Costa Rica has managed to protect a larger proportion of its land than any other country in the world. In 1970 there came a growing acknowledgment that something unique and lovely was vanishing, and a systematic effort was begun to save what was left of the wilderness. That year, the Costa Ricans formed a national park system that has won worldwide admiration. Costa Rican law declared inviolate 10.27 percent of a land once compared to Eden; an additional 17 percent is legally set aside as forest reserves, “buffer zones,” wildlife refuges, and Indian reserves. Throughout the country representative sections of all the major habitats and ecosystems are protected for tomorrow’s generations. The National Conservation Areas System (SINAC; see below) protects more than 186 areas, including–at press time–32 national parks, eight biological reserves, 13 forest reserves, and 51 wildlife refuges.

Santa Rosa National Park

Santa Rosa was founded in 1972 as the country’s first national park. The 49,515-hectare park, which covers much of the Santa Elena peninsula, is part of a mosaic of ecologically interdependent parks and reserves–the 110,000-hectare Guanacaste Conservation Area (GCA)–that incorporates Santa Rosa National Park, Rincón de la Vieja National Park, Bolaños Island Wildlife Refuge, the Junquillal Bay National Wildlife Refuge, and the Horizontes Experimental Station, abutting Santa Rosa to the south. See the Information section, below, for contact information.

Parque Nacional Santa Rosa is most famous for Hacienda Santa Rosa–better known as La Casona–the nation’s most cherished historic monument. It was here in 1856 that the mercenary army of American adventurer William Walker was defeated by a ragamuffin army of Costa Rican volunteers. The old hacienda-turned-museum alone is well worth the visit. Santa Rosa National Park has other treasures, too.

The park is a mosaic of 10 distinct habitats, including mangrove swamp, savanna, and oak forest, which attract a wide range of animals: more than 250 bird species and 115 mammal species (half of them bats, including two vampire species), among them relatively easily seen mammals such as white-tailed deer, coatimundis, howler, spider, and white-faced monkeys, and anteaters. Jaguars still roam Santa Rosa, as do margays, ocelots, pumas, and jaguarundis; they’re all shy and seldom seen. Santa Rosa is a vitally important nesting site for ridleys and other turtle species. In the wet season the land is as green as emeralds, and wildlife disperses. In dry season, however, when the parched scrubby landscapes give an impression of the East African plains, wildlife congregates at watering holes–such as those on the Naked Indian Trail–and is easily seen. Be patient. Sit still for long enough and some interesting creatures are sure to appear. Keep an eye out for snakes.

The park is divided into two sections: the Santa Rosa Sector to the south (the entrance is at Km 269 on Hwy. 1, 37 km north of Liberia) and the Murciélago Sector (the turnoff from Hwy. 1 is 10 km farther north, via Cuajiniquil), separated by a swathe of privately owned land.

Santa Rosa Sector

The Santa Rosa Sector is the more important and accessible of the two sectors. On the right, one km past the entrance gate, a rough dirt road leads to a rusting armored personnel carrier beside a memorial cross commemorating the Battle of 1955, when Somoza, the Nicaraguan strongman, made an ill-fated foray into Costa Rica.

Six km farther on the paved road is La Casona, a magnificent colonial homestead with a beautiful setting atop a slight rise overlooking a stone corral where the battle with William Walker was fought. Inside the house are photos, illustrations, carbines, and other military paraphernalia commemorating the battle of 20 March 1856. Battles were also fought here during the 1919 Sapoá Revolution and in 1955. One room is furnished in period style. Another is a small chapel. Large wooden mortars and pestles are on display, along with decrepit chaps and centenary riding gear. There’s also a good nature exhibit. Harmless bats fly in and out. There’s a large guanacaste tree outside.

Trails: Trails are marked in detail on the map sold at the park entrance. The Naked Indian loop trail (1.5 km) begins just before the house and leads through dry-forest woodlands with streams and waterfalls and gumbo-limbo trees whose peeling red bark earned them the nickname “naked Indian trees.” The Los Patos trail, which has several watering holes during dry season, is one of the best trails for spotting mammals. The Laguna Escondida and Caujiniquil River Trail (14 km round-trip) also takes you to a pond that is a magnet for thirsty wildlife. Other good spots for wildlife are Platanar Lake, Laguna Escondida, and La Penca, reached by trails north from the park administrative area.

The paved road ends just beyond the administration area. From here, an appalling dirt road drops steeply to the beaches–Playa Naranjo and Playa Nancite, 13 km from La Casona. It’s a good road to break your springs. A 4WD with high ground clearance is essential. Park officials sometimes close the road because they get tired of towing vehicles out.

Beaches: The deserted white-sand Playa Nancite is renowned as the site for the annual arribadas, the mass nestings of olive ridley turtles which occur only here and at Ostional, farther south. More than 75,000 turtles will gather out to sea and come ashore over the space of a few days, with the possibility of up to 10,000 reptiles on the beach at any one time in September and October. Although the exact trigger is unknown, arribadas seem to coincide with falling barometric pressure in autumn and are apparently associated with a waxing three-quarter moon. You can usually see solitary turtles at other times August through December. Stephen E. Cornelius’s illustrated book, The Sea Turtles of Santa Rosa National Park (Costa Rica: National Park Foundation, 1986), provides an insight into the life of the ridley turtle. Cornelius initiated studies here in 1972.

Latest data suggests that the turtle population at Nancite is declining. Playa Nancite (about a one-hour hike over a headland from Estero Real, at the end of the dirt road) is a research site. Access is restricted and permits are needed; anyone can get one from the ranger station, or at Programa de Ecoturismo, c/o Centro de los Investigaciones, tel. 666-5051, ext. 219). There’s a limit of 30 people per day.

