Guanacaste National Park

Guanacaste National park is located north of Liberia. The park measures over 80,300 acres. Obviously, much of this area still resembles flat, treeless, cattle pastures. The park is so immense that it has been divided into three united areas:

• Cacao (altitude: 1100 meters) on the Pacific-facing slope of the inactive Cacao Volcano, which has an amazing lookout point from the Pedregal hill that provides stunning panoramic views of the ocean, Santa Rosa National Park and the Santa Elena Penninsula. This sector has steep terrain and is part of a cloud forest.
• Pitilla (altitude: 600 meters) on the northeastern side of the park with Caribbean influence on the weather and lush rainforest. Much of this area remains unexplored and therefore it is most likely that you could encounter a diversity of wildlife here.
• Maritza (altitude: 650 meters) between Orosi and Cacao Volcano, which also has an amazing view of the ocean, Santa Rosa National Park and the Santa Elena Peninsula. This sector is best known as a site of archaeological interest as there are hundreds of petroglyphs dotted about. This area also protects the headwaters of important rivers located along the continental divide and therefore is home to a biological station interested in the aquatic biology of insects known as the Stroud Water Research Center. The Maritza area is also special because the volcanic ash has rejuvenated the soil and given many trees the ability to grow up to 30 meters or more which is not common for this area.  Some of the predominant species that can be seen include: evergreens, Santa María, Tempisque and the Monkey Apple tree.

This is one of the hottest and driest regions in the entire country.  This national park is an ideal spot for hiking, nature walks, animal observation, and bird watching because one can travel through variety of different eco systems including: savanna, dry forest, rainforest, and cloud forests, all of which are home to a plethora of different animal and plant life. Please note that in dry season the sun can be extremely hot and while you hike to hire elevations you could encounter sporadic weather so be prepared.

Due to the vastness of the continuous protected areas many species have been able to migrate, sustain life, and flourish their populations in their new habitat that spreads from the ocean and the lowland forest in Santa Rosa up into the highlands of the Guanacaste National Park.

This protected area is habitat for over 230,000 species, which accounts for about 65% of all species in Costa Rica. This includes over 140 species of mammals, 300 birds, 100 amphibians and reptiles, and over 10,000 species of insects. Some dry forest creatures you might encounter on a visit include:

• Jaguars
• Mountain lions/ Pumas
• Tapirs
• Peccaries
• Sloths
• Howler, capuchin & spider monkeys
• Ocelots
• Coatis
• Deer
• Armadillos
• Squirrels
• Mice
• Bats
• Magpie Jays
• Parakeets
• Caracara
• Squirrel Cuckoos
• Tanagers
• Anis
• Bellbirds
• And many more

Although you can stay in the park overnight in rustic accommodations it is not highly recommended and you will need special permission from park officials before you arrive.

How to get there: From San Jose, Costa Rica, take the Interamerican highway to Liberia. Then go through Potrerillos. A few miles before you reach La Cruz, turn to the right and drive 20 miles to Santa Cecilia. Much of this is dirt road. From there turn right and go 1 mile, then turn right again and follow the Park signs to Quebrada Grande, the park's main entrance. There are several access points into each of the biological stations some of them will require 4X4 and others horseback so be prepared.