Costa Rica's National Parks

Responding to the new policies of the MINAE, eleven Conservation Areas were established (see map in next section) in 1998 to oversee and manage the public lands of Costa Rica. These conservation areas are known as the Sistema Nacional de Areas de Conservacion, or SINAC.

They are.....

ACCVC ~ Central Volcanic Cordillera Conservation Area

ACOPAC ~ Central Pacific Conservation Area

ACOSA ~ Osa Conservation Area

ACLA-P ~ Pacific La Amistad Conservation Area

ACLA-C ~ Caribbean La Amistad Conservation Area

ACTO ~ Tortuguero Conservation Area

ACA-HN ~ Arenal Huetar Norte Conservation Area

ACA-T ~ Arenal Tilaran Conservation Area

ACG ~ Guanacaste Conservation Area

ACT ~ Tempisque Conservation Area

ACMIC ~ Cocos Island Marine Conservation Area

From Toucan Guides

The highlight of the Poás National park is, of course, the volcano itself. It has one of the largest active craters in the world and is one of the 100 most active volcanoes of the planet. Since 1898 the Poás Volcano has erupted 39 times. Some 200,000 tourists visit the park each year to view the colosal. One of the principal attractions is the blue lake in the volcano's principal crater. The water in the lake is very hot and the temperature can vary with activity under the surface. Such varying activity is indicated by a change of the color of the water. If the temperature rises, the water can change to a milky white. The color is caused by a mixture of gases and chemicals.

Poás National Park from Costa Rica Verde

Poás National Park Facts from Wikipedia

Tortuguero National Park is most famous for its turtles. Every year several species make their way to its Caribbean shores to lay their eggs. These include the highly endangered Tortuga Verde (Green Sea Turtle) as well as Baulas (Leatherback) and Careys (Hawksbill). Tortuguero National Park is also home to large mammals such as the manatee and the jaguar, as well as a dazzling variety of birds, amphibians and reptiles. The park can be navigated via a series of canals and lagoons that bring the some 100,000 visitors each year up close and personal with true Costa Rican jungle in its rawest form.

Tortuguero National Park from Costa Rica Verde

Tortuguero National Park Facts from Wikipedia

One of my personal favorite of the national parks of Costa Rica is Cahuita National Park. The park has beautiful while sand beaches and crystal clear waters. It is also home to a wide variety of wildlife like pizotes, mapaches, perezosos (sloths), and monkeys. However, the real unique diversity of Cahuita is found in its waters. The park is surrounded by a vibrant coral reef where you can find a brilliant array of marine life. Some 70,000 tourists visit Cahuita annually. The name Cahuita comes from the indigenous misquitos and means "lugar donde crecen sangrillos," which means the place where sangrillos grow, which are trees with yellow flowers that are common to the area.

Cahuita National Park from Costa Rica Verde

Cahuita National Park Facts from Wikipedia

There is no place in Costa Rica that displays the country's amazing biodiversity better than Corcovado National Park. Located on the Osa Peninsula in the extreme southern Pacific zone of the country, this park is home to 50% of all the species that call Costa Rica home and one of the largest remaining primary forests in the country. Consider these biodiversity facts....

- 500 species of trees (49 of which are near extinction)

- 150 species of orchids

- 140 species of mammals (including the country's largest population of jaguars)

- 120 species of reptiles and amphibians

- 6,000 species of insects....

....and you can see why National Geographic called Corcovado the most diverse location on the planet.

Corcovado National Park from Costa Rica Verde

Corcovado National Park Facts from Wikipedia

This national park is famous for its marine life, especially the humpback whales that follow a migratory route that brings them very close to Costa Rica's Pacific shores each year. The arrival of the whales coincides with our high tourist season during the months of December through April. That is probably why some 60,000 tourists visit the park each year, which is just south of the popular beach town of Dominical, to view the whales and other forms of marine life that inhabit the park. The park is also home to a coral reef and many different species of dolphins can be seen frolicking in the blue waters.

Marino Ballena National Park from Costa Rica Verde

Marino Ballena National Park Facts from Wikipedia

Manuel Antonio is Costa Rica's smallest, yet often visited, national park. Its small size (less than 2 hectareas, or about 5 acres) belies its amazing wealth of bioiversity. It is also home to some of the country's most beautiful beaches. In the park you will encounter several of Costa Rica's species of monkeys, sloths, iquanas, boas and many other animals. All this attracts some 200,000 visitors to the park each year.

Manuel Antonio National Park from Costa Rica Verde

Manuel Antonio National Park Facts from Wikipedia

This park is not too far from San Jose and is famous for, among other things, the huge crocodiles of the river Tarcoles. This park is also popular for the birds, especially the large populations of Lapas Rojas (Scarlet Macaws) that are making a comeback in the area. Some 360 different species of birds are found within the park. The forest of this park is actually considered "transitional" between the tropical dry forests of the north and the rain forest of the south. Therefore, this park offers scientists an interesting venue to study the relationships between these two important ecosystems. Also found in the park are archaeological pre-colombian sites that date back to when the area was a major agricultural center for the indigenous that once thrived there. These archaeological sites are not open to the public, however.

