Quick Reserve

In Costa Rica there are 32 national parks across the country covering a total area of 13.7% of the country. Take some time to visit and enjoy these beautiful, unique natural areas.

Rincón de la Vieja National Park

Is located over the Cordillera de Guanacaste, Guanacaste and Alajuela province, 27 km northeast from the city of Liberia.

Barra del Colorado and Tortuguero Natural Wildlife Refuge

Tortuguero National Park is located on the Caribbean coast of Limón province, approximately 80km northeast of the city of Limon. It was established by the law No. 5680 of November 17, 1975. It has an area of 18.946.9 hectares in the terrestrial and 52.265 in the marina.

Lomas Barbudal Biological Reserve

The biological reserve Lomas Barbudal is located in San Ramón de Bagaces, at 15 Km southwest from the city of Bagaces, Guanacaste province. Its creation as a national reserve was by Executive Order No. 16849-MAG, of January 23, 1986. It has an area of 2,279 hectares.

Barra Honda National Park

It is located in the Guanacaste province, 22 Km northeast of the city of Nicoya and with an extension of 2.295.5 hectares. Barra Honda National Park was created by the Law No. 5558, on August 20, 1974.

Ostional Wildlife Refuge

This refugee is located at the stretch of 200 m of beach between Punta India and the mouth of the Nosara River and includes the town of Ostional. This refugee belongs to the Canton of Santa Cruz, Province of Guanacaste.

Cabo Blanco National Park

It is located in the province of Puntarenas, in the south part of the Nicoya Peninsula. It was created by Executive Decree No. 10 of October, 1963. Its extension is 1.172 hectares in the terrestrial and 1.790 hectares in the marina.

Guayabo, Negritos and Pájaros Island Biological Reserves

Guayabo Island is located about 8 km south of the Puntarenas Port. The Negritos Island 16.5 km south and Birds Island is 13 km northwest from the Puntarenas Port. The Guayabo and Negritos Island were established as Reserves by the Executive Decree No. 2858-A, of February 28, 1973. Birds Island was created by Executive Decree No. 5963-A, of April 28, 1976. The Guayabo and Negritos Island have and extension of 143.5 hectares and Birds Island 4 hectares.

Volcán Irazú National Park

The Volcán Irazú National Park is located in the Central Volcanic Range, 31 km northeast of the Cartago city.  It was created as a Park by the Article No. 6 of the Organic Law No. 1917 of the ICT on July 30, 1955. The National Park Service manages the park since 1970. Its area is 2.309 hectares.

International Park La Amistad

This park is located in the Range of Talamanca, is consider as the largest forest mountain system of the country, cover by unchanged tropical forest, which elevations ranging from 100 meters above sea level; the Kámuk hill with 3.549 meters and the Dúrika hill with 3.280 meters.

National Wildlife Refuge Gandoca Manzanillo

is located on the Caribbean coast, in the canton of Talamanca, in the province of Limon.

Corcovado National Park

The park is located in the Pacific coast, Peninsula de Osa, in the province of Puntarenas. It was established by Executive order No. 5357-A, of October 24, 1975. Has an area of 54.538,9 hectares in the terrestrial zone and 2.400 in the maritime zone.

Santa Rosa National Park

Santa Rosa National Park is located in the province of Guanacaste, North Pacific, only 36 Km north of the city of Liberia. It was created by Executive Order No. 1562-A, of March 20, 1972. It has an area of 37.117 land hectares and 78.000 marine hectares.

Guanacaste National Park

Located in the province of Guanacaste, North Pacific, 36 kilometers north of the Liberia city, was created on June 5,1991 by the Executive Order No. 20516-MIRENEM. It has an area of 32.512 hectares.

National Wildlife Refuge Caño Negro

The National Wildlife Refuge Caño Negro has an area of 9.940 hectares. It is located in the cantons of Los Chiles and Guatuso of the Province of Alajuela

Palo Verde National Park

Palo Verde National Park is located in the province of Guanacaste, between the river Bebedero and the river Tempisque; approximately 30 km west from the city of Cañas. It was created by Executive Order No. 11541-A of May 30, 1980 and ratified by Law No. 6831 of December 20, 1982. Has an extension of 16.804 hectares.

