Puerto Jiménez, Osa Peninsula
Crocodile Bay
Golfo Dulce — sailfish, marlin and more
Roosterfish and snapper, inshore
Corcovado
Crocodile Bay Overview
Crocodile Bay still runs the fishing on the Golfo Dulce. The rooms are at Botánika Osa Peninsula, in Puerto Jiménez, with Corcovado National Park on one side and the Pacific on the other. Offshore is sailfish and marlin. Inshore is roosterfish, snapper, cubera, and the estuaries. A non-fishing partner has a real resort to stay in.
The fishing program is the same operation anglers have booked for years: a short run to blue water, inshore along the Osa coast, and days built around sailfish from January through March. What changed is the property around the dock. Guests sleep in studios and one-, two-, and three-bedroom suites, eat at Tierra a la Mesa and Driza Bar & Grill, and use a lagoon pool, a 2,600-square-foot gym, and a rainforest spa.
The marina next to the resort is growing into a seaside village: yacht club, ships chandlery, shops, and more slips for larger boats. The spa, the pool, the restaurants, and the beach club are operating now.
Sailfish, marlin, dorado, roosterfish, snapper on the Golfo Dulce
Puerto Jiménez, Osa Peninsula — Corcovado on one side, the Pacific on the other
Botánika — suites, lagoon pool, spa, two restaurants
Fleet — 24’/25′ Whalers, 33′ Strikes, 36′ Front Runner
Sailfish prime — January through March. Dorado and marlin build from October.
Call or use the form for a Crocodile Bay week at Botánika. Our services are free.
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Fishing at Crocodile Bay
Blue water is about half an hour from the marina. The published fleet is 24′ and 25′ Boston Whalers with twin 200 hp Suzuki outboards (up to four anglers), 33′ Strike towers with 430 hp Cummins diesels (up to six), and a 36′ Front Runner with triple 300 hp Mercury outboards (up to seven). Boats leave the pier around 6:30 a.m. and are back between 3:00 and 3:30 p.m.
A charter day includes the boat, captain, Costa Rica fishing license, tackle, bait, fuel, and a cooler with lunch, beer, water, and soft drinks. January, February, and March are prime sailfish. Sailfish numbers drop in mid-April as marlin show up. May and June slow for billfish and often bring spinner dolphins with yellowfin. July and August are marlin and tuna, including a shot at black marlin. October is when dorado show in numbers, with marlin behind them. December can hold marlin, dorado, tuna, and sailfish in the same week.
Inshore, the volcanic coastline and the Golfo Dulce estuaries fish all year in 80–83°F water. Roosterfish, snapper, and cubera are the fish most people add a day for.
Botánika, the Resort at Crocodile Bay
Botánika Osa Peninsula sits beside the Golfo Dulce and the Crocodile Bay marina. Rooms run from studios to one-, two-, and three-bedroom suites and garden villas, with air conditioning and terraces on the rainforest or the lagoon pool. A one-bedroom suite is about 944–956 square feet with a kitchen and a sofa bed. A two-bedroom is about 1,405 square feet.
Tierra a la Mesa serves breakfast from 5:30 to 10:00 a.m. and dinner from 6:00 to 10:00 p.m. Driza Bar & Grill is open 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. by the pool. In-room dining runs 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. The spa uses rainforest treatments: hot stone, coffee scrub, chocolate wrap. The gym is 2,600 square feet. The beach is a boat ride to Cahui Beach Club at Preciosa Beach. The daily resort charge covers Wi-Fi, that beach boat, the Puerto Jiménez airport shuttle, and small fishing and spa credits.
Marina on site
Lagoon pool
Tierra a la Mesa
Driza Bar & Grill
Rainforest spa
2,600 sq ft gym
Cahui Beach Club
Puerto Jiménez airport
The Osa Around Crocodile Bay
Puerto Jiménez sits on the Golfo Dulce, with Corcovado National Park inland. Scarlet macaws and toucans are routine. Howler monkeys, sloths, and the occasional tapir are in the forest. Dolphin pods use the gulf, and humpback whales from both hemispheres come through with calves.
Days off the boat are Corcovado hikes, a zipline, a sloth or chocolate-farm visit, kayaks in the mangroves, horseback, and the beach club. The full list sits further down the page.
The marina beside Crocodile Bay is still being built out: a yacht club, a market, a chandlery, and more slips. The spa, the pool, the restaurants, and the beach club are open. A pharmacy and a shopping street are part of the village under construction. Call us before you count on those as finished.
Crocodile Bay Charter Rates
A package can mix full or half days of fishing with days off the boat.
Crocodile Bay charter rates
A fishing day is priced by the boat, whether one angler or four. Rooms are a separate quote.
| Boat | Anglers | Full day, plus tax |
|---|---|---|
| 24′ / 25′ Boston Whaler, twin 200 Suzuki | 1–4 | $1,695 per boat |
| 33′ Strike tower, 430 hp Cummins | 1–6 | $2,195 per boat |
| 36′ Front Runner, triple 300 Mercury | 1–4 | $3,995 |
| 36′ Front Runner | 5–7 | $4,295 |
| Transfer package | Per person | $495 + 13% tax ($559.35). One night in San José (double), ground transfers, and the round-trip flight to Puerto Jiménez. |
Room rates vary by season.
