Costa Rica (Lonely Planet, 9th Edition) - Matthew Firestone [277]
If you’re an adrenaline junkie, there is also a canopy tour (adult/child US$55/40) that has you swinging through the trees, as well as opportunities for horseback riding and rock climbing. If you’re traveling with the little ones, they’ll be content for hours either playing in the two hedge mazes or checking out the exhibits in the reptile house.
Although there are no accommodations in the park, there is a wonderfully intimate B&B in the nearby town of San Pablo de Turrubares, namely Ama Tierra (2419-0110; www.amatierra.com; s/d incl breakfast US$127/149; ). Accommodations are in a handful of warm and wooden casitas that are scattered along landscaped trails and manicured gardens, though the highlight is its onsite holistic center, yoga studio and organic restaurant. If you’re interested in detoxing the body and clearing the mind, Ama Tierra offers a number of multiday packages that are dedicated to improving your well-being. San Pablo de Turrubares is located approximately 10km east of Orotina on the road to Santiago de Puriscal – once in town, follow the signs for the B&B.
The park can be easily accessed by bus from Orotina (₡600, 30 minutes), which departs at 5:30am, noon and 4:30pm. However, most tourists organize private transportation to the park either from Puntarenas or San José. If you’re driving, look for a road to the east, just south of Orotina, signed ‘Coopebaro, Puriscal.’ This road goes over an Indiana Jones–worthy wooden suspension bridge to the park. The park is located about 9km beyond the bridge, and half the road is paved.
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PARQUE NACIONAL CARARA
Straddling the transition between the dry forests of Costa Rica’s northwest and the sodden rainforests of the southern Pacific lowlands, this national park is a biological melting pot of the two. Acacias intermingle with strangler figs, and cacti with deciduous kapok trees, creating heterogeneity of habitats with a blend of wildlife to match. The significance of this national park cannot be understated – surrounded by a sea of cultivation and livestock, it is one of the few areas in the transition zone where wildlife finds sanctuary.
Carara is also the famed home to one of Costa Rica’s most charismatic bird species, namely the scarlet macaw (see boxed text). While catching a glimpse of this tropical wonder is a rare proposition in most of the country, macaw sightings are virtually guaranteed at Carara. And, of course, there are more than 400 other avian species flitting around the canopy, as well as Costa Rica’s largest crocodiles in the waterways – it’s best to leave your swimming trunks at home!
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Orientation
Situated at the mouth of the Río Tárcoles, the 52-sq-km park is only 50km southeast of Puntarenas by road or about 90km west of San José via the Orotina highway.
The dry season from December to April is the easiest time to go, though the animals are still there in the wet months. March and April are the driest months. Rainfall is almost 3000mm annually, which is less than in the rainforests further south. It’s fairly hot, with average temperatures of 25°C (77°F) to 28°C (82°F), but it’s cooler within the rainforest. An umbrella is important in the wet season and occasionally needed in the dry months. Make sure you have insect repellent.
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Dangers & Annoyances
Increased tourist traffic along the Pacific coast has unfortunately resulted in an increase in petty theft. Vehicles parked at the trailheads are routinely broken into, and although there may be guards on duty, it is advised that drivers leave their cars in the lot at the Carara ranger station and walk along the Costanera Sur for 2km north or 1km south. Alternatively, park beside Restaurante y Cabinas El Cocodrilo.
Sadly, armed robberies, which in the past were unheard of outside San José, have been reported both along the trails and on the peripheries of the park.