Northern Guanacaste

BOLAÑOS ISLAND NATIONAL WILDLIFE RESERVE

Located in Salinas Bay, Bolanos Island covers 25 hectares and reaches 81 meters at its highest point, a rocky pillar that serves as an important resting place for aquatic birds such as frigate birds and brown pelicans.

JUNQUILLAL BAY NATIONAL WILDLIFE RESERVE

Junquilla Bay is a wildlife conservation area characterized by dry tropical forests where Guanacaste trees, rain trees and blackwood trees dominate the landscape, accompanied by mangrove forests.

SANTA ROSA NATIONAL PARK

There are two sections in Santa Rosa National Park: Murcielago and Santa Rosa. The Murcielago section occupies the northern part of the Santa Elena Peninsula and has several beautiful beaches such as Hachal, Danta, Coquito, Santa Elena and Blanca Beach. Park facilities include a parking lot, picnic tables, restrooms, drinking water, trails and look-out points. There are camping areas near the administrative office.

The Santa Rosa section is the most important representation of tropical dry forest in Central America. Wildlife species in this coastal forest include white-tail deer, howler monkeys and white-face monkeys. The two beaches in the park are Playa Navajo and Playa Nancite; while camping is permitted at Naranjo, Nancite is managed as a biological station and a nesting site for parrot turtles. There are trails, observation points, monuments and a famous historic ranch house known as La Casona.

GUANACASTE NATIONAL PARK

There are just over 32,000 hectares in Guanacaste National Park that includes the Orosi and Cacao volcanoes as its main attractions. The park is made up of Maritza, Pitilla and Cacao sections. The Maritza section has an elevation of about 650 meters on the slopes of Orosi Volcano with a transitional dry to humid forest, springs and streams. A rich diversity of birds and a large population of white-lipped peccaries are found here. Park services include general information, drinking water, restrooms and trails. The Pitilla section, just 1 km south of the city of La Cruz, offers observation trails in a rainforest full of birds and wildlife, and a spectacular view of Lake Nicaragua. The Cacao section is found on the slopes of the Cacao volcano at an elevation of about 1100 meters. It has trails that connect the dry forest to the humid cloud forests. With the required permit hikers can climb to the top of this volcano.

RINCON DE LA VIEJA NATIONAL PARK

This 14,083-hectare Ricon de la Vieja National Park comes in two sections: Las Pailas and Santa Maria, and encompasses the Rincon de la Vieja Volcano, which has nine cones and a lagoon. The Pailas section features a 7.5 km trail to the Von Seebach crater (1898 meters) and Rinco de la Vieja crater (1806 meters), a 2.8 km trail to the hot volcanic mud pools, a 5.1 km trail to the La Cangreja Waterfalls, a 4.3 km trail to the Escondidas Waterfalls, a trail to the Rio Blanco well at 600 meters elevation, and a trail to the fumaroles and little mud volcanoes. The Santa Maria section features a trail to the Enchanted Forest Waterfall (1100 meters), an 8km trail to the Pailas section, a trail to the cold volcanic mud pools (1600 meters) and a 2.8 km trail to the thermal springs. In the administrative area there are restrooms, picnic tables and a place to camp. There is also a large historic house and a sugar mill. The park is accessed through the city of Liberia or Upala.

TENORIO VOLCANO NATIONAL PARK

Tenorio Volcano National Park was also founded in the Guanacaste volcanic mountain range, with the highest elevation in the park reaching 1916 meters. Plant species here include palms, ferns, bromeliads and orchids, and small wildlife like white-face and howler monkeys, ant-eaters, pumas, tapirs and peccaries are abundant. Bird species include trogons and three-wattle bell birds. The park offers a parking lot, drinking water, restroom, lodging for researchers, information trails and observation points. The hot thermal springs are a short distance from the administrative area, connected by a trail named “Mysteries of the Tenorio.” For many visitors a swim in the river RIO CELESTE is unforgettable because of its stunningly blue waters.

MARAVALLES VOLCANO PROTECTED AREA

The main attraction in this protected area is the Maravalles Volcano due to its relatively high elevation (2028 meters) in the volcanic mountain range. Located within the district of Bagaces, the area features thermal pools on the slopes in Guayabo, and beautiful waterfalls in Cabro Muco. Interestingly, this area shelters the only hydro electric project in Costa Rica that uses geothermal energy.

LAS BAULAS NATIONAL MARINE PARK AND THE TAMARINDO NATIONAL WILDLIFE RESERVE

Established principally for the protection of nesting turtles on Playa Grande and the wildlife in the Tamarindo estuary, Las Baulas National Marine Park and Tamarindo wildlife Reserve also encompass Langosta Beach, the Morro and Hermosa mountains and the San Francisco and Ventanas mangrove forests. The seasonal arrival of the largest marine turtles in the world, the Leatherback turtles, has become a major tourist attraction for these coastal destinations. The protection of Leatherback turtles, an endangered species, and their offsprings and nesting ground, is not only among the top environmental priorities with official bodies but is also fervently pursued by local residents and volunteer groups. The other attraction in the area, the mangrove forest, is richly populated with fish, crustaceans and mollusks. Reptiles, amphibians and birds are also commonly observed during boat or kayak tours through the mangrove swamps.

PALO VERDE NATIONAL PARK

Located 15 km south of the city of Bagaces, Palo Verde National Park includes an area formed by flood plains with saltwater and freshwater marshlands and lagoons. This habitat has one of the greatest concentrations of aquatic birds in Costa Rica. Species here include jabiru, black-bellied whistling duck, muscovy duck, pelicans, mallards, herons and wood storks, etc. Nearly 300 bird species have been identified in this park, and because of this, this area is considered to be among the most important bird-watching destinations in Central America. Other wildlife includes white-nose coati, collared peccary, coyotes, deer and monkeys. 36 km of the Tempisque river are navigable for the viewing of distinct landscape and wildlife habitats within this park. Drinking water, restroom, lodging for researchers, trails and observation points are provided by the park.

LOMAS DE BARBUDAL BIOLOGICAL RESERVE

Lomas de Barbudal Biological Reserve is located in northern Palo Verde and is a notable site for entomology research due to the presence of an incredible number of insect species. The landscape ranges from plains to riverside forests, corridor forests and deciduous forests. There is a large quantity of trees that belong to the species known as yellow bark; during the dry season, particularly in March, these trees flower and inundate the entire area with yellow. Howler and white-face monkeys, deers and birds are abundant in this reserve.