DRAG

National Parks

National parks

Arenal Volcano National ParkA perfect cone of a volcano above Lake Arenal, with lava-flow trails, rainforest, hot springs and waterfalls on its doorstep.Barbilla National ParkA quiet, little-visited rainforest park on the Caribbean slope of the Talamanca foothills.Barra Honda National ParkA limestone hill on the Nicoya Peninsula with caves, with dry forest and a viewpoint over the gulf.

Braulio Carrillo National ParkA vast rainforest from the cloud-forest ridges near San José down to the Sarapiquí lowlands.

Cahuita National ParkA coastal trail through jungle and along white beaches, with Costa Rica's best-known Caribbean coral reef offshore.Carara National ParkA transition forest on the central Pacific coast, famous for scarlet macaws and the crocodiles of the Tárcoles River.

Corcovado National ParkThe wildest rainforest in Costa Rica on the Osa Peninsula: Sirena, San Pedrillo and wild beaches, reached from Drake Bay or Puerto Jiménez.

Guayabo National MonumentThe largest pre-Columbian city site in Costa Rica, with aqueducts, mounds and stone roads in the forest near Turrialba.

Irazú Volcano National ParkThe highest volcano in Costa Rica, with a lunar crater and a turquoise crater lake, above the colonial town of Cartago.Los Quetzales National ParkHighland oak forest on the Cerro de la Muerte, home of the resplendent quetzal.Manuel Antonio National ParkSmall, popular Pacific park where rainforest meets white-sand beaches, with sloths, monkeys and coves for swimming.

Marino Ballena National ParkThe Whale's Tail sandbar, humpback whales, dolphins and quiet beaches on the southern Pacific coast near Uvita.Palo Verde National ParkSeasonal wetlands on the Tárcoles-Tempisque floodplain, one of the best places for water birds in Costa Rica.Piedras Blancas National ParkRainforest on the shores of the Golfo Dulce, next to the Osa Peninsula.Poás Volcano National ParkOne of the widest active craters in the world, an hour from San José, set in cloud forest.Rincón de la Vieja National ParkAn active volcano in Guanacaste with fumaroles, mud pots, waterfalls and dry-forest wildlife.Tenorio Volcano National Park (Río Celeste)The turquoise Río Celeste and its waterfall, in a rainforest on the slopes of Tenorio Volcano.

Tortuguero National ParkCanals, rainforest and a long turtle-nesting beach on the Caribbean coast, reached only by boat or small plane.

UNESCO World Heritage sites

Cocos Island National ParkA UNESCO island 550 km out in the Pacific, visited only on dive expeditions, with hammerhead sharks and clouds of marine life.Guanacaste Conservation AreaA UNESCO site in north-west Costa Rica protecting dry forest, volcanoes, beaches and the history of Santa Rosa.La Amistad International Park (Talamanca)The largest protected area in Costa Rica, a UNESCO site spanning the Talamanca mountains and shared with Panama.Stone Spheres of the Diíquís (Finca 6)The mysterious perfect stone spheres of the Diíquís delta, a UNESCO site you can visit at the Finca 6 museum near Palmar Sur.

Protected areas and wildlife refuges

Caño Negro Wildlife RefugeA wetland near the Nicaraguan border, one of the best places in Costa Rica to see water birds, caimans and monkeys from a boat.

Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife RefugeThe far south-east Caribbean coast: forest, mangroves, coral reef and beaches where leatherback turtles nest.Ostional Wildlife RefugeA Pacific beach where thousands of olive ridley turtles come ashore together to nest in the arribada.

Panama: national parks and UNESCO sites

Coiba National ParkA UNESCO marine park on Panama's Pacific coast with pristine reefs, whales, sharks and an island that was once a prison.Darién National ParkThe largest national park in Central America, a UNESCO site of wild rainforest on the border with Colombia, visited only with permits and guides.

Isla Bastimentos National Marine ParkPanama's first marine park in Bocas del Toro: the Zapatilla Cays, mangroves, coral reefs and beaches where turtles nest.Soberanía National ParkRainforest on the edge of Panama City and the Canal, with Pipeline Road, one of the best birdwatching trails in the world.Volcán Barú National ParkThe highest point in Panama, a volcano above Boquete with cloud forest, quetzals and views of two oceans on clear days.

Nicaragua: national parks and reserves

Indio Maíz Biological ReserveA vast rainforest in south-eastern Nicaragua along the San Juan River, visited with local guides from El Castillo.Laguna de Apoyo Natural ReserveA deep crater lake between Granada and Masaya, with warm clear water for swimming and kayaking in a forested reserve.Masaya Volcano National ParkNicaragua's first national park, with an active crater that glows at night, a short drive from Managua and Granada.Mombacho Volcano Natural ReserveA cloud forest on a volcano above Granada, with crater trails, howler monkeys, orchids and views of Lake Nicaragua.Ometepe Island: Concepción and Maderas VolcanoesTwo volcanoes rising from Lake Nicaragua on one island, with cloud forest, a crater lagoon and beaches.Somoto Canyon National MonumentA river canyon in northern Nicaragua explored on foot, by swimming and by tube with community guides.