Playa Naranjo is a popular, beautiful, kilometers-long, pale gray sand beach that is legendary in surfing lore. Steep, thick, powerful tubular waves and “killer beautiful Witches Rock rising like a sentinel out of the water make this a must stop in the world for top-rated surfers,” says surf expert Mark Kelly. The beach is bounded by craggy headlands and frequently visited by monkeys, iguanas, and other wildlife. Crocodiles lurk in the mangrove swamps at the southern end of the beach. At night, plankton light up with a brilliant phosphorescence as you walk the drying sand in the wake of high tide. Witches Rock is a gigantic crag split in two and jutting up straight from the ocean bottom.

In addition to Playa Naranjo, Playa Portrero Grande, north of Nancite, and other beaches on the central Santa Elena peninsula offer some of the best “machine-like” surf in the country, with double overhead waves rolling in one after the other. The makers of Endless Summer II, the sequel to the classic surfing movie, caught the Portrero Grande break perfectly. The beaches are inaccessible by road. You can hire a boat at Jobo or any of the fishing villages in the Golfo Santa Elena to take you to Portrero Grande or Islas Murciélagos (Bat Islands), slung in a chain beneath Cabo Santa Elena, the westernmost point of the peninsula. The Bat Islands are a renowned scuba diving site for advanced divers; sharks (bull, tiger, and black-tip) are there in numbers, along with whale sharks.

Murciélago Sector

The entrance to the Murciélago Sector of Santa Rosa National Park is 15 km west of Hwy. 1, 10 km north of the Santa Rosa Sector park entrance (there’s a police checkpoint at the turnoff; have your passport ready for inspection). The road winds downhill to a coastal valley through spectacularly hilly countryside to the hamlet of Cuajiniquil, tucked half a kilometer south of the road, which continues northwest to Bahía Cuajiniquil.

You arrive at a Y-fork in Cuajiniquil: the road to Murciélago (eight km) is to the left. There are three rivers to ford en route. You’ll pass the old CIA training camp for the Nicaraguan contras on your right. The place–Murciélago Hacienda–was owned by the Nicaraguan dictator Somoza’s family before being expropriated in 1979, when the Murciélago Sector was incorporated into Santa Rosa National Park. It’s now a training camp for the Costa Rican Rural Guard. Armed guards may stop you for an ID check as you pass. A few hundred meters farther, the road runs alongside the secret airstrip (hidden behind tall grass to your left) that Oliver North had built to supply the contras. The park entrance is 0.5 km beyond the airstrip.

It’s another 16 km to Playa Blanca, a beautiful horseshoe-shaped white-sand beach–one of the most isolated in the country–about five km wide and enjoyed only by pelicans and frigate birds. The road ends here. Waterfalls are surrounded by ferns and palms in Cuajiniquil Canyon, which has its own moist microclimate. The Poza El General watering hole attracts waterfowl and other animals year-round and is reached along a rough trail.

Tortuguero National Park

Frequented by tourists from all over the world, the Parque Nacional Tortuguero is another significant turtle nesting site in Costa Rica. Among the most important nesting areas in the Western Hemisphere of the endangered green turtle, the stunning Parque Nacional Tortuguero lies on Costa Rica’s beautiful Caribbean coast in the northeastern region of the country. Roughly 50 miles north of Puerto Limon and bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to its east, the Tortuguero National Park sits adjacent to the Refugio Barra del Colorado to its north.

Protecting over 22 miles of beach strip beginning from the mouth of the River Tortuguero south to Parisimina, this national park is 19,000 hectares and is a key nesting area for leatherback sea turtles, hawksbill sea turtles and loggerhead sea turtles as well. Declared a national park in 1970 to protect the green turtle population of the world from extinction, this park is also a wildlife sanctuary for monkeys, jaguars, green macaws, tapirs, and a variety of other mammals, birds and reptiles.

Home to around 170 species of reptiles and amphibians, this park is also the habitat of 60 species of mammals and 300 different species of birds as well. A great place for bird watching, both migratory and native birds can be seen throughout the park including herons, egrets, trogons, parrots, toucans, jacanas, kingfishers, anhingas, kites and hawks. Some other common animals here include; caimans, crocodiles, sloths, iguanas, frogs, bats, basilisk lizards, otters, peccaries and ocelots. A variety of crustaceans are also found here. Another endangered animal found in the park is the shy West Indian manatee. Researchers believe that only 100 manatees now inhabit the remote lagoons within Tortuguero National Park.

Tortuguero which means ‘Region of Turtles’ in Spanish is nesting ground for sea turtles every year from March to mid-October. This nesting period known as the arribadas occurs when the moon is fading. Therefore, if you wish to see these turtles nest, it will be after 6:00 pm with a guide, as no one is allowed to explore the beach unaccompanied after this time. A great way to see the turtles nest is from a boat, canoe, or kayak off shore, so as not to disturb the turtles during their nesting or mating period.

Warm, humid and rainy throughout the year, the best time to visit the Parque Nacional Tortuguero is February, April and November, which are the driest months. Primarily a rainforest, this park has 11 different and varied ecological habitats that include costal shrubs, swamps and evergreen forests. Mostly an alluvial plain, the flora and fauna found here are the most diverse in the country. To get here, fly in from San Jose Airport to the village of Tortuguero that lies within the park. Since there are no roads to this village, your only other option is to catch a boat from Moin near the Port of Limon.

Manuel Antonio National Park

Tiny it may be, but this 682-hectare national park epitomizes everything tourists flock to Costa Rica to see: stunning beaches, a magnificent setting with islands offshore (bird sanctuaries for marine species), lush rainforest laced with a network of welcoming trails, wildlife galore, and all within walking distance of your hotel. You are guaranteed close-up encounters with monkeys, sloths, coatimundis, and scarlet macaws. What a gem!

