Costa Rica wildlife travel guide

Olle, the son of German forester, had long been a revolutionary fighter for animal rights and environmental issues and was an obsessive vegan with more than a passing interest in the relationship between the destruction of the environment and how it affects human health, particularly where cancer was concerned. The couple purchased a patch of land to grow fruit trees and crops although much of their diet, before the orchard bore fruit, consisted of leaves and plants, supplemented by a regular package of medicines and vitamins sent from Olle’s father back in Sweden.

Although isolated from the nearest village, the Wessbergs ‘befriended’ the animals surrounding their home including completely fearless monkeys, and a coati which became quite tame and used to follow the couple around wherever they went. Further supplies were sent from Sweden to help with the construction of new lodgings, although it would take several months for the vacuum-packed tools to arrive. During the early years in Costa Rica, Olle noticed that much of the pristine rainforest covering the Cabo Blanco headland had been cut down. And so began the Wessbergs’ fight to preserve what remained. After petitioning the US and British conservation authorities and constantly travelling back and forth to San José, to convince the Costa Rican government that the rainforest was worth saving, Olle finally had enough financial backing to buy the land and turn it into a protected national park, the first in Central America. For the next decade Olle and Karen worked within the ‘Absolute Nature Reserve Cabo Blanco’, and to this day the main route that you’ll find in the park is termed the ‘Swede’s Path’. There is also a lesser-visited, secret beach in Mal País that’s simply called Playa Suecos – Swedes’ Beach.

Olle’s fight to preserve Costa Rica’s natural environment didn’t stop with Cabo Blanco, and with support from US conservation agencies he fixed his sights on saving the Corcovado Rainforest on the Osa Peninsula. However, not everyone wished for this area to be granted protected status, with the search for gold and clearing areas for banana plantations both preferred by local residents. In 1975, just before Karen’s birthday, Olle was murdered by a hired path finder as he attempted to compile a report on the need to turn Corcovado into a nature reserve. All that remained of one of the world’s most important eco-warriors was his compass, knife and shoulder bag; the rainforest creatures had made the most of the rest of him.

After Olle’s bones were transported back to Cabo Blanco and buried close to where he and Karen shared their home, the President of Costa Rica expressed his outrage at the killing and vowed to continue the Swede’s fight to protect the rainforests by turning Corcovado into a national park. Karen continued to live on the plantation close to Montezuma and supplemented her Swedish pension by opening a small boarding house in the village that attracted likeminded travellers looking for simple bed and board, surrounded by nature. Ironically, Karen succumbed to cancer in 1994 almost 40 years after she had first arrived. Thankfully she lived to see the birth of ecotourism in Costa Rica as scientists, nature lovers and wildlife photographers headed for Corcovado National Park to immerse themselves in one of the most biodiverse ecosystems on the planet.

What has become of ecotourism?
These days, ‘ecotourism’ has become a bit of a marketing buzzword. Often it just covers a tour that involves nature or animals without really being concerned about the ethics of responsible travel. Although ecotourism may not be as authentic a term as it once was, it’s still worth remembering that without the efforts of eco-pioneers like Olle and Karen Wessberg much of Costa Rica’s rainforests would now be lost.

It’s also scary to think that even with the protected borders of national parks and nature reserves we can still lose a species for good – case in question: the tale of the golden toad. Although no one knows why the golden toad died out – climate change, urbanisation or the increase in unchecked tourism – it is our responsibility to watch wildlife without damaging natural habitats and the sooner we guard against complacency and learn the true meaning of ecotourism, the better.