National parks of Costa Rica

Costa Rica is a country of national parks and reserves. The flora and fauna of this country cannot be compared with any other in the world. In this article, we will tell you about the main parks that are sure to impress tourists.

Manuel Antonio National Park

Manuel Antonio National Park is a nature reserve located on the central Pacific coast of Costa Rica. Landscapes and great biodiversity make Manuel Antonio one of the most scenic and most visited national parks in the country.

In total, 350 plant species have been identified in the park! Here you can observe near two-toed and three-toed sloths, white-tailed deer, guatuses, iguanas, raccoons, monkeys. We advise you to take care of your belongings if you do not want to climb trees for monkeys in search of your swimwear or mobile phone.

The park’s marine fauna is no less amazing: moray eels, sea angels, sea urchins, starfish are just a few of the representatives of this protected area.

Corcovado National Park (Puntarenas Province)

Corcovado National Park is located on the Osa Peninsula. There are no restaurants or paths for tourists in the park. Everything remained as nature created. If you are lucky, you can meet many amazing animals in the park, for example, such as the glass frog. It is called so because you can see the internal organs through its skin. Only first you need to plant it on a colorless transparent surface. The park also has a mysterious cave, in which, according to legend, one pirate kept his treasures.

Chirripo National Park (Cerro Chirripo)

The Chirripo National Park covers more than three provinces. The main territory is divided between the provinces of Limon, Cartago, and San Jose in the south of Costa Rica. Chirripo National Park protects a variety of habitats and wildlife. Named after the country’s tallest mountain, Cerro Chirripo, the national park features a mix of treeless mountain plateaus, fern groves, swamps, lush rainforests, and glacial lakes.

Zoo them. Simone Bolivar (San Jose)

Here you could see jaguars and lions, not in cages, but in cozy open-air cages. In total, the zoo is home to 400 species of different animals, fish, and birds, as well as an impressive collection of snakes. Moreover, in the serpentarium there are especially rare snakes – multi-colored. The pride of the zoo has become a large collection of parrots, which are also provided with comfortable living conditions.

In 2013, the government intended to close the zoo. He stated that keeping animals in enclosures and cages is inhumane. The government’s initiative was for all 400 species of fish, birds, and animals to be distributed to shelters or released into the wild.

However, his opponent was the director of the zoo, Yolanda Matamoros. The woman lashed out at the minister with harsh criticism, saying that the country did not have the means to distribute such a large number of animals to different points.

Rincon de la Vieja National Park

The Rincon de la Vieja National Park covers an area of over 14 hectares and is considered part of the nature reserve of the Guanacaste province in northwestern Costa Rica. The name of the park comes from the name of the volcano that is its center.

Rincon de la Vieja is an active complex volcano consisting of nine active and extinct craters. The last eruptions occurred in 2017 (May 23 and June 11), and the largest was about 3500 years ago. Despite the activity, the Rincon de la Vieja volcano is not considered dangerous, tourists are not allowed only to the crater (temporary ban), the entire surrounding area is available for inspection and study.

Tortuguero nature reserve

Tortuguero, also known as the “Costa Rican Amazon”, is also known as a global nature reserve: every year, many thousands of turtles lay their eggs on these spacious beaches. Another attraction here is the Tortuguero Canals, an extensive system of natural and man-made canals and waterways designed for both water movement and jungle exploration. The local cultural atmosphere differs significantly from the rest of Costa Rica, thanks to the significant Afro-Caribbean influence that affects everything, and last but not least, the unique character of the local cuisine.

Cocos Island National Park

The national park is located on an island in the Pacific Ocean, which is the top of an underwater cliff. The park was created in 1978.

The island has two coves with sandy beaches, many rivers, and streams that fall from the river ledges with beautiful waterfalls.

Deep ocean currents bring cold, nutrient-rich waters to the island’s shores, where they mix with warmer coastal waters. Thus, unique conditions are created to maintain an amazing ecosystem.

Guanacaste National Park

Guanacaste National Park was created as an extension of Santa Rosa Park, with the aim of making this area as comfortable as possible for species such as jaguars and mountain lions. The park was created in order to preserve the opportunity for animals to freely migrate between dry deciduous tropical forest and evergreen rain forest.

On the territory of the park, you can make both long hikes and short walks, as well as to conduct bird watching. In a relatively small area of the national park, you can get an idea of the evergreen rain forests typical of the Caribbean coast of North Costa Rica, as well as the dry deciduous forests of the Pacific coast, located on the border of Santa Rosa National Park.