Despite its diminutive size, Manuel Antonio is one of the country’s most popular parks, with as many as 150,000 visitors annually in peak years. A few years ago the deluge of visitors threatened to spoil the very things they had come to see. Park Director José Antonio Salazar believes the park can withstand no more than 300 visitors a day. In 1994, the Park Service began limiting the numbers of visitors to 600 per day (800 on Saturday and Sunday), and the park is now closed on Monday. If you wish to do your bit to help preserve Manuel Antonio, consider visiting in the “green” or wet season. Litter and pollution are additional problems. Pack out what you pack in.

Nonetheless, the park is too small to sustain a healthy and viable population of certain animals. If the monkeys do not have access to areas outside the park, the population will decline because they cannot breed. Corridors that allow animals access to areas outside the park have been taken up by hotels, so that the park has, in recent years, become an island. As a result, the titi (squirrel monkey) population is declining. Fortunately, in 2000, a decree was issued to triple the park’s size to just under 1800 hectares.

The park has four lovely beaches, each with its own personality: Espadilla Sur, Manuel Antonio, Escondido, and Playita. The prettiest is Playa Manuel Antonio, a small scimitar of coral-white sand with a small coral reef. It’s separated from Playa Espadilla Sur by a tombolo–a natural land bridge formed over eons through the accumulation of sand–tipped by Punta Catedral, an erstwhile island now linked to the mainland. The hike to the top of Punta Catedral (100 meters) along a steep and sometimes muddy trail takes about an hour from Playa Espadilla Sur (also known as the Second Beach). Espadilla Sur and Manuel Antonio offer tidal pools brimming with minnows and crayfish, plus good snorkeling, especially during dry season, when the water is generally clear.

At the far right on Playa Manuel Antonio, you can see ancient turtle traps dug out of the rocks by pre-Columbian Quepoas. Female sea turtles would swim over the rocks to the beach on the high tide. The tidal variation at this point is as much as three meters; the turtles would be caught in the carved-out traps on the return journey as the tide level dropped. The people also used female-turtle decoys made of balsa to attract male turtles over the rocks. Olive ridley and green turtles still occasionally come ashore at Playa Manuel Antonio.

Wildlife Viewing

Between bouts of beaching, you can explore the park’s network of wide trails, which lead into a swatch of humid tropical forest. Manuel Antonio’s treetop carnival is marvelous, and best experienced by following the Perezoso Trail, named after the lovable sloths, which favor the secondary growth along the trail (perezoso means “lazy”). You might see marmosets, ocelots, river otters, pacas, and spectacled caimans in more remote riverine areas.

Howler monkeys languorously move from branch to branch, iguanas shimmy up trunks, toucans and scarlet macaws flap by. About 350 squirrel monkeys live in the park, another 500 on its outer boundaries. And capuchin (white-faced) monkeys are also abundant and welcome you at treetop height on the beaches, where they play to the crowd and will steal your sandwich packs given half a chance. Some of them have become aggressive in recent years and attacks on humans have been reported.

Even though it is illegal to feed the monkeys, insensitive people still do it. Note that if you’re caught, you may–quite rightly–be ejected from the park. Recent studies have found a worrisome increase in heart disease and heart failure among the local monkey population. Unfortunately, the animals are much more prone to rises in cholesterol than humans. Do not leave food lying around.

Hire a guide. A guide can show you other interesting tree species–among them, the gaupinol negro, an endemic species that is in danger of extinction; cedro maria, which produces a yellow resin used as a traditional medicine; vaco lechoso, which exudes a thick white latex that also has medicinal properties, and the manchineel tree (manzanillo), or “beach apple”– common along the beaches. The manchineel is highly toxic and possesses a sap that irritates the skin. Its tempting applelike fruits are also poisonous. Avoid touching any part of the tree. Also, don’t use its wood for fires–the smoke will irritate your lungs.

Marino las Baulas National Park

Marino las Baulas de Guanacaste National Park is another of Costa Rica’s important sea turtle nesting sites. Located on Costa Rica’s Pacific Coast in the Northern Province of Guanacaste near the tourist town of Tamarindo, this national park is a significant Leatherback sea turtle nesting spot in the world. Created in 1990, this national park was made in order to protect the endangered Leatherback turtles, who come every year to nest on the shores of the beautiful Playa Grande.

Encompassing an area of roughly 445 hectares of mangrove swamps and coastline, the Marino las Baulas National Park is made up of the four beaches, Playa Grande, Playa Langosta, Playa Ventanas and Playa Carbon. The two mangrove estuaries in the park are the Estero de Tamarindo and the Estero de San Francisco, the former of which is the biggest mangrove estuary in Latin America. This national park also extends 12 miles off shore as well, to protect the sea turtles from poachers and tourists alike.

The nesting ground for thousands of leatherback turtles who make the journey every year to this national park, Marino las Baulas National Park also protects 174 species of birds and a number of different animals that live in the estuaries here. Home to the white ibis, the cattle egret, the blue-winged teal and the muscovy duck, this park also looks after capuchin monkeys, raccoons, crocodiles, pacas and grey squirrels as well.

The largest marine reptiles in the world, the Leatherback Sea Turtles or Baulas as they are known in Spanish, come here in huge numbers during the months of November to April to mate and lay their eggs. Also the world’s largest turtles, Leatherbacks can weigh up to 500kgs. Unlike other turtle species that have a hard shell, Leatherback turtles have a black tough leathery skin.

To get to Marino las Baulas de Guanacaste National Park, you can fly into the Liberia International Airport and then drive west toward the town of Tamarindo; from here, you need to go north to Playa Grande by a rough dirt road. Another way of reaching this national park is by boat across the Estero de Tamarindo.

It is important that visitors be aware of certain things when touring this national park. Do not use cameras with flashes or flashlights, do not approach the turtles and do not walk on the dry sand that lies above the high tide markings. In order to see the turtle you will have to go on a tour with a certified guide, without a guide you will not be allowed on the beach. Marino las Baulas National Parks is a great place to visit with family, this national park also has a turtle museum and night tours during the turtle nesting season.

