Barra Honda National Park Costa Rica

National Park Barra HondaBarra Honda
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Barra Honda National Park Costa RicaNational Park
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Barra Honda National Park CavernsBarra Honda
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Barra Honda National Park CavesBarra Honda
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Barra Honda national park is located in the Nicoya Penninsula region of Costa Rica and is home to amazing limestone caves and caverns, as well as world class stalagmites and stalactites. These limestone monuments date back over 70 million years and they have only been discovered in the last twenty years. At this time, only forty two caverns are known, but there are many more yet to be discovered. Skeletons, ornaments and other artifacts have been discovered in the caves dating back to 300 B.C. The deepest of the discovered caves is Santa Ana which is thought to be nearly 800 feet deep, though descents have only been made about two thirds of that distance. One of the primary features of this cave is the amazing Hall of Pearls which features a display of stalagmites and stalactites that is truly breathtaking. Another cavern of interest is Terciopelo named for an enormous snake that was found dead at the bottom during the first exploration. This cave can only be accessed with a thrilling 100 foot steep descent to a sloping plane.

There is a column in this cave called “the Organ “ that produces musical chimes and causes large numbers of bats to scurry away into the dark. Other caves of interest are the large Mushroom Hall named for its calcareous formations and the Hall of Caverns with its large formations resembling lion’s heads.

Barra Honda National ParkBarra Honda
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Costa Rica Barra Honda National ParkBarra Honda
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Barra Honda National Park WildlifeWildlife Costa Rica
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Barra Honda Costa Rica National ParkNational Park
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The caves at Barra Honda are not easily accessible without proper equipment and permission to explore all of the caves must be received from the National Parks offices and can only be done during dry season. The extensive trails above the caves are often muddy and require four wheel drive to reach at some times. The hilly forest terrain surrounding the caves is a refuge for many rare species, including howler monkeys, scarlet Macaws, anteaters and many others. The unique geography of the caverns have also lent themselves to the development of adaptive species, such as the blind salamander. Barra Honda is not the most accessible of the National parks of Costa Rica, but has beautiful trails and amazing case to explore- an out of the way gem to explore!

Type: Caves
Area: 23 km2
Location: Nicoya


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