National Parks In Costa Rica
In 1970 the people of Costa Rica realized that their beautiful country deserved to be protected so that future generations could share its beauty. That year the national park system was formed and is admired around the world. Costa Rica has maintained a higher proportion of it’s land mass for national parks than any other country in the world- with 10.27 % protected as national parks by Costa Rican law and an additional 17 % set aside for forest and Indian reserves, wildlife refuges and buffer zones. The government National Conservation Areas System (SINAC) established in 1998 protects nearly two hundred conservation areas, including over 50 wildlife refuges, 32 major national parks, over a dozen forest reserves and a handful of biological reserves.
This program has provided the people of Costa Rica and tourists with an amazing opportunity to admire and examine the wonders of nature, since over 75% of the flora and fauna of Central America are included in these national treasures and over 4% of all world species. The National Parks and Wildlife Refuges are managed by MINAE- Ministerio de Ambiental y Energia. In total more than 25% of the land area of Costa Rica is protected by one program or the other.
There is also a concerted effort by the Costa Rican government to protect areas of historic and archaeological interest. Pre Columbian settlement areas and early battlefields are protected with the same fervor as are rain and deciduous forests and wildlife preserves. Protecting the natural resources of Costa Rica has far reaching implications because of its amazing biodiversity, including many species on the verge of extinction.
In most cases, access to all of the National Park System and reserve System in Costa Rica is inexpensive and readily available, though some are easier to get to than others. All that is asked is that all visitors are respectful of the need to protect these valuable resources.
One of the largest parks in the Costa Rican national park system, Guanacaste boasts over 84,000 protected acres of rain and cloud forests, as well as significant cattle pastures and savanna area. The park is the hard work of Costa Rican pioneer, Dr. Daniel Jantzen, who lobbied tirelessly for its creation. Encompassing a myriad of neighboring habitats in order to preserve disappearing species of fauna the park was established on July 25th , 1989.
Guanacaste is renowned for its birding and animal observation opportunities. There are several biological and field station, several of which offer dorm like accommodations. Guanacaste is one of the least developed and least visited parks in the national park system and facilities are sparse. Species are plentiful- many varieties of monkeys and birds abound in this lovely park.Besides many species of bird and animal life, there are some amazing pre-Columbian petroglyphs on the open plains at El Pedregal. There are many well defined trails, offering many opportunities to hike the Costa Rican continental divide between the mountains peaks of Orosi and Cacao.
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Arenal Volcano National Park
The primary attractions at Arenal Volcano National Park are, of course, the volcanoes. Listed among the top ten most active volcanoes in the world, Arenal has not had a major eruption since July 29th, 1968. That eruption was preceded by an earthquake and two villages were completely wiped out. The blast was felt as far away as Boulder, Colorado! Nowadays the volcanic activity is limited to amazing lava emissions and smoldering cinder-blocks. The volcano’s active vent is on the west side, but explosions and eruptions can be seen from any vantage point. Some days the volcano can blow several times in an hour, but it does vary. The best time to view activity is in the early morning before the clouds roll in and in the dry season. Park officials will close the park down if they feel that conditions are becoming too dangerous. The other volcano at this park is the dormant, Chato, which boasts an amazing collapsed crater that is now a beautiful lagoon surrounded by forest.
Arenal volcano was sacred to the pre-Columbian tribes and it is not hard to imagine sacrifices occurring regularly. Now it is one of Costa Rica’s jewels in their national park system, with tourists from around the world coming to enjoy outstanding views of the volcano, but also the other attractions available for visitors. There is a very interesting Museum of Vulcanicity at the Arenal Observatory lodge as well as a larger visitor’s center with museum that is currently under construction, but should be open soon. Besides the amazing volcanic activity that can be seen, Arenal is also home for over 650 different species of birds, nearly three quarters of all the species found in Costa Rica! The highly endangered Resplendent Quetzal can be seen here as well making this park very popular with birders from all over the world. There is also a nice diversified animal population to be seen as well, including jaguars, white face monkeys and many others. Arenal National Park is a place where one can enjoy incredible hiking, horseback riding, magnificent views and a plethora of other experiences in a well maintained 30,000 acre setting.
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Barra Honda National Park
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.
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!
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Braulio Carrillo National Park
Established in 1978 as part of an environmental compromise, the national park at Braulio Carrillo was created to help preserve the lush flora and fauna that was divided by the creation of the Guapiles highway. The protected area covers over 108,000 acres of rolling hills covered with amazingly dense vegetation and beautiful scenery. The park is located only about eleven miles from San Jose and includes Barva Volcan, an inactive volcano, is the highest peak in the park at 9,534 feet. There are many other challenging climbs, such as Cacho Negro, Cherro Chompipe, and Cherro Turo, as well as the dramatic, not to be missed, San Fernando waterfall. Named after the third president of Costa Rica, who was active in the conservation movement and helped develop Costa Rica into a coffee production powerhouse, Braulio Carrillo National Pak is a testament to merging environmental concerns with the growth of tourism and the need for modern transportation.
Braulio Carrillo National Park expands over 110,000 acres and boasts the greatest altitudinal range of any Costa Rican park. It spans at least five different life zones and is home to over six thousand different types of plant life. The park is also home to several rapidly vanishing tree species, such as the palmito, valued for its heart and nicknamed the poor man’s umbrella because of its enormous leaves also the unofficial park mascot, the tepezcuintle. The park also contains over five hundred species of birds and nearly 150 different species of mammals. Because of the great diversity found in this park, it is hard to give an average for any weather condition. Annual rainfall can vary from 400 to 800 centimeters and temperatures range between 15 and 30 C depending on elevation. Named after the third resident of Costa Rica, Dr. Braulio Carrillo, the park is a testament to what can be done when governments and environmentalists work in concert. Established as a concession to environmental protesters, it has earned an honored and important place in the Costa Rica National Park system.
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Cahuita National Park is smaller than most others in the Costa Rican national park system, but is just as diverse and special as all of the rest. The park consists of two primary parts- an amazing protected reef of over 600 acres and an equally breathtaking land portion. With over ten miles of palm tree shaded beaches and lush mangrove forests, Cahuita offers many opportunities to explore that is best abut Costa Rica. Since Cahuita National Park is close to the villages of Cahuita and Puerto Viejo, there are well developed facilities and the roads are in relatively good shape. The beautiful white sand beaches are a draw year round and the coral reef is attractive to those that snorkel the world over.
Established in the 1970s as a way to protect Costa Rica’s longest coral reef, Cahuita has become a firm favorite with many looking to explore underwater, as well as on land. The reef is the home of over 35 species of coral as well as many marine species, such as octopi, sea urchins and barracudas, as well as the over 500 species of fish and many varieties of shark can be viewed regularly. The beach at Cahuita is also a nesting ground for several types of turtles that come ashore annually to lay their eggs. The coral reef took sustained some damage during the 1991 earthquake, but is well on its way to making a full recovery. Another popular attraction is the wreckage of an eighteenth century slave ship anchored at the bottom of the mouth of the Pereoso River. Though the ship never made its destination, it is now home for myriad of marine life. This and another sunken ship can be viewed from above or below sea- the ballasts and cannons can be seen clearly from the shore. Snorkeling opportunities abound inside of the marine sanctuary.
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