Corcovado National Park

Ecologically varied, the Corcovado National Park is among the most biologically intense places on earth. Located on the wild and untamed Osa Peninsula, this national park is breathtakingly beautiful and is one of the remotest parks in the country. Home to the largest and only tropical primary lowland rainforest in the world, the Corcovado National Park is also the habitat of a plethora of endangered plant and animal species.

Created in 1975 to protect this gorgeous region from illegal gold mining and logging, the Parque Nacional Corcovado is today, an extremely popular ecotourism destination. Mostly undisturbed because of its isolation and inaccessibility, it is home to the beautiful Scarlet Macaws as well as the Resplendent Quetzals, the Red-Eyed Tree Frog and the Tapir, the largest terrestrial mammal in Central and South America.

Exotic and lush, the Corcovado National Park is home to thirteen major ecosystems that range from mangrove swamps and jolillo palm groves to montane forests, lagoons, beaches, freshwater herbaceous swamps and primary lowland rainforests. Encompassing over 41,000 hectares the park protects over 140 different mammal species; 400 bird species, 20 of which are endemic; 116 amphibian and reptile species, 40 species of fish and at least 500 species of trees. Habitat of the rare Harbor Squirrel Monkey and the Harpy Eagle, the Corcovado Park also is a great place to spot the poison arrow frog, indigenous wild cats, crocodiles, pumas and jaguars as well as four species of sea turtles.

Extremely hot and humid most of the year, this park has plenty of rainfall but is a joy to hike through with its dense forestation that opens up onto stunningly beautiful beaches. With its virgin beauty, visiting this park allows you to experience nature at its finest and promises an incredible adventure for those who dare to trail blaze their way through this amazing region. Hiking is very popular here, and there are four ranger stations found at strategic locations from each other. The best way to see this park is to take a guided tour, as there are plenty of wild animals that roam around. Hire a guide in Drake Bay or Puerto Jimenez to have the perfect adventure vacation.

You can get to the Corcovado National Park via Puerto Jimenez or Drake Bay. These two towns serve as the main entry points to the park. To get to Puerto Jimenez you can fly out directly from San Jose city, while to get to Drake Bay you can fly to Palomar Sur then take a taxi to Sierpe and then catch a boat ride to this small town.

Chirripo National Park

Chirripó Parque Nacional protects 50,150 hectares of high-elevation terrain surrounding Cerro Chirripó (3,819 meters), Central America’s highest peak. The park is contiguous with La Amistad International Peace Park to the south; together they form the Amistad-Talamanca Regional Conservation Unit. Much of the area remains terra incognito–a boon for flora and fauna, which thrive here relatively unmolested by humans. One remote section of the park is called Savannah of the Lions, after its large population of pumas. Tapirs and jaguars are both common, though rarely seen. And the mountain forests protect several hundred bird species.

Cloud forest, above 2,500 meters, covers almost half the park, which features three distinct life zones; the park is topped off by subalpine rainy páramo, marked by contorted dwarf trees and marshy grasses that dry out on the Pacific slopes January-May (presenting perfect conditions for raging fires fanned by high winds). Much of this area still bears the scars of a huge fire that raged across 2,000 hectares in April 1992, causing such devastation that the park was closed for four months. The region is still trying to recover from this and even worse fires in 1976 and 1985.

Cerro Chirripó was held sacred by pre-Columbian peoples. Tribal leaders and shamans performed rituals atop the lofty shrine; lesser mortals who ventured up Chirripó were killed. Magnetic fields are said to swing wildly at the top, particularly near Los Crestones, huge boulders thought to have been the most sacred of indigenous sites.

Just as Hillary climbed Everest “because it was there,” so Chirripó lures the intrepid who seek the satisfaction of reaching the summit (the first recorded climb was made by a priest, Father Agustín Blessing, in 1904). Many Ticos choose to hike the mountain during the week preceding Easter, when the weather is usually dry. Avoid holidays, when the huts may be full. The hike is no Sunday picnic but requires no technical expertise. The trails are well marked, and basic mountain huts are close to the summit. You must stay overnight in San Gerardo de Rivas, where you begin your hike early the next day.

Excessive wear and tear on the trails led the National Parks Service to begin phasing in new regulations in 1993. Only 60 visitors are allowed within the park at any one time (you may be told there’s a waiting list; experienced hikers recommend showing up anyway as there are usually lots of no-shows). And nobody is allowed to hike without a guide. The park service is pushing the lesser-known Herradura Trail (minimum three days/two nights), via Paso de los Indios, with the first night atop Cerro Urán.

Weather

The weather is unpredictable and potentially dangerous–dress accordingly. The hike to the summit from San Gerardo ascends 2,500 meters. When the bitterly cold wind kicks in, watch out. Winds can approach 160 kph: the humidity and wind-chill factor can drop temperatures to -5° C. Rain is always a possibility, even in “dry season,” and a short downpour usually occurs midafternoon. Fog is almost a daily occurrence at higher elevations, often forming in midmorning. And temperatures can fall below freezing at night (some of the lakes near the summit are a legacy of the glacial ages). Time your hiking right, however, and you should be close to shelter when needed. Who knows, you may have good weather the whole way; February and March are the driest months.

Cahuita National Park

Lying on Costa Rica’s stunningly beautiful Caribbean coast and facing the Atlantic Ocean, the Parque Nacional Cahuita is one of the most amazing national parks in the country. Created in 1970 to protect Costa Rica’s biggest coral reef, this national park is located in Limon province, 42 km south of Puerto Limon.

Some 211 km east of the capital city of San Jose, the best way to get to this park is to take the Guapiles Highway to Limon, and from here head south to the village of Cahuita. From the village head a further 6 km south along the road to Puerto Viejo to the town of Puerto Vargas, where the main entrance of the park is located. The best time to visit Cahuita National Park is during the months of March, April, September and October, as it rains less during these months. Mostly wet all of the year, the Parque Nacional Cahuita is a humid tropical zone forest.

