Costa Rica National Parks

If Manuel Antonio National Park in Costa Rica is on your list of things to do, then you're on the right track. Though Manuel Antonio National Park may be smallest in Costa Rica, it is also one of the most beautiful. Part of it is a marine park that may be explored by scuba diving or snorkeling, either from the beach or on a tour. (Another one that is nearly all...

Poas Volcano National Park is the closest volcan to San Jose, the inland capital near in the Central Valley. Its spectacular geysers have been called the biggest in the world. Dormant for 12 years, it erupted again in late March of 2006, with the initial eruption blasting a plume 100 feet high. North of the city, Poas Volcano National Park is also the nation's...

Brauilio Carrillo National Park provides the scenic backdrop for a drive from San Jose to Limon on the Caribbean side. Your first sight of Brauilio Carrillo National Park comes after emerging from a tunnel through the top of a mountain. On the other side, the road winds and climbs through 80,000 acres of virgin forest. On the western edge, you can spy Volcan...

When the volcan at Irazu Volcano National Park in Costa Rica last erupted, John F. Kennedy was President of the United States. In fact, Irazu Volcano went off the day JFK arrived here, March 19, 1963. There have been a few tremors recently, but nothing like the clouds black ash that settled on the Central Valley -- and the heads of its people -- that day and for...

This is also a great place to sight whales and their young calves, as many migrate here in the winter to mate.See Whales for more info. Playa Grande is also a red-hot surfing beach, a sport increasingly popular with Costa Rican youth. The area is accessible from Playas Tamarindo, Cocos, Flamingo and the Nicoya coast to the south. Several hotels, one with a golf...

You'll find more than three dozen National Parks scattered all across Costa Rica, often two or more in the same region. Some have been the setting for Hollywood movies, such as Spy Kids II, parts of which were shot in Manuel Antonio National Park. These links point to articles about the National Parks and Wildlife Refuges in each area of Costa Rica. The name of the...

Arenal Volcano National ParkArenal Volcano National Park, is a Costa Rica wonder not to be missed. Arenal Volcano National Park is a few hours north of San Jose. Near the town of La Fortuna, it offers many other sites and things to do other than watching that towering, classic cone-shaped volcan. Watching the Lava Flow But first, let's look at the main attraction...

Rincon de la Vieja National Park is home to the most active geysers in Costa Rica. Volcano enthusiasts and eco-tourists will find Rincon de la Vieja National in Park Costa Rica one of the country's most varied -- and among the least visited parks. There are two volcanoes, nine craters (once active) and geysers reminiscent of Yellowstone. Also more than 30 rivers...

Ancient stone carvings of alligator and jaguar gods, ingeniously engineered Pre-Columbian aqueducts where water still flows, and paved roads receding into a lush rainforest—such unexpected sights in Costa Rica unveil a past far mistier than the cloud forests for which this land is better known.

Tortuguero National Park in Costa Rica is north of Limon on the Caribbean coast. Tortuguero National Park beaches are the major nesting area of the green sea turtle in Costa Rica. Nesting season stretches from July into the middle of October, when thousands of turtles arrive to lay eggs. Tortugueros Winding Waterways. Tortugero ParkTours take boat rides on dugout...

Cahuita National Park scuba diving reef beach CaribbeanCahuita Marine National Park has nearby beaches for diving and surfing, and like the parks at Manuel Antonio and Las Baulas, Cahuita National Park is a marine park whose crystal pure waters and colorful reefs are home to a variety of tropical fish and plant life. Diving in an Underwater Garden. The reef...

Cahuita National Park scuba diving reef beach CaribbeanThe beach here is the nesting ground of four species of sea turtle, among them the Leatherback. They return here from March through July to lay their eggs, then swim away.. Another such area is on the Pacific coast of Guanacaste, at Las Baulas National Marine Park. From a Coral Reef to a Swamp and Forests....

Costa Rica's palette of National Parks added several bright colors to the panorama. Los Quetzales, declared a national park in July, 2005, covers 5,000 hectares that encompass three types of rainforest and 14 ecosystems. Spread along both sides of the Rio Savegre, which pours into the central-Pacific near Manuel Antonio, Los Quetzales is rich in bird and animal...

Corcovado National Park in Costa Rica is a Mecca for eco tourists. Corcovado truly presents a rare treat for nature fans who visit Costa Rica, for biologists say this wildlife refuge, located in the Osa Peninsula near the southern border with Panama, is home to over 100 species of mammals. Corcovado ParkAnd to nearly as many reptiles and amphibians, plus 800 kinds...

Costa Rica national parks -- the nearly three dozen Costa Rica national parks in this Central American country fall into three basic categories: volcanoes, tropical forest, and wildlife refuges. Several underwater regions also form a unique part of the Park system. You will find one or more park in each region of the country. This page lists them by region:...