Reserve forms a protected zone of close to 60 square kilometres.
Of vital ecological importance, the headwaters of rivers providing drinking water for five nearby towns originate here. The reserve is also home to one of the most breathtaking waterfalls in the country – the 18m Catarata Velo de Novia (Bridal Veil Falls), which cascades down a rounded cliffside before dropping to a deep, turquoise swimming hole. Endangered plant species such as rónrón, mahogany, teak and ebony grow in the reserve, while white-faced and howler monkeys abound, and deer roam the forest, preyed on by elusive pumas. More than 240 species of birds have been spotted, including great curassows, motmots, long-tailed manakins, spectacles owls and three-wattled bellbirds.
Private transportation to the reserve can be arranged through ACTUAR ( 248-9470, www.actuarcostarica.com ). Travelling independently, the reserve is best accessed from the village of San Ramón de Río Blanco, 16km southwest of Jicaral by rough road. ASEPALECO can organize transport from Jicaral, while taxis charge around $22 to the reserve entrance. Ferries leave Puntarenas for Playa Naranja daily at 6am, 10am, 2.20pm and 7pm and take 90 minutes ($7); the bus for Jicaral (20km northwest of Playa Naranja) meets the ferry. Daily buses leave San José for Jicaral (four hours) from C 12, Av 7/9 at 6am and 4pm and return from Jicaral at 4.40am and 2.30pm. If driving from San José, take the Interamericana north for 130km to Limonal; turn west at La Amistad bridge and drive a further 25km to Jicaral.
Visitors who want to spend the night in the Karen Mogensen Reserve can stay at the remote but comfortable 
Cerro Escondido Lodge ( 650-0607 or 248-9470 for English, www.asepaleco.com or www.actuarcostarica.com ; Price: $76-100), featuring four solar-powered cabins with private cold-water bathrooms and wide balconies. The adjacent open-air restaurant serves delicious buffet-style meals, and at night local musicians provide entertainment. Getting to Cerro Escondido is half the adventure, as it is only accessible by either a 3km uphill hike from the village of San Ramón de Río Blanco or a one-hour horse-ride from the town of Montaña Grande, 6km northeast; due to the effort involved, visitors are encouraged to stay at least two nights. ASEPALECO can store excess luggage in their office in the town of Jicaral. The temperature drops a few degrees on the mountain at night, so be sure to pack something warm and waterproof. Rubber boots are essential, as you'll be crossing five rivers on the hike up to the lodge; the reserve office can supply them for average sizes.
Five kilometres of well-maintained hiking trails run through the reserve, leading to lookouts with jaw-dropping views of the Gulf of Nicoya as well as to Catarata Velo de Novia, where visitors can enjoy a refreshing dip. With prior notice, it's also possible to hire a local guide to hike to Paquera, an eight-to-nine-hour journey. Rates include three meals and the services of a local guide, and all money from tourism is reinvested in purchasing more land and planting trees. Volunteers ($10 a day, including food and accommodation) are also welcome to help carry food, clean cabins, maintain trails, plant trees and collect seeds from the forest.