Encompassing a land area of just 1,067 hectares, this national park protects over 22,400 hectares of ocean and marine life, and is one of the most gorgeous regions in the entire country. The main attraction of the park is not so much its land, but rather its underwater world, which is home to a fantastic array of marine life and the largest coral reef in Costa Rica. Tourists from all over the world flock to this national park because the fantastic snorkeling and underwater diving opportunities, as well as because of the park’s white sand palm tree lined beaches and crystal clear blue waters, which are ideal for swimming.

Derived from the word ‘kawe’ which means mahogany and ‘ta’ which means point, the Parque Nacional Cahuita is the habitat of several ecological zones, including a swamp forest, rainforest, littoral woodlands and costal flora. Home huge variety of marine life, some common underwater inhabitants here include; sea urchins, angel queen fish, blue parrot fish, green turtles, eels, barracudas, sea cucumbers, shrimps, lobsters, sponges, manta rays, remoras, 3 species of sharks and Carey turtles. Among the many mammals found on land are sloths, possums, monkeys, coatimundis, frogs, pacas, iguanas, basilisks, porcupines and several bird species including ibises, herons, gulls and kingfishers.

Although the Cahuita coral reef was badly damaged during an earthquake in 1991, it still includes over 35 species of coral including brain, elkhorn and fan coral, and is a must see when in the area. Another popular attraction of this park is an 18th century shipwreck that lies at the mouth of the River Perezoso. This national park is great as it provides plenty of camping opportunities, with many resorts, hotels and accommodations nearby as well.

Braulio Carrillo National Park

Rugged mountains, dormant volcanoes, deep canyons, swollen rivers, and seemingly interminable clouds, torrential rains, and persistent drizzle characterize Parque Nacional Braulio Carrillo, 20 km northeast of San José.

The park was established in 1978 as a compromise with environmentalists concerned that the construction of the Guápiles Highway to the Caribbean would lead to deforestation of the important watershed region. It was named in honor of the president who promoted the cultivation of coffee.

The 44,099-hectare park (84 percent of which is primary forest) extends from 2,906 meters above sea level atop Volcán Barva down to 36 meters at La Selva, in Sarapiquí in the Caribbean lowlands. This represents the greatest altitudinal range of any Costa Rican park. Temperature and rainfall vary greatly and are extremely unpredictable. At higher elevations, temperatures range from 15° to 22° C. At the Carrillo, Magsasay, and El Ceibo biological stations, in the Atlantic lowlands, the average temperature is much warmer, ranging from 22° to 30° C. Annual rainfall is between 400 and 800 centimeters. Rains tend to diminish in March and April. With luck, you might even see the sun.

Encompassing five life zones ranging from tropical wet to cloud forest, Braulio Carrillo provides a home for 600 identified species of trees, more than 500 species of birds, and 135 species of mammals, including howler and capuchin monkeys, tapirs, jaguars, pumas, ocelots, deer, pacas, raccoons, and peccaries. Highlights include hundreds of butterfly species and excellent bird-watching. Quetzals are common at higher elevations. The rare solitary eagle and umbrella bird live here. And toucans, parrots, and hummingbirds are ubiquitous.

The park protects several tree species fast disappearing elsewhere from overharvesting: among them, the palmito, valued for its “heart,” and the tepezcuintle, which has been chosen as the park’s official mascot. Those elephant-ear-size leaves common in Braulio Carrillo are sombrilla del pobre (poor man’s umbrella).

Entrances

The main entrance is approximately 19 km northeast of San José, where there is a tollbooth (200 colones–$1.30) on the Guápiles Highway. Zurquí, the main ranger station, tel. 233-4533 or 257-0922, is on the right two km north of the tunnel. Drive slowly; you come upon it suddenly on a bend. The station has basic maps, sold in the information center. The Puesto Carrillo ranger station, 22.5 km farther down the road, has a tollbooth in the center of the road for those entering the park from Limón.

Two other stations–Puesto El Ceibo and Puesto Magsasay–lie on the remote western fringes of the park, reached by rough trails from just south of La Virgen, on the main road to Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí. You can also enter the Volcán Barva sector of the park via the Puesto Barva ranger station, tel. 261-2619, three km northeast of Sacramento (see the Slopes of Barva section, above), and via Alto Palma and Bajo Hondura, accessible from San José via San Vicente de Moravia or from the Guápiles Highway at a turnoff about three km south of the main park entrance. Entrance costs $6.

Trails and Facilities

Two short trails lead from Puesto Carrillo: Los Botarramas is approximately 1.6 km; La Botella, with waterfalls and views down the Patria Canyon, is 2.8 kilometers. For additional exercise as you head down La Botella, turn left at a sign labeled Sendero. This path takes you 30 minutes deeper into the forest to the Río Sanguijuela. South of Puesto Carrillo is a parking area on the left (when heading north) with a lookout point and a trail to the Río Patria, where you can camp (no facilities). Another parking area beside the bridge over the Río Sucio (“Dirty River”) has picnic tables and a short loop trail.

A one-km trail leads from south of the Zurquí Tunnel to a vista point. The entrance is steep, the rest easy. Another trail–the Sendero Histórico–is shown on the national park map as following the Río Hondura all the way from Bajo Hondura to the Guápiles Highway at a point near the Río Sucio. Check with a ranger.

A trail from Puesto Barva leads to the summit of Volcán Barva and loops around to Porrosatí (no ranger station). From the summit, you can continue all the way downhill to La Selva in the northern lowlands. It’s a lengthy and arduous hike that may take several days, and is recommended only for experienced hikers with suitable equipment. There are no facilities. You can join this trail from Puesto El Ceibo and Puesto Magsasay; you can also drive in a short distance along a 4WD trail from Puesto Magsasay.

