Rainmaker is one of our favorites and an undiscovered secret for trails through an old growth tropical rain forest filled with birds, amphibians and reptiles. We've visited half a dozen times and nearly always had the reserve to ourselves. trails | wildlife | getting there | best time | photos | … [Read more...]
Natural Areas & Wildlife
Costa Rica is a natural destination and this category is where you'll find our experiences and recommendations for the National Parks, Forests, Wetlands, Wildlife Refuges and Rescues that make it an ecological wonderland.
Punta Mala-Playa Hermosa National Wildlife Refuge
Refugio Nacional de Vida Silvestre Playa Hermosa-Punta Mala stretches 13 km southeast along the Pacific from the village of Hermosa to the village of Esterillos Oeste. It encompasses wetlands, a small lagoon, mangrove estuary, rock reef, tropical rain forest and of course spectacular beaches with … [Read more...]
Best Places to See Monkeys & Sloths in Costa Rica
It's not as exotic as the end of a muddy trail through the remotest rain forest but the trees along the highways and roads are one of the easiest places to see sloth and monkeys especially if you're riding with a guide or local driver. Of course national parks and wildlife refuges provide … [Read more...]
La Cangreja National Park
La Cangreja National Park is only 20 miles from downtown San José as the crow flies but it's as remote and wild as any of Costa Rica's better known natural areas. We didn't realize how wild until we rounded a bend in the trail to catch a glimpse of a Puma disappearing around the corner ahead of … [Read more...]
Resplendent Quetzals
Although the northern Quetzal subspecies (Pharomachrus mocinno mocinno) is the national bird of Guatemala we've been told by birders that they are easier to see and there is a much larger population in Costa Rica because the forests are better protected here. Quetzal - Pharomachrus mocinno … [Read more...]
Macaws in Costa Rica
Macaws were once nearly extinct in Costa Rica - we were told there were more pet Macaws in New York City than in the wild in Central America. Since 2005, isolated populations of Scarlet Macaws in Corcovado and Carara National Parks have expanded into healthy flocks the entire length of the Pacific … [Read more...]
Best Places to See Wildlife in Costa Rica
The Big Three - monkeys, sloths and macaws - are easy to find. Put yourself in the right place - Manuel Antonio and Corcovado are two of the best places to see wildlife, at the right time - early morning. Listen carefully, pay attention to signs and use the rest of these tips and techniques and … [Read more...]
La Amistad International Peace Park
It took twenty years of trying but I finally visited La Amistad in a big way as a 50th birthday trip in 2012. We hiked all the way across Costa Rica starting at Puerto Viejo on the Caribbean and ending at Playa Hermosa near Uvita on the Pacific. The whole story is here and it was Awesome! La … [Read more...]
A M Brenes Biological Reserve
Northwest of San Ramón in the Tiláran Mountains Alberto Manuel Brenes Biological Reserve abuts Monteverde cloud forest reserve and the children’s eternal rainforest. The biological station under the direction of the Occidente Campus of the University of Costa Rica at Alberto Brenes is very … [Read more...]
Ballena National Park
Marino Ballena National Park is named after the Humpback Whales that migrate here each year from December to April to mate before returning to the frigid waters to the north. Playas Uvita and Ballena are relatively unvisited stretches of white and golden sand. Green marine iguanas (iguana … [Read more...]
Barbilla National Park
On the Caribbean slopes of the Talamanca Mountains, Parque Nacional Barbilla was created mainly through the efforts of the Fundación Nairi and is supported by INBio which continues to operate the Estación Biológica Barbilla within the boundaries. Part of the Talamanca/La Amistad Biosphere … [Read more...]
Barra del Colorado Wildlife Refuge
With all the water in the region it is not surprising that the main attraction here is the fishing. World class tarpon and snook fishing attract anglers from all over, and other gamefish include bluegill, rainbow bass (guapote), alligator gar and machaca in the rivers and barracuda, mackerel, and … [Read more...]
Barra Honda Caverns National Park
The area of the Tempisque Basin where the Nicoya Peninsula joins the mainland has a foundation of relatively soft limestone. Water has cut extensive caves through Cerro Barra Honda and the other small mountains creating the best know feature of this National Park. However, the park also has well … [Read more...]
Las Baulas National Marine Park
Leatherback Sea Turtles Marino las Baulas de Guanacaste Tamarindo/Playa Grande National Park has a history nearly as long and convoluted as its name. For thousands of years leatherback sea turtles that hatched at Playa Grande have returned to lay their eggs. The park's namesake leatherback turtles … [Read more...]
Braulio Carrillo National Park
As you head east from San José on the Guápiles Highway the Zurquí tunnel transports you from the modern world into the rainforest and cloud forest of Braulio Carrillo National Park. The two most important features of Braulio Carrillo National Park are ironically opposed in some ways. One is the … [Read more...]
Cahuita National Park
The Coral Reefs Cahuita National Park is best known for the coral reefs close to shore. In the dry season, there is good snorkeling (guide required), and you are likely to see light yellow brain, elkhorn, and blue staghorn corals, sea fans, and gorgonians as a back drop to the more than 500 species … [Read more...]
Caño Negro Wetlands National Wildlife Refuge
Caño Negro is off the beaten path, but worth the effort. Most visits start out at Los Chiles where you board a boat and glide up the Río Frío through canyons of green towards the everglade like Lago Caño Negro. Hundreds of tourists from the Arenal Volcano region bus in every day to tour … [Read more...]
Carara National Park
This is the northernmost Pacific coastal rain forest remaining intact in Costa Rica, and is the transition zone into the tropical dry forests of the northwest. Carara is one of Costa Rica's most popular National Parks, in large part due to its proximity to San José. This is also where many … [Read more...]
Curi Cancha Wildlife Refuge
Undiscovered & Less Crowded Cloud Forest Experience A new private reserve is as much a refuge for human visitors as the resident birds and animals. Thousands fewer people arrive at the gates each week than at its famous neighbor, Monteverde. For visitors willing to give up the cache of going … [Read more...]
Gandoca Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge
Probably about a dozen years ago Sue and I were walking the coast trail to punta Mona in Gandoca Manzanillo wildlife refuge and we started talking about all the animals we'd seen, not just that day but in all our visits to Costa Rica. I was trying to come up with some that we hadn't seen but really … [Read more...]