No trip to Costa Rica can be considered complete until you've visited the National Parks.
● National Parks of Costa Rica .
Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Index , Costa Rica reached the 44th place in the world ranking, being the first among
Latin American countries.
Costa Rica has 26 national parks,
58 wildlife refuges, 32 protected zones,
15 wetland areas/mangroves,
11 forest reserves and 8 biological reserves,
as well as 12 other conservation regions that protect the distinctive and diverse natural habitats found throughout the country.
Costa Rica is one of the most beautiful countries in the world. It is one of the world's fabulous tropical vacation destinations. Costa Rica is known for its diverse landscapes of rainforests, mountains, volcanoes, and beautiful coastlines of the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. It is situated in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, beautiful Panama to the south, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east. The land has 12 different climatic zones and abundant wildlife, but in general, the weather is tropical. Eco-tourism is its specialty. Costa Rica rental homes and villas have everything that one wishes in a vacation paradise. There are secluded white sand beaches with great surf and amazing waterfalls in forested mountains.
Costa Rica national parks, reserves and refuges account for an astounding 14,000 sq. km or 28 percent of the country's territory!
They protect numerous of species of wildlife including over 800 species of birds, 250 mammal species, 225 reptiles,
175 amphibians and thousands upon thousands of species of plant and tree life. The various ecosystems are spread between 12 unique climate
and life zones which cover everything from tropical mangroves to cool cloud forests higher than 10,000 feet in elevation.
Click on the links below to read more about Costa Rica national parks.
National Parks of Costa Rica .
1.Refugio Nacional de Fauna Silvestre Isla Bolaños
2.Parque Nacional Santa Rosa y Guanacaste
3.Parque Nacional Rincón de la Vieja
4.Refugio Nacional de Vida Silvestre Caño Negro
5.Refugio Nacional de Fauna Silvestre Barra del Colorado
y Parque Nacional Tortuguero
6.Parque Nacional Marino Las Baulas de Guanacaste.
7.Reserva Biológica Lomas Barbudal.
8.Parque Nacional Palo Verde.
9.Parque Nacional Barra Honda.
10.Refugio Silvestre Peñas Blancas.
11. Póas Volcano National Park.
12.Parque Nacional Braulio Carrillo.
13.Refugio Nacional de Vida Silvestre Ostional.
14. Cocos Island National Park.
15.Reserva Natural Absoluta Cabo Blanco.
16.Refugio Nacional de Fauna Silvestre Curú.
17.Reserva Biológica de las Islas Guayabo,
Negritos y de los Pájaros
18.Reserva Biológica Carara.
19.Parque Nacional Volcán Irazú.
20.Monumento Nacional Guayabo.
21. Manuel Antonio National Park.
22.Parque Nacional Marino Ballena.
23. La Amistad International Park.
24.Parque Nacional Cahuita.
25.Refugio Nacional de Vida Silvestre Gandoca-Manzanillo.
26.Reserva Biológica Isla del Caño.
27.Parque Nacional Corcovado.
28.Parque Nacional de Fauna Silvestre Golfito.
29.Parque Nacional Juan Castro Blanco.
30. Arenal Volcano National Park.
31.Parque Nacional Tapantí.
32.Reserva Biológica Hitoy Cerere.
Tourism in Costa Rica is one of the fastest growing economic sectors of the country and by 1995 became the largest foreign exchange earner. Since 2004, tourism earns more foreign exchange than bananas and coffee combined.
The tourism boom began in 1987, with the number of visitors up from 329,000 in 1988, through 1 million in 1999, to 1.9 million foreign visitors in 2007, allowing the country to earn $1.9-billion in that year.
The towns of Guayabo and La Fortuna are the nearest settlements . ( Not to be mistaken by the town La Fortuna of San Carlos which lies near other volcano, the Arenal Volcano ).