Bring sturdy raingear, and preferably hiking boots. The trails will most likely be muddy. Several hikers have been lost for days in the fog and torrential rains. Remember: It can freeze at night. If you intend to do serious hiking, let rangers know in advance, and check in with them when you return.

Barra Honda National Park

This 2,295-hectare park, 13 km west of the Río Tempisque, is distinct in the Costa Rican park system. Parque Nacional Barra Honda is known for its limestone caverns dating back some 70 million years (42 have been discovered to date). Remarkably, the caverns have been known to modern man for only two decades, but skeletons, utensils, and ornaments dating back to 300 b.c. have been discovered inside the Nicoya Cave.

The deepest cavern thus far explored is the Santa Ana Cave, which is thought to be at least 240 meters deep (descents have been made to 180 meters). One of its features is the handsome Hall of Pearls, full of stalactites and stalagmites. Another cavern with decorative formations is Terciopelo Cave, named for the eponymous snake found dead at the bottom of the cave during the first exploration, and reached via an exciting 30-meter vertical descent to a sloping plane that leads to the bottom, 63 meters down.

Mushroom Hall is named for the shape of its calcareous formations. The Hall of the Caverns has large Medusa-like formations, including a figure resembling a lion’s head. And columns in Hall Number Five, and “The Organ” in Terciopelo, produce musical tones when struck. Beyond the Hall, at a point called the Summit, you can sign your name in a book placed there by speleologists of the University of Costa Rica. Some of the caverns are frequented by bats, including the Pozo Hediondo (Fetid Pit) Cave, which is named for the quantity of excrement accumulated by its abundant bat population. Blind salamanders and endemic fish species have also evolved in the caves.

The caves are not easily accessible and are risky for those not duly equipped. Groups will need to call the National Parks office in San José (see National Parks, in the Introduction chapter), or the regional headquarters in Bagaces, tel. 671-1062, fax 671-1290, or in Nicoya, tel./fax 686-6760, several days in advance for authorization to enter the caves. Descents are allowed during dry season only (although, reportedly, not during Holy Week).

Above ground, the hilly dry forest terrain is a refuge for howler monkeys, deer, macaws, agoutis, peccaries, kinkajous, anteaters, and many bird species, including scarlet macaws. The park tops out at Mount Barra Honda (442 meters), which has intriguing rock formations and provides an excellent view of the Gulf of Nicoya. While here, check out Las Cascadas, strange limestone formations formed by calcareous sedimentation along a riverbed. Hire a guide; the pathways leading throughout the park are convoluted. Two German tourists got lost and died of dehydration in 1993 after setting off for a short hike without a guide.

Arenal Volcano National Park

The 12,016-hectare Parque Nacional Volcán Arenal lies within the 204,000-hectare Arenal Conservation Area, protecting eight of Costa Rica’s 12 life zones and 16 protected reserves in the region between the Guanacaste and Tilarán mountain ranges, and including Lake Arenal. The park has two volcanoes: Chato, whose collapsed crater contains an emerald lagoon surrounded by forest, and the perfectly conical Arenal. The park is most directly accessed from La Fortuna, but is also easily accessed via Tilarán and the north shore of Lake Arenal.

A joint project involving the Canadian International Development Agency and World Wildlife Fund Canada is helping local communities protect buffer zones where the land is under siege by drawing them into ecotourism. Several visitor sites provide toilets and drinking water. And trails and lookout points have been constructed.

The turnoff to the entrance is 3.5 km east of the lake and 2.5 km west of Tabacón. The dirt road leads 1.5 km to the ranger station, tel. 695-5180, fax 695-5982, which sells a small guide ($1) and has restrooms. A dirt road leads north 1.5 km to a parking lot and hiking trails.

An interpretive center has been under construction for several years, two km southwest of the ranger station (but had yet to open at last visit). It will feature a museum with exhibits on vulcanology and local ecology, an auditorium for slide shows, a cafe, and souvenir store. Meanwhile, the Arenal Observatory Lodge (see Accommodation, below) has a small but interesting Museum of Vulcanicity.

Piedras Blancas National Park

In 1991, a tract of the Esquinas Forest north of Golfito and centered on the village of La Gamba was named Piedras Blancas and incorporated (as the Esquinas Sector) into Corcovado National Park. In 1999, it was split off and named a national park in its own right. It has been a troubled park, as land within its bounds is still in private ownership, and logging permits issued before 1991 apparently remain valid.

That year, Michael Schnitzler, a classical violist, founded the Regenwald der …sterreicher (Rainforest of the Austrians) to raise funds to buy land in the Esquinas Forest. Local farmers in La Gamba decided to turn to ecotourism as an alternative source of income. In turn, in 1993 the Austrian government decided to underwrite the local population’s efforts to save the forest, and “Rainforest of the Austrians” was appointed to oversee and direct the project. By 1999, more than 25 sq km of rainforest had been purchased and donated to the nation thanks to the generosity of Austrian donors.

A cooperative was formed to provide income for 25 families whose members are employed at Esquinas Rainforest Lodge and on fruit farms and a botanical garden. In time, the cooperative will become owner of the lodge. Plans are to create a “megapark” linking Esquinas to Corcovado National Park and Golfito National Wildlife Refuge. Trails offer hikes from 30 minutes to five hours. A guide ($15) is strongly recommended.

The “Rainforest of the Austrians” also operates La Gamba Biological Station in conjunction with the University of Vienna through a grant of the Austrian government. The station, on land adjoining the Esquinas Rainforest Lodge, is open to any student or biologist wishing to study there.  The turnoff from the Pan-Am Hwy. is at La Gamba. You can also get there via a road that leads north from Golfito.

