Guanacaste National Park was created in 1989 to connect Santa Rosa National Park with the high elevation cloud forest of Orosi and Cacao volcanoes and across the continental divide to the Caribbean rainforest of Northern Costa Rica. The hope is that together these two parks protect enough land to … [Read more...]
Costa Rica's National Park System
Modeled on the U.S. national parks after a couple of young Tico soon to be conservationists visited the Great Smokey Mountains the whole story of the birth of Costa Rica's park system is told in a fascinating book called The Quetzal and the Macaw. However they came to be they are now the foundation of Costa Rica's billion dollar travel industry, the source of water for the population and the reason that in early 2015 Costa Rica could declare that 100% of it's electricity was from green energy - the vast majority from hydro on National Park fed rivers.
No matter where you visit in Costa Rica there is always a park nearby.
Isla del Cocos National Park
Hundreds of years ago Cocos Island was a hideout for pirates (and some say the inspiration for Robert Louis Stevenson's, Treasure Island). Stories tell of buccaneers burying treasures here… Edward Davis in 1685, Benito Bonito in 1820, and William Thompson in 1821, but if they did leave treasure … [Read more...]
Juan Castro Blanco/Parque de Aguas National Park
Juan Castro Blanco National Park is also known as Parque de Aguas (the park of the waters) and protects mid-elevation wet forest and high altitude cloud forest on the slopes of three extinct volcano peaks, Porvenir (2,267 meters), Platanar (2,183 meters), and Viejo (2,060 meters). Currently the … [Read more...]
Miravalles Volcano National Park
The Bagaces Side of Miravalles Our first ever visit started out from Fortuna de Bagaces (not the Arenal La Fortuna) and was one of the most memorable days of hiking we ever enjoyed. Our friend The Priest (his name is Climaco but The Priest is what his family and friends call him) gave us the … [Read more...]
Palo Verde National Park
Palo Verde National Park has a uniquely dichotomous character. It’s simultaneously a spectacular wetlands and one of the best examples of tropical dry forests remaining anywhere in the world. This dual nature is a result of the Río Tempisque flooding over land located in a relatively arid climate … [Read more...]
Santa Rosa National Park
Tropical Dry Forest Santa Rosa National Park protects some of the last remaining tropical dry forest in the world. The small patch of oak forest near the entrance to the Comelco Ranch is probably representative of the original habitat of much of the park. Ranchers burned most of the plateau … [Read more...]