Best National Parks in Costa Rica

Best National Parks in Costa Rica

 

One of the things that makes Costa Rica unique is the amount of protected land it holds. Beginning in the 1960s, Costa Rica started putting parcels of land aside for conservation in order to protect it from deforestation through ranching, farming, and development. Today, the country boasts 27 national parks and many more reserves and refuges. These protected spaces are located throughout the country and offer many different types of experiences. Some protect nesting sea turtles or offer spectacular wildlife viewing, while others showcase volcanoes and waterfalls. Below we share our top picks for the best national parks in Costa Rica.

Be sure to refer to the map at the end of this post, which pinpoints the location of each national park.

Poas Volcano National Park

 

Best National Parks in Costa Rica - Poas Volcano National Park
Poas Volcano on a clear day. Photo Credit: Philippe Guillaume

 

Known for: The world’s largest active crater volcano
Visit from: San Jose or anywhere in the Central Valley
Best for: Anyone. Park has easy trails and is handicap accessible.

Since Costa Rica is in the ring of fire, it has some pretty spectacular volcanoes. One of the most intriguing is Poas. This active crater volcano is considered to be the largest in the world. It is almost a mile (1.5 kilometers) wide and 900 feet (300 meters) deep. If you manage to time your visit on a clear day, you can see the bright blue crater lake right from the viewing platform. What’s great about this park is that it makes it easy for anyone to see a volcano. Just follow the paved path from the parking lot, and in about 10 minutes, you’re there. It is also a nice place to observe the local culture, as the park is a favorite among Ticos visiting from San Jose.

For more information, read our post Racing the Clouds at Poas Volcano.

Corcovado National Park

 

Best National Parks in Costa Rica - Corcovado National Park
Eyelash Pitviper coiled on a tree branch in Corcovado National Park

 

Known for: Amazing biodiversity & wildlife viewing
Visit from: Drake Bay or Puerto Jimenez
Best for: Off-the-beaten-path hiking. Trails vary in difficulty from moderate to very difficult.

While Corcovado may not be easy to get to, it is well worth the effort. This remote park located on the Osa Peninsula offers a chance to see raw, untouched rainforest and some of the country’s most exotic wildlife. Scarlet Macaws, Baird’s Tapir, and all four types of monkeys that live in Costa Rica can be discovered, and if you’re lucky, big cats too. Corcovado has a large network of trails that span the peninsula, but most people visit one ranger station on day trips. From Drake Bay, you can take a boat to San Pedrillo or Sirena Ranger Stations. From Puerto Jimenez on the other side of the Osa, you can access La Leona or the new El Tigre entrance, just north of town.

For more information, read our posts:

Tenorio Volcano National Park

 

Best National Parks in Costa Rica - Tenorio Volcano National Park
The gorgeous Rio Celeste Waterfall at Tenorio National Park

 

Known for: The bright blue Rio Celeste Waterfall
Visit from: Bijagua, Guatuso, La Fortuna/Arenal, or the Lake Arenal Area
Best for: Anyone up for a moderately difficult hike

Tenorio Volcano National Park has become more popular in recent years as an off-the-beaten-path destination in Costa Rica. It is located in the rural northwestern part of the country, where tourism is just beginning to grow. While the park has scenic trails that pass through primary rainforest and cloud forest, the Rio Celeste Waterfall is the focal point. Photos of this waterfall might have you wondering if the bright blue hue is real. It is, and to see it in person is unforgettable.

For more information, read our post the Enchanting Rio Celeste.

Manuel Antonio National Park

 

Best National Parks in Costa Rica - Manuel Antonio
A couple of the many white-faced monkeys in Manuel Antonio National Park

 

Known for: Easy wildlife viewing, especially monkeys
Visit from: Manuel Antonio/Quepos or Uvita/Dominical/Ojochal 
Best for: Casual hiking. Good for families as trails are easier.

This popular park on the Central Pacific Coast offers easy access to the rainforest. It is located right in the booming tourist town of Manuel Antonio and has many different options for trails. You can see wildlife like sloths, lizards, and birds, but it is best known for its abundant, and very social, monkeys. Manuel Antonio National Park also has a protected marine zone with three beautiful beaches, including a calm cove that is especially good for swimming.

For more information, including tips on how to avoid the crowds, read our post Manuel Antonio National Park.

Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve

 

Best National Parks in Costa Rica- Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve
The misty cloud forest of Monteverde

 

Known for: Biologically rich cloud forest
Visit from: Monteverde or Santa Elena
Best for: Those looking for cooler temps. Trails vary in difficulty from easy to moderate.

Costa Rica has an extremely variable climate. You can be soaking up the sun at the beach one minute, and only a few hours later, be bundling up in the cool cloud forest. The Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve is one of the best places in Costa Rica to experience the biologically diverse cloud forest. Not only is this park noteworthy for its vast flora and fauna, the experience of walking through this type of environment alone is memorable. Thick moss covers nearly all the greenery, vines taper from treetops, and misty clouds come and go with the shifting winds.

For more information, including a description of the park’s different trails, read our post The Famous Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve.

Braulio Carrillo National Park

 

Best National Parks in Costa Rica - Braulio Carrillo National Park
Anteater at Braulio Carrillo National Park

 

Known for: Vast swaths of lush rainforest
Visit from: San Jose or on the way to the Caribbean Coast
Best for: Off-the-beaten-path hiking. Trails vary in difficulty from easy to difficult.

If you have ever driven from the capital of San Jose to Costa Rica’s Caribbean Coast, you’ve passed right through this park and probably didn’t even know it. Braulio Carrillo is Costa Rica’s largest national park at more than 100,000 acres. Though much of this land is inaccessible and preserved to protect important aquifers, a ranger station and trails are located right off the highway. Even after visiting many of Costa Rica’s parks, Braulio Carrillo was one of our favorites. The rainforest feels very wild, and birds and wildlife are abundant. We were lucky to spot one of our favorite mammals on our visit, a giant anteater.