Irazu Volcano National Park

The slopes north of Cartago rise gradually up the flanks of Volcán Irazú. The views from on high are stupendous. Every corner reveals another picture-perfect landscape. You’ll swear they were painted for a Hollywood set. The slopes are festooned with tidy little farming villages with brightly painted houses of orange, yellow, green, and light blue. Dairy farming is an important industry, and you’ll pass by several communities known for their cheese. The fertile fields around Cot look like great salad bowls–carrots, onions, potatoes, and greens are grown intensively.

Volcán Irazú, about 21 km northeast of Cartago, tops out at 3,432 meters. Its name comes from two tribal words: ara (point) and tzu (thunder). The volcano has been ephemerally active, most famously on 13 March 1963, the day that U.S. President John F. Kennedy landed in Costa Rica on an official visit: Irazú broke a 20-year silence and began disgorging great columns of smoke and ash. The eruption lasted two years. At one point, ash-filled vapor blasted up into overhanging clouds and triggered a storm that rained mud up to five inches thick over a widespread area. No further activity was recorded until December 1994, when Irazú unexpectedly hiccuped gas, ash, and breccia. It still rumbles occasionally.

The windswept 100-meter-deep Diego de la Haya crater contains a sometimes-pea-green, sometimes-rust-red, mineral-tinted lake. Fumaroles are occasionally active. A larger crater is 300 meters deep. Two separate trails lead from the parking lot to the craters. Follow those signed with blue-and-white symbols (don’t follow other trails made by irresponsible folks whose feet destroy the fragile ecosystems). The crater rims are dangerously unstable. Keep your distance.

A sense of bleak desolation pervades the summit, like the surface of the moon. It is often foggy. Even on a sunny day expect a cold, dry, biting wind. Dress warmly. The average temperature is a chilly 7.3° C (45° F). Little vegetation lives at the summit, though stunted dwarf oaks, ferns, lichens, and other species are making a comeback. Best time to visit is March or April, the two driest months.

Don’t be put off if the volcano is shrouded in fog. Often the clouds lie below the summit of the mountain–there’s no way of telling until you drive up there–and you emerge into brilliant sunshine. On a clear day you can see both the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. The earlier in the morning you arrive, the better your chances of getting clear weather.

The ranger booth (no telephone), two km below the summit, is open 8 a.m.-3:30 p.m., but you can visit at any time. A mobile soda serves food and drinks on weekends, and the site has toilets and picnic benches beside the crater, but no camping or other facilities.

Guanacaste National Park

The mammoth Parque Nacional Guanacaste protects more than 84,000 hectares of savanna, dry forest, rainforest, and cloud forests extending east from Hwy. 1 to 1,659 meters atop Volcán Cacao. The park is contiguous with Santa Rosa National Park (to the west) and protects the migratory routes of myriad creatures: jaguars, tapirs, sloths, monkeys, three-wattled bellbirds, and other species, many of which move seasonally between the lowlands and the steep slopes of Volcán Cacao and the dramatically conical Volcán Orosí (1,487 meters), whose wind-battered and rain-drenched eastern slopes contrast sharply with the flora and fauna on the dry plains. Orosí long since ceased activity and, interestingly, shows no signs of a crater.

The park includes significant areas of cattle pasture, which are carefully managed to permit natural reforestation and form an integral part of the migratory mosaic. It is one of the most closely monitored parks scientifically, with three permanent biological stations, all of which offer basic accommodations. The Pitilla Biological Station is at 600 meters elevation on the northeast side of Cacao amid the lush, rain-soaked forest. It is reached via a rough dirt road from Santa Cecilia, 28 km east of Hwy. 1 beyond Hacienda Los Inocentes. A 4WD is essential. It’s a nine-km drive via Esperanza. Don’t blithely drive east from Santa Cecilia as that route goes to Upala. Ask locals for the correct route.

Cacao Field Station (also called Mengo) sits at the edge of a cloud forest at 1,100 meters on the southwestern slope of Volcán Cacao. It has a laboratory and rustic dorms. You can get there by hiking or taking a horse 10 km along a rough dirt trail from Quebrada Grande (see Quebrada Grande, above); the turnoff from Hwy. 1 is at Potrerillos, nine km south of the Santa Rosa National Park turnoff. You’ll see a sign for the station 500 meters beyond Dos Ríos (11 km beyond Quebrada Grande). The road–paved for the first four km–deteriorates gradually. Four-wheel-drive vehicles can make it to within 300 meters of the station in dry season, with permission; in wet season you’ll probably need to park at Gongora, about five km before Cacao (you’ll have to proceed on foot or horseback).

Maritza Field Station is farther north, at about 650 meters on the western side of the saddle between Cacao and Orosí Volcanoes. The vegetation here is dry and transitional dry-wet forest. You get there from Hwy. 1 via a dirt road to the right at the Cuajiniquil crossroads. It’s 15 kilometers. There are barbed-wire gates: simply close them behind you. Four-wheel drive is essential in wet season. The station has a research laboratory. From here you can hike to Cacao Biological Station. Another trail leads to El Pedregal.

At El Pedregal, on the Llano de los Indios (a plain on the western slope of Orosí), almost 100 petroglyphs representing a pantheon of chiseled supernatural beings lie half-buried in the luxurious undergrowth that cloaks the mountain’s hide.

It is one of the least visited and least developed parks in the nation, and facilities are not well developed. The park is administered from the Guanacaste Regional Conservation Area Headquarters at Santa Rosa.

Rincon de la Vieja National Park

Rincón de la Vieja (1,895 meters), an active volcano in a period of relative calm, is the largest of five volcanoes that make up the Cordillera de Guanacaste. It is composed of nine separate but contiguous volcanic craters, with dormant Santa María (1,916 meters) the tallest and most easterly. Its crater harbors a forest-rimmed lake popular with quetzals, linnets, and tapirs.

