Carara

Carara National Park is very close to San Jose and very easy to get to; take to road to Jaco, drive for about 1 and half hours, and there it is, just past the Tarcoles bridge (the crocodile bridge as it’s called, because people always stop there to watch them laze about by the river banks). Carara is actually the Huetar name for crocodile. The park lies on the crossing line of the Amazonian and Mesoamerican ecosystems, meaning that this is where the humid southern coast meets the dry pacific region. As a result, both types of crocs can be admired there.

The carara used to be a Finca that was protected by its owners for a long time before the Cervantes family gave to the care of the National Parks service. Carara is one of the last few parks in Costa Rica where you can admire a primary forest. The 5242 hectares is a heaven of ecological diversity, with 750 recognized species of plants, and home to the 10 rarest hardwoods in Costa Rica; Espavel being the main specie in this habitat. Other trees that standout for their size are the ceiba, the guanacaste, the gallinazo, the guácimo Colorado, the higuerón, the guayabón and the javillo. Bird watchers are in paradise and will be able to see the strange looking boat-billed Herons, the fiery-billed acari, various species of toucans, without forgetting the amazing scarlet macaws, which are easier to see around dawn or dusk, flying in twos, fours or six, usually, in pairs. American crocodiles, spider monkeys, ocelots, great anteaters are inhabitants of the park and relatively easy to see as there is little undergrowth under the shade of these majestic huge trees. If you are patient and spend enough time there, you may also see armadillos, peccaries, waterfowls, opossums, sloths, boas, aouti, kinkajou, tayra, margay cats, jaguars, white tail deer, and more! Why bother with sad zoos!

As an added surprise, the park also has numerous vestiges of pre-Colombian archaeological sites; 15 areas have been uncovered so far, corresponding to two specific occupation times: the Turkey phase, dating from 300 BC to 300 AC, and the Carthage phase dating from 800 to 1500 years AC. These sites will be easier to find and understand with the help of a guide. Guided tours can be arranged from San Jose or in Puntarenas.

March and April are the best months to visit the park as it is the dry season; the rains are torrential in these parts during the wet season. Insect repellent and light long-sleeved shirts and pants are highly recommended, as there are so many insects that bite there. Don't forget to stop in to see the visitor’s center inside the park, as well as the exhibition halls and the auditorium. The nature trails are easy to follow, with the Araceas nature trail, a one-kilometer long loop, the Quebrada Bonita is handicapped-accessible and the 4.5 kilometer long Laguna Meandrica Trail starts near the highway and follows an old road along the Rio Tarcoles.

Carara National Park is truly a treasure, a present from nature that is not to be missed. Primary forests are today very rare and it is with awe and respect that we should look at them.