NATIONAL PARKS & PRIVATE RESERVES

(The Caribbean, Northern Region, Central Valley, North Pacific, Mid Pacific,
South Pacific)

HIGHLIGHTS

More than 20 percent of the Costa Rican territory is protected by the government’s national park system, as well as in private reserves and refuges. Learn more about the different protected areas and about the country’s ecological variety and biological diversity. Send us a note for more information on prices, schedules and ways to access these different flora and fauna sanctuaries.

THE CARIBBEAN

Tortuguero: Year of creation as a National Park: 1975. Extentsion: 31,387 ha. / 77,065 acres. The highlights of Tortuguero are definitely the arrival of green and leatherback turtles for egg laying during the months of June to October, and the magnificent natural system of scenic water canals and small lagoons. Crocodiles, monkeys, sloths, and 85 species of fresh water fish are found in this protected area. Tortuguero is the most important Central American site for green turtle egg laying.

Cahuita: Year of creation: 1970. Extension: 1106 ha. /2,733 acres in the mainland, 600 ha/ 1,482.65 acres in the coral reef area, and 22.400 ha / 55,352 acres in the sea area. Cahuita protects the most important coral reefs in Costa Rica. At least 35 species of corals, 140 mollusks, 44 crustaceous, 128 algae and 123 fish have been identified in Cahuita. Additionally, the beaches in the national park are beautiful, with white sand and big palm trees. Cahuita is ideal for snorkeling.

La Selva Biological Station: Year of creation: 1971. Extension: 5,600 ha (13,838 acres). La Selva, located in Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí, 35m / 114.8 ft. above sea level, shelters primary evergreen forests. It is one of the most bio diverse areas in the entire American continent, with 2,000 species of flora (of which 400 are trees), 400 species of birds (almost half the bird fauna of the country), and 1600 species of insects (35 different grasshoppers, and 479 butterflies, among others). The average temperature is 24° C / 75.2°F, and level of humidity in the air can surpass 80%. Heavy rains are common, so visitors are advised to bring raingear and waterproof shoes.

Arenal Volcano: Year of creation: 1991. Extension: 12,124 ha. (29,959.47acres). It has been in constant activity since the 1968 eruption, becoming one of the most visited volcanoes in the country, and the main highlight of the Northern Region. This national park protects a variety of flora, including orchids, ferns, and bromeliads (including the endemic specie Pitkaimia Funkiae). Apart from the volcano, travelers can visit a lookout point, and the Chato Hill, Arenal’s extinct neighbor.


Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge: Year of creation: 1991. Extension: 9,969 ha. (24,634 acres). The essence of this protected area, located just near the border with Nicaragua, is in its waterways. A big lagoon, along with wide flooded plains, provide an excellent milieu for bird reproduction, especially during the rainy season (May – November). The area is rather humid, so visitors are advised to take light clothes. Boat tours within this refuge are arranged from La Fortuna, and result ideal for birdwatchers.

Monteverde: Year of creation: 1972. Extension: 10,500 ha. (25,946.4 acres). Monteverde is a private biological reserve, administered by the Tropical Scientific Center. Situated on both sides of the Continental water division, the reserve protects both Caribbean and Pacific river sources. It gathers six different ecosystems, but is best known for its cloud, misty forests. Its bio diversity can be appreciated in its more than 100 species of mammals, 400 species of birds (this is one of the quetzal’s habitats), 120 species of amphibians and reptiles, around 2,500 species of plants (420 of them correspond to different types of orchids), and more than 1,000 insects. Weather is rainy and rather fresh; visitors are advised to bring raingear and warm clothes.

Poás Volcano: Year of creation: 1970. Extension: 6,506 ha. (16,076.9 acres). Due to its scenic beauty, and its close location to San José, Poás is the most visited national park in Costa Rica. As of today, it is in activity, but not in eruption. The main crater is 1,5Km / 0.9 miles long and 300 m./984 ft deep; its sulfuric composition gives it a nice turquoise, light-blue color. Seventy-nine bird species have been identified in this cloud forest area. People should bring sweaters and light jackets to the volcano, even when the days are bright.

Irazú Volcano: Year of creation: 1955. Extension: 2,000 ha. (4,942.18 acres). Located in the outskirts of Cartago, the Irazú Volcano has 5 different craters, although only one can be visited. This is one of the Central Valley’s active volcanoes, although the last big eruption occurred forty years ago (1963- 1965). The landscape is surrounded by high altitude vegetation, such as oaks, and mosses (Irazú is ,3432 m. / 11,260 ft. above sea level). Travelers are advised to bring sweaters and jackets even in sunny days.


Braulio Carrillo: Year of creation: 1978. Extension: 47,583 ha. (117,581.79 acres). This national park was named after Costa Rica’s third chief of state, who in the XIXth century built a road that connected the Central Valley with Port Limón. Braulio Carrillo is one of the country’s biggest transitional forests, dividing the Central Valley’s cloudy mountains from the humid Caribbean lowlands.

Turrialba Volcano: Year of creation: 1955. Extension: 1257 ha. (3,106.16 acres). At an altitude of 3340 m./ 10,958.20 ft. above sea level, the dormant Turrialba Volcano has an average temperature of 16°C / 60.8°F and an annual precipitation of 3,000 to 4,000 mm (117.81 to 157.08 inches). Visitors should expect very little human presence in the volcano trails, astonishing mountain scenery, and fresh airs. The volcano can be accessed only by 4 wheel drive vehicles to a certain point; the rest shall be done by.