The main crater–Von Seebach, sometimes called the Rincón de la Vieja crater–still steams. Icy Lake Los Jilgueros lies between the two craters. The last serious eruption was in 1983. Rincón, however, spewed lava and acid gases on 8 May 1991, causing destructive lahores (ash-mud flows). The slopes still bear reminders of the destructive force of the acid cloud that burnt away much of the vegetation on the southeastern slope.

The attractions are protected in the 14,083-hectare Parque Nacional Volcán Rincón de la Vieja, which extends from 650 to 1,965 meters in elevation on both the Caribbean and Pacific flanks of the cordillera. The two sides differ markedly in rainfall and vegetation. The Pacific side has a distinct dry season (if you intend climbing to the craters, Feb.-April is best). The Caribbean side is lush and wet year-round, with as much as 500 cm of rainfall falling annually on higher slopes. The park is known for its profusion of orchid species.

The diverse conditions foster a panoply of wildlife species. More than 300 species of birds include quetzals, toucanets, the elegant trogon, eagles, three-wattled bellbirds, and the curassow. Mammals include cougars, howler, spider, and white-faced monkeys, kinkajous, sloths, tapirs, tayras, and even jaguars.

The lower slopes can be explored along relatively easy trails that begin at the park headquarters. The Sendero Encantago leads through cloud forest full of guaria morada orchids (the national flower) and links with a 12-km trail that continues to Las Pailas (Caldrons), 50 hectares of bubbling mud volcanoes, boiling thermal waters, vapor geysers, and the so-called Hornillas (Ovens) geyser of sulfur dioxide and hydrogen sulfide. The mud has minerals and medicinal properties used in cosmetology. Be careful when walking around: it is possible to step through the crust and scald yourself, or worse. This trail continues to the summit.

Between the cloud forest and Las Pailas, a side trail (marked Aguas Thermales) leads to soothing, hot sulfur springs called Los Azufrales (Sulfurs). The thermal waters (42° C) form small pools where you may bathe and take advantage of their curative properties. Use the cold-water stream nearby for a cooling off after a good soak in the thermal springs. Las Hornillas are sulfurous fumaroles on the devastated southern slope of the volcano. Another trail leads to the Hidden Waterfalls, four continuous falls (three of which exceed 70 meters) in the Agria Ravine. You’ll find a perfect bathing hole at the base of one of the falls.

Hiking to the Summit

The hike is relatively straightforward. You can do the round-trip from the Las Pailas Ranger Station (also called Las Espuelas) to the summit and back in a day, two days from park headquarters. The lower trail begins at the Santa María Ranger Station, leads past Las Hornillas and the Las Pailas Ranger Station and snakes up the steep, scrubby mountainside through elephant grass and dense groves of twisted, stunted copel clusia, a perfumed tree species common near mountain summits. En route, you cross a bleak expanse of purple lava fossilized by the blitz of the sun. Trails are marked by cairns, though it is easy to get lost if the clouds set in; consider hiring a local guide. The upper slopes are of loose scree. Be particularly careful on your descent.

It can be cool up here, but–if it’s clear–the powerful view and the hard, windy silence make for a profound experience. From on high, you have a splendid view of the wide Guanacaste plain shimmering in the heat like a dreamworld between hallucination and reality, and, beyond, the mountains of Nicoya glistening like hammered gold from the sunlight slanting in from the south. On a clear day, you can see Lake Nicaragua. Magical! You have only the sighing of the wind for company.

It will probably be cloudy, however, in which case you may need to camp near the top to ascend the summit the next morning before the clouds set in (there’s a campsite about five km from Las Pailas; it’s about two hours to the summit of Von Seebach from there). The beach of Linnet Bird Lagoon–a whale-shaped lagoon filled with very cold water, southeast of the active volcano–is recommended for camping. Bring a waterproof tent and clothing, plus mosquito and tick repellent. The grasses harbor ticks and other biting critters: consider long pants.

Ballena(Whale) Marine National Park

The Ballena Marine National Park was created in February 1990 to protect the shoreline of Bahía de Coronado and includes Punta Uvita, several beaches (notably Playa Ballena), plus 4,500 hectares of water surrounding Isla Ballena. The park extends south for 15 km from Uvita to Punta Piñuela, and about 15 km out to sea. The park harbors within its relatively small area important mangroves and the largest coral reef on the Pacific coast of Central America. Green marine iguanas live on algae in the saltwater pools. They litter the golden-sand beaches like prehistoric jetsam, their bodies angled at 90 degrees to catch the sun’s rays most directly. Once they reach 37° C, they pop down to the sea for a bite to eat. Olive ridley and hawksbill turtles come ashore May-November to lay their eggs (September and October are the best months to visit). Common and bottle-nosed dolphins frolic offshore. And the bay is the southernmost mating site for the humpback whale, which migrates from Alaska, Baja California, and Hawaii (Dec.-April).

Snorkeling is good close to shore during low tides. You can also reach the island at the tip of Punta Uvita at low tide to discover corals, sponges, and sea anemones. There are caves worth exploring. Isla Ballena and the rocks known as Las Tres Hermanas (The Three Sisters) are havens for frigate birds and boobies as well as pelicans and even ibises. Whales tend to congregate near Las Tres Hermanas.

Despite protection, shrimp fishermen still fish with impunity close to shore using gill nets that are indiscriminate about the species they trap. And erosion and sedimentation resulting from construction of the coastal highway have killed off at least 60 percent of the coral reef.

Information: The ranger station and park headquarters, tel./fax 786-7161, is beside the beach at Hacienda Bahía, three km south of Uvita. There’s another ranger station at Playa Piñuela, at the southern end of the park. Nominally the entrance fee is $6, but a fee seems to be charged only rarely. You can camp on the beach. The ranger stations have water.

Getting There: You can hire a boat and guide at any of the fishing hamlets between Palmar and the park, or in Dominical or Uvita, to take you to the reef or Isla Ballena (about $30 per hour, $45 two hours).