Cocos Island National Park

It is located in the Pacific Ocean at 532 Km from Cabo Blanco in Costa Rica, with southwest direction. It was created by Executive Order No. 8748-A, of June 22, 1978. Has an extension of 2.400 hectares in land and 97.235 in the sea.

Guayabo National Monument

It is located in the foothills of Turrialba Volcano, 19km northeast of the city of the same name, in the province of Cartago. It was established by the Law No. 161, of August 29, 1973. Its area is 217.9 hectares.

Ballena Marine National Park

Ballena Marine National Park is located on the pacific coast, between Punta Uvita isthmus and Punta Piñuela, in the district Cortés, of the canton of Osa, province of Puntarenas. It was created by Executive Order No. 19441-MIRENEM, of December 14, 1989. The park has a land area of 110 land hectares and 5.375 marine hectares.

Cahuita National Park

It is located in the province of Limon, caribbean coast, 42 km south of the city of Limon. It was created by Executive Order No. 1236-A, of September 7, 1970, (under the name of Cahuita National Monument).

Isla del Caño Biological Reserve

Isla del Caño Biological Reserve is located in the Pacific Ocean, in front of the Corcovado National Park in the Osa Peninsula, about 15 km offshore of San Pedrillo post. It was established through the Law No. 6215, March 9, 1978 with an extensión of 200 land hectares and 2.700 marine hectareas.

Poas Volcano National Park

Poas Volcano National Park is on the Central Volcanic Range, 37 miles north of the city of Alajuela. It was established on January 25, 1971 by Law No. 4714. Its area is 5.600 hectares.

Manuel Antonio National Park

This wilderness area is located on the Pacific coast of the Puntarenas province. It is located about 157 km south of the San José city by road and 7 km south of the city of Quepos. It was created by Law No. 5100, of November 15, 1972. Has an extension of 682.7 land hectares and 55.000 marine hectares.

Braulio Carrillo National Park

It is located in the northeast of the Central Valley, on the Central Volcanic Mountain Range, between the massifs of the Poas and Irazu volcanoes. This park includes the volcanoes Barva and Cacho Negro, extending from the Alto de la Palma (Moravia) until the Biological Station la Selva (Sarapiquí). It was created by the Law No. 8357-A, of April 5, 1978. Its extension is 45.899.2 hectares.  

Carara Biological Reserve

The reserve is located in the Pacific, in the borders of the River Grande de Tárcoles, southeast of the Province of Puntarenas. Its creation came with the Executive Order No. 8491-Á from April 27, 1978. It has an area of 4.700 hectares.

National Systems of Conservation Areas (SINAC)
Tel: (506)2256-0917

Ministry of Ambiance, Energy and Telecommunications (MINAET)
Information: (506) 1192
Headquarters: (506)2233-4533

Symbology:
ACG: Guanacaste Conservation Area.
ACA-HN: Arenal Huetar Conservation Area.
ACA-T: Arenal Tilaran Conservation Area.
ACT: Tempisque Conservation Area.
ACOPAC: Central Pacific Conservation Area.
ACMIC: Cocos Island Marine Conservation Area.
ACCVC: Central Volcanic Conservation Area.
ACTO: Tortuguero Conservation Area.
ACLA-C: La Amistad Caribbean Conservation Area.
ACLA-P: La Amistad Pacific Conservation Area.
ACOSA: Osa Conservation Area.

The National Parks and Wildlife Refuges of Costa Rica are managed by MINAET, the Ministry of Environment Energy and Telecommunications. Responding to the new policies of the MINAE, eleven Conservation Areas were established by this department in 1998 to oversee and manage the public lands of Costa Rica. These conservation areas are known as the Sistema Nacional de Areas de Conservation, or SINAC.

For more information visit:  
www.infoweb.co.cr/turismo/parques.html