Included on a Crocodile Bay Fishing Day
- Boat, captain, and fuel
- Costa Rica fishing license, tackle, and bait
- Cooler with lunch, beer, water, and soft drinks
Not Included at Crocodile Bay
- The room at Botánika, unless it is built into a quoted package
- Alcohol at the resort
- The San José transfer package
- International airfare, overweight baggage, meals in San José
- Gratuities, taxes, and fees
Crocodile Bay Deposit
The deposit is $1,500 per guest, with the balance due 60 days before arrival. Cancel in writing at least 60 days out and the deposit comes back minus a $200 per person handling fee. Inside 60 days, or a no-show, the deposit is kept. U.S. citizens need a passport valid six months past arrival and a return ticket.
Getting to Crocodile Bay
International flights land in San José (SJO). Most anglers overnight in San José, then take the scheduled domestic flight to Puerto Jiménez (PJM). Botánika is on the southeast side of that airport, and the resort shuttle is part of the daily resort charge. The fishing marina is on the property.
Book the week through Angler Adventures: 860-434-9624 or info@angleradventures.com. The fishing days and the room stay one itinerary.
Sailfish at Crocodile Bay
Golfo Dulce and the Pacific, Puerto Jiménez
Offshore at Crocodile Bay
Sailfish carry January through March. Blue, black, and striped marlin show from mid-April and again in July, August, October, and December. Dorado build in October. Yellowfin often ride with spinner dolphins in May and June. Wahoo are on the offshore list in smaller numbers.
Inshore at Crocodile Bay
Roosterfish, snapper, and cubera are the inshore headliners along the volcanic coast. The estuaries and, when they schedule it, the surf fill a mixed day. Between fishing days: Corcovado, macaws, the gulf’s dolphins, and a boat to the beach club.
Crocodile Bay FAQ
Where do Crocodile Bay guests stay now?
Fishing is still Crocodile Bay, on the Golfo Dulce at Puerto Jiménez. The rooms are at Botánika Osa Peninsula, on the southeast side of the Puerto Jiménez airport.
What do you fish at Crocodile Bay?
Offshore: sailfish, blue marlin, black marlin, striped marlin, dorado, wahoo, and yellowfin. Inshore and the estuaries: roosterfish, snapper, cubera, and the coastal species. Surf is still part of the program they have sold for years. January through March is prime sailfish. Dorado and marlin build from October.
What are the Crocodile Bay boat rates?
A 24′ or 25′ Boston Whaler is $1,695 per boat per day plus tax. A 33′ Strike is $2,195. The 36′ Front Runner is $3,995 for one to four anglers and $4,295 for five to seven. Those are charter days. Rooms at Botánika are quoted separately.
How do you get to Botánika and Crocodile Bay?
Fly into San José (SJO). The transfer is $495 plus 13% tax ($559.35) per person: a night in San José, ground transfers, and the domestic flight to Puerto Jiménez (PJM). The resort shuttle covers the airport. A passport valid six months past arrival is required for U.S. citizens.
Is there fly fishing at Crocodile Bay?
Fly fishing is not the main attraction at Crocodile Bay. They will put a fly rod on the boat, inshore or offshore, if you want one.
What is there to do at Crocodile Bay besides fishing?
Days off the boat include Corcovado, a sloth or chocolate-farm visit, kayaks in the mangroves, a zipline, and the boat to Cahui Beach Club. Call us and we will build those days into the package.
Off the boat at Crocodile Bay
A week here is built for the person who wants a day, or three, away from the rods. These are the outings the resort runs on the Osa.
Corcovado National Park
A full day in the park, usually by car to the Los Patos ranger station. Corcovado holds Baird’s tapir, white-lipped peccaries, and a long list of birds and cats. The walk is demanding and it follows the weather. Two people minimum, with 12 hours’ notice.
The sloth walk
About three hours on the Valverde Quirós family land, thirty acres of garden and forest outside Puerto Jiménez. The walk is built around finding sloths, with tropical plants, fruit trees, and a snack from the family.
Mangrove kayak
A paddle through a mangrove estuary on a single or a double kayak. Roseate spoonbills, boat-billed herons, and white ibis use the river, and basilisk lizards run the surface. Howler and white-faced monkeys use these trees. Life vests and dry bags come with the boats. Two people minimum, 12 hours’ notice. The sunset departure is the same water later in the day.
Canopy zip line
Miramar looks over the Golfo Dulce. The platforms run nearly a mile of forest and reach 138 feet. A night departure leaves at 7:30 p.m. and is back by 10:30, the one anglers take when the boat day is already on the schedule. Osa Palmas is the second canopy: eight platforms, up to 120 feet.
The chocolate farm
The walk starts in a traditional cocoa planting, crosses a stretch of flat rainforest, and ends in the farm’s organic plots and a medicinal-plant garden. Toucans work the fruit trees. The visit closes with fruit from the farm, chocolate sauce, and baked plantains. Closed-toed shoes. Two people minimum, 12 hours’ notice.
Horseback on the Osa
Mountain paths and jungle trails inland from the gulf, with time to get off and walk the forest. Closed shoes and long pants.
Crocodile Bay also has Matapalo, a jungle night walk, birding, e-bikes, the boat to Cahui Beach Club, and gulf days for dolphins, whales, and turtles. Call 860-434-9624 and we will set the days that fit the fishing.
Plan Your Crocodile Bay Trip.
Save Time on a Crocodile Bay Trip. We’ve Been Doing This for 43 Years.
Call or use the form for Crocodile Bay fishing and a room at Botánika.
THE BOATS
THE LODGE
Packages & Prices: Packages at Crocodile Bay are totally customizable and we can personalize an itinerary to include as many or as few fishing days as you like. Please call or email and we will quote you a price based on your preferred package.