Rincón de la Vieja: Year of creation: 1974. Extension: 14,161 ha. (34,993 acres). The volcano’s main attraction is centered on the small geysers and the boiling muds. It is also one of the few volcanoes with tropical dry forests. The 1,806 m./ 5,925.3 ft. high Rincón de la Vieja offers numerous trails to visit, from the crater with an amazing view of the North Pacific plains, to waterfalls and rivers with intense blue colors. Three different species of monkeys have been identified, as well as whitetail deer and 282 species of birds.

Santa Rosa: Year of creation: 1966. Extension: 38,674 ha. (95,566.87 acres). Once an inhabited hacienda, Santa Rosa is best known for the historical battle against North American Filibusters held in 1856. This national park preserves the most important protected dry forest in all Central America. More than 100 species of mammals live in Santa Rosa, and its Nancite beach is one of the major sites in Mesoamerica for olive ridley turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea) spawning. Due to its ecological conditions, access to this beach is very restricted.

Marino Las Baulas: Year of creation: 1991. Extension: 379 ha. (936.5 acres). During the months of December through March, Playa Grande (just south of Tamarindo) hosts Leatherback turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) that come to lay their eggs. Other important turtle species protected in this national park include the Olive Ridley (Lepidochelys olivacea), and occasionally, the endangered Hawksbill Sea Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata). Las Baulas National Park comprises both mangrove and tropical dry forest ecosystems.

Cabo Blanco: Year of creation: 1963. Extension: 1,172 ha. / 2,896 acres of land and 1,790 ha./ 4,423.2 acres of protected ocean waters. Cabo Blanco is located on the southwestern tip of the Nicoya Peninsula, near the beaches of Montezuma and Malpaís. It has the particularity that some of its trails lead directly from the forest to deserted beaches. More than 119 species of trees have been identified here, and both mainland and marine fauna. Deer, monkeys, porcupines, live in these forests. Water species such as clams, crabs, lobsters, and a variety of fish are protected in Cabo Blanco’s waters.

Palo Verde: Year of creation: 1978. Extension: 18,418 ha, (45,512.5 Acres). Located on the mouth of the Tempisque River, Palo Verde is best known for hosting a wide variety of birds. The landscape is essentially covered by wide grasslands and waterways. Seasonal floods usually occur during the months of June to October. Visitors are advised to bring insect repellent, as mosquitoes tend to abound, especially during the rainy season.

Carara: Year of creation: 1978. Extension: 5,242 ha. (12,953.44 acres). Separating the Pacific Ocean from the Central Valley, the forests of Carara protect the Scarlet Macaw (Ara macao), almost extinct in the Pacific Coast. Monkeys, two-toed sloths, and 750 species of plants are found in this Mid-Pacific National Park. It is fifteen minutes away driving from Herradura, twenty minutes away from Jacó, and 1 ½ hours from Quepos and Manuel Antonio.

Manuel Antonio: Year of creation: 1972. Extension: 1,625 ha. (4,015.5 acres). Manuel Antonio is the most visited protected beach within the country. The park shelters primary and secondary forests, mangroves (aprox. 18 ha. / 44.48 acres), and ocean fauna. Two and three-toed sloths, 109 species of mammals, and 184 species of birds inhabit this territory. Manuel Antonio’s forests also guard the endangered Costa Rican Squirrel Monkey, also known as the Titi Monkey. Three beaches, mountain trails, and the famous Punta Catedral (a former island that is now attached to the mainland by a strip of sediment accumulation, are some of the park’s main attractions.

Marino Ballena: Year of creation: 1992. Extension: 172 ha. (425 acres). Located south of Dominical, near the town of Uvita, the Marino Ballena National Park was created to assure the protection of habitats that are critical for the reproduction and spawning of different marine fauna. The park was named in honor of the migratory whales that reach and breed in these waters every year.

Corcovado & Caño Island: Year of creation: 1975. Extension: 42,469 ha. (104,944 acres). Corcovado preserves the last portion of Tropical Humid Forest in the Mesoamerican Pacific. It shelters different species with high risk of extinction, such as the scarlet macaw (Ara macao), the Black peccary (Tayassu pecari), and the Jaguar (Felis onca). There are three main ranger stations: two along the coast (San Pedrillo, reached by boat from Drake Bay; and Sirena, reached by car from Puerto Jiménez), and one inside the forests: Los Patos. Hikes along certain trails shall be previously consulted with the rangers, since some routes can be accessed only according to the tides. The Caño Island, near Drake Bay and the San Pedrillo station, is an ideal spot for scuba diving, with 5 different diving areas in the island surroundings.

La Amistad: Year of creation: 1982. Extension: 199,147 ha. (492,109.8 acres). La Amistad, is the only international park in the country; its area covers territories within both Costa Rica and Panama. It hosts very humid and cloud forests. More than 263 species of amphibians and reptiles, as well as 400 bird species (the quetzal amongst them), live in this biological sanctuary. It is Costa Rica’s biggest protected area, and one of the most isolated ones as well. Peaks and massifs are located here.

Chirripó: Year of creation: 1975. Extension: 50,849 ha. (125,652.37 acres). Located at an altitude of 3820 m./ 12533 ft., Chirripó is Costa Rica’s highest peak. It is a Paramus ecosystem, with small bushes and plants no higher than 4 m. / 13,12 ft. There is no way to access this peak other than by foot, so travelers wishing to visit this national park must be prepared to walk more than 11 km / 6.87 miles up to the shelter. Access is restricted to 40 people per day, so make sure you book more than three months in advance. Warm clothes shall be brought, as temperature can drop to 0 °C / 32° F at night and there is no heating system in the shelter.

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