For more information, including details about trail conditions, read our post Braulio Carrillo National Park: Wild Jungle Near San Jose.

Carara National Park

 

Best National Parks in Costa Rica - Carara National Park
One of the beautiful birds found inside Carara National Park, the Violacious (Gartered) Trogon

 

Known for: Spectacular birding
Visit from: Jaco, Herradura, or Playa Hermosa
Best for: Anyone. Trails vary in difficulty from easy to moderate. One trail is handicap accessible.

Like many national parks in Costa Rica, Carara National Park offers hiking and wildlife viewing. But what makes this park special is its abundance of birds. Carara, on Costa Rica’s Central Pacific Coast, is in an ecological transition zone. Here, tropical dry forests to the north meet the wetter rainforests to the south. This unique hybrid environment draws birds from both habitats, and over 400 different birds have been spotted. Some noteworthy species include three types of Trogans, including the Gartered, Slaty-tailed, and Black-throated; the Orange-collared Manakin; Turquoise-browed Motmot; and Great Tinamou. The area also hosts a large population of Scarlet Macaw parrots.

For more information on the best trails to bird, read our post Birding in Carara National Park.

Tortuguero National Park

 

Best National Parks in Costa Rica - Tortuguero National Park
Exploring Tortuguero National Park by canoe

 

Known for: Wildlife viewing and sea turtle nesting
Visit from: Tortuguero
Best for: Families and seniors who can get in and out of a boat.

Tortuguero National Park is unique in that it is not only offers wildlife viewing by land, but also by water. The canals of the village are one of the best ways to see wildlife. By small boat or canoe, you meander along the edge of the dense mangrove and forest to sneak up on animals like spider monkeys, howler monkeys, white-faced monkeys, freshwater turtles, caiman, crocodiles, and green basilisk lizards, as well as many kinds of birds. The park also encompasses protected beach for nesting marine turtles. Tortuguero is one of the most important sea turtle nesting sites in the world, with four different kinds of turtles coming to the shores to lay eggs.

For more information, including the best times of year to see turtles, read our post Tortuguero National Park: A Wildlife Hot Spot.

 

Costa Rica has many more amazing national parks and reserves, but those will give you a good sampling of what the country has to offer.

Map of the Best National Parks in Costa Rica

 

What’s your favorite national park in Costa Rica? Let us know by commenting below. (Email subscribers, click here to post your comments online.)

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10 Comments

  1. Manual Antonio was a hoot guys. Loved it. Gotta do Corcovado sometime too. The wildlife in and outside of national parks in Costa Rica is stunning. I’ve not seen anywhere on earth that rivals it, both in diversity and interaction with people (meaning, the animals keep a healthy distance but don’t fear being seen by humans). Amazing.

    Ryan

    1. Hi Ryan, You’re right, Costa Rica does have amazing wildlife and the national parks are one of the best ways to discover it. Hope you get to Corcovado soon- it really is awesome!

  2. Hi! I am traveling to La Fortuna with a friend and we don’t have a rental car. I’m wondering if you know any good ways to get from La Fortuna to Tenorio Volcano National Park? Is it doable to go there for just a day trip? Thanks!

    1. Hi Cassie, Yes, you can do Tenorio Volcano NP/Rio Celeste on a day trip from La Fortuna as long as you leave early in the morning. If you don’t have a car, your options for getting there are the public bus (not recommended for a day trip because it’s long and complicated), going as part of a tour (tours are around $100 pp), or hiring a private driver (probably slightly less expensive than going on a tour but still a lot). The cheapest option is to rent a car. We know you said you won’t have one but you could always rent one just for the day. Adobe Rent a Car, the company we get a discount through, has an office in La Fortuna so you could just pick it up that morning and return it the following day. With our discount, a small 4×4 is pretty affordable (around $50-75 depending on your exact travel dates). Hope that helps! You can use the form on our rental car page to get the discount if you decide to book.

  3. Hi guys,

    Great blog!!!
    We are going on our first family vacation abroad with our 4 months old baby boy. We will spend about 7 days at Playa Negra on the pacific coast. We then have another 8 days left for our vacation and we depart from San Jose. We don’t want to be on the move too much because of the baby and we thought about spending the time in 2 places. We were thinking about spending some of the time in Nosara (NW Pacific coast South of Tamarindo), since I surf and I have heard good things… and the rest of the time in one of the National parks. Where would you recommend to spend the rest of the time? I Monteverde a good choice with such young baby?

    Thanks a lot,

    Ronen

    1. Hi Ronen, That sounds like a good plan. I think you will like Nosara based on what you have said. For your last destination, somewhere that gets you closer to San Jose would make sense. La Fortuna/Arenal and Monteverde would both work, but Monteverde is less out of the way. It is a good choice with a baby too. We actually visited last year when our son was 4 months and it was great. There is lots of hiking where you can use a baby carrier and wildlife exhibits. It’s very family friendly. Our Monteverde destination guide has lots more info. You might also want to read our Traveling with a Baby post if you haven’t already to get a sense of what to expect. Hope your family has a great trip!

  4. Hey Matt and Jennifer, hope you and the family are doing well. Have a question for you. I have a friend coming down during Christmas. Do you by chance know if places like Arenal NP and La Fortuna would be open on Christmas Eve and/or Christmas day. Can’t seem to find the specific info. Any thoughts? Thanks much

  5. Hello! I stumbled across your blog whilst researching about CR. Planning to go in Feb 2020. And definitely planning on visiting Corcovado. Which other nat park would you recommend (especially for spotting toucans!)? We also love hiking. Thanks! Jo

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