Drake Bay is a remote coastal destination on Costa Rica's Osa Peninsula, facing the Pacific Ocean near the northern edge of Corcovado National Park. The bay is surrounded by tropical rainforest, steep green hills, beaches, rivers, and small coastal settlements. Access is commonly by boat from Sierpe or by air to Drake Bay Airport, with roads providing another route depending on conditions. The area has developed around fishing, farming, conservation, and small-scale tourism rather than large resort complexes. Its location beside some of Costa Rica's most biologically diverse protected lands gives Drake Bay a strong connection to the surrounding forest and ocean.

The communities around Drake Bay have traditionally relied on fishing and agriculture, with local families cultivating crops and using the nearby waters for food and income. Tourism has introduced guiding, lodging, transportation, and conservation work while maintaining a largely small-scale character. The wider Osa Peninsula is also home to Indigenous communities, including the Boruca, Ngäbe, and Bribri peoples, whose cultures form an important part of Costa Rica's southern Pacific region. Local knowledge of the coastline, rivers, forests, and wildlife plays an important role in guiding visitors through the area.

Drake Bay provides access to Corcovado National Park, where lowland rainforest, mangroves, rivers, and coastal habitats support species such as scarlet macaws, tapirs, monkeys, sloths, and numerous reptiles and birds. Boat excursions from the bay also reach Caño Island Biological Reserve, an important marine and archaeological site surrounded by clear Pacific waters. Dolphins, sea turtles, rays, and seasonal humpback whales can be seen offshore. Beaches including Playa San Josecito and Playa Cocalito offer quieter coastal settings, while hiking trails connect sections of rainforest with beaches and river crossings.

Seafood is a natural part of the cuisine around Drake Bay, with locally caught fish and other Pacific ingredients appearing alongside Costa Rican staples such as gallo pinto, casado, ceviche, plantains, and fresh fruit. Small lodges and family-run restaurants often prepare meals using locally available produce and seafood. One distinctive aspect of the area is the close proximity of rainforest and ocean, allowing visitors to travel from coastal waters into dense tropical forest within a short distance. Drake Bay's relative isolation also means that conservation, local transportation, and community-based tourism remain important parts of everyday life.