Destination content © Christopher P. Baker, used from Moon Handbooks Costa Rica, 5th edition.
Maps © Avalon Publishing Group, Inc.
CARARA NATIONAL PARK
Rainforest exploration doesn’t come any easier than at Carara, 20 km south of Orotina and beginning immediately south of the Tárcoles bridge. Carara (the Huetar name for crocodile) is unique in that it lies at the apex of the Amazonian and Mesoamerican ecosystems—a climatological zone of transition from the dry of the Pacific north to the very humid southern coast—and is a meeting place for species from both. The 5,242-hectare park borders the Pan-American Highway, so you can literally step from your car and enter the last significant stand of primary forest of its kind on the Pacific coast.
Carara was once part of the huge Finca La Coyola, one of the biggest haciendas in Costa Rica. The Cervantes family protected the area for generations before the land passed to the National Parks Service. The land was expropriated in 1977 as part of an agrarian resettlement program for landless campesinos; in April 1979, 4,700 hectares were pared off to form a biological reserve, which was elevated to national park status in 2000.
Carara protects evergreen forest of great complexity and density. The diversity of trees is one of the highest in the world. The 10 rarest hardwoods in the country are here, as are some of the rarest and most spectacular animals of tropical America: American crocodiles, great anteaters, ocelots, spider monkeys, and poison-arrow frogs. Carara is also one of the best bird-watching localities in all Costa Rica. Fiery-billed aracari and toucan are common. Boat-billed herons, with their curious keel-shaped beaks, are common along the watercourses. And around dawn and dusk, scarlet macaws—there are at least 40 breeding pairs—can be seen in flight as they migrate daily between the wet forest interior and the coastal mangrove swamps. The bridge over the Río Tárcoles is a good place to spot them as they fly over. Carara also has numerous pre-Columbian archaeological sites dating back at least 2,000 years.
Driest months are March and April. Bring insect repellent, water, boots, and long pants.
Information
The Visitors Center (Centro de Visitantes, tel. 506/200-5023, 8 a.m.–4 p.m. low season, 7 a.m.–5 p.m. high season, $8 admission) and park headquarters (tel. 506/383-9953, raviles@ns.minae.go.cr) sit beside the coastal highway, three km south of the Río Tárcoles, and has exhibitions, an auditorium, and bathrooms. You’ll find picnic tables here, plus Las Araceas Nature Trail, a one-km loop; and a handicapped-accessible trail that links to the Quebrada Bonita trail. The 4.5-km Laguna Meandrica Trail begins beside the highway and follows an old road paralleling the Río Tárcoles; the entrance gate, however, is usually locked. The rest of Carara is off-limits. Camping is not allowed.
Most tour operators in San José arrange tours to Carara. Even if you want to explore on your own, it pays to have a guide, which can be booked through Costa Rica Expeditions or other tour operators (see Resources, in the appendix).
Several armed robberies have occurred in the past. You should avoid parking by the Laguna Meandrica Trail. Park by the visitor center and ask rangers about current conditions. The rangers can arrange local guides ($15 pp up to four people). Bilingual ranger Christian Chavarría Villalobos (tel. 506/428-6022, christianc@yahoo.com) can be hired.
Getting There
All buses bound between San José or Puntarenas and Jacó and Quepos pass by the reserve. Buses may be full on the weekend.
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