Carara National Park from Costa Rica Verde

Carara National Park Facts from Wikipedia

Tarcoles Crocodile Facts from Wikipedia

At 3,432 meters (over 11,000 feet), the Irazú volcano is the highest volcano in Costa Rica and also one of the most active. It last erupted in 1963, at the time when the U.S. President John F. Kennedy visited Costa Rica (see link to my blog post below). This eruption lasted for two years and covered the entire Central Valley in ash. The park attracts some 100,000 visitors annually who can drive right up to the crater at the top where there is a very nice visitors' center and snack bar. Bring a jacket, because it can be very windy and cold. The volcano has three craters, the most famous and most recently active of which is notable for the green lake at the bottom.

Irazú Volcano National Park from Costa Rica Verde

Irazú National Park Facts from Wikipedia

Located close enough to the Irazú Volcano as to be virtual next-door neighbors is the almost equally colosal Turrialba Volcano. This volcano stands at 3,340 meters, so it is just a tad shorter than its neighbor. Turrialba has been getting a lot of news lately because it has been very active (see link below to my recent Tiquicia blog post). The activity has been in the form of gas emissions that are killing plants and wildlife around the volcano and prompting the evacuation of many of its human inhabitants as well (the gases at the levels being emitted can be harmful to the respiratory system). Before this recent spate of activity, the Turrialba Volcano was the only one in the country where you could actually descend into the crater of the beast (at least into the less active crater). Also, the views from the top are incredible and on a clear day you can see the entire Caribbean coast. The last major eruptive period was between the years 1864 and 1886. 18,000 persons visit this park each year. The area where it is located, Turrialba, is one of my favorite of the country and is also home to some of our best rafting rivers (See my Costa Rica Rafting Rivers lens).

Turrialba Volcano National Park from Costa Rica Verde

Turrialba National Park Facts from Wikipedia

Tiquicia Blog Post on Turrialba's Recent Activity

Prior to 1968, to the inhabitants of the small farming communties around Cerro Arenal, the colossal was just another mountain. But in the early morning hours of July 29, 1968 they got a big surprise. Arenal erupted in a shower of rocks, ash, and lava that when it ended had destroyed several communities and took the lives of 87 Costa Ricans (see link to Tiquicia Post below). Since then the Arenal Volcano has been the most active in the country with almost daily eruptions and actually is considered one of the most active in the world. Mighty Arenal is a classic cone shaped volcano that rises to an altitude of almost 1,700 meters. The lava is visible at night, but in the day frequent rumblings can be heard and felt as Arenal continuously reminds us of its prominence in this region of Costa Rica. Arenal National Park and the town of La Fortuna have become one of the major tourism draws of the country with 90% of Costa Rica's tourists making the trip to see this natural wonder. The volcano has actually been growing as of late as it spews chunks of its insides that form building blocks pushing the active cone to greater heights. Arenal is also famous for the thermally warmed springs that are common to the area and extremely popular with the tourists. The park is also home to a wide variety of wildlife, flora and fauna. Arenal National Park is one of the must-sees of Costa Rica.

Arenal National Park from Costa Rica Green

Arenal Volcano Facts from Wikipedia

Previous Tiquicia Blog Post of Arenal History

The Rincón de la Vieja Volcano is located a short distance from Liberia in the Guanacaste Mountain Range. On a clear day from the summit of the volcano, which rises to 1,916 meters, you can get a view of Lake Nicaragua and its two volcanoes, Concepción and Maderas. This volcano erupts frequently with the most recent eruption occurring in 1998. Today you can see many fumaroles (steam vents) and boiling mud pits on a hike to the summit. The volcano is also home to numerous hot springs. The name means "The Old Woman's Corner" that comes from a local legend about a girl whose lover was thrown into the crater by her father. She became a recluse living on the mountain, and was credited with powers of healing. Like all of Costa Rica's volcanoes, Rincón de la Vieja is home to amazing biodiversity in plant and animal life.

Rincón de la Vieja National Park from Costa Rica Verde

Rincón de la Vieja National Park Facts from Wikipedia

The Santa Rosa National Park is in the Northwestern zone of the country, not far from Liberia and Rincón de la Vieja, in the province of Guanacaste. The park is known both for its biodiversity and natural beauty, as well as being of historical significance. On March 20, 1856, Costa Rica was successful in repelling the invading filibusterers led by mercenary William Walker. The Hacienda Casona is a reconstructed site where the Costa Rican forces were trained and housed as they fought to defend the county's freedom. The park is also home to one of Costa Rica's most famous surfing spots, Witches Rock. The park is known for its diversity of wildlife, especially the monkeys. In the park you will find three of Costa Rica's four species, the Congo (or Howler), Cara Blanca (White-Faced) and Araña (Spider). The monkey populations have actually been on the increase of late (see link to Tiquicia Blog post below). The park is also important for the turtles that come to its beaches to lay their eggs, like the Baula and Lora.

Santa Rosa National Park from Costa Rica Verde

Santa Rosa National Park Facts from Wikipedia

Tiquicia Blog Post on Santa Rosa's Monkeys