But if you plan on traveling along Costa Rica's Pacific Coast, it makes more sense to get to Jaco first and base yourself there. Times available: there are guided tours at various times of the day but availability varies daily, please email us for specific times on your dates. Choice of several departures throughout the day. That's why it should not come as a surprise that visiting Carara National Park is about admiring flora and fauna at its best. What else you should know. Operated by: Costa Rica Wáköö Tours. This area has taller trees, some of which are upwards of 100 years old, and a nice bridge over a river. If you don't have a car, you can book a full tour with a tour company that includes transportation and a bi-lingual guide. Although Scarlet Macaw populations have decreased throughout much of Costa Rica, Carara is one location where the population can still be readily observed and appreciated!
Other flora and fauna of the park include toucans, motmots, jacamars, herons, hummingbirds, stilt birds, trogons, white-headed capuchin monkeys, sloths, morpho butterflies, iguanas, agoutis, caimans, armadillos, coatimundis, pacas, peccaries, leaf-cutter ants, blooming orchids and bromeliads, stranger fig trees, and more. You can go there in a taxi but make sure to coordinate with the driver when to pick you up since there aren't taxi drivers waiting at the national park. Renting a car is the most popular way to get around Costa Rica. A single trail can be done for just an hour or you can hike them all in about a half day. Carara is located around 30 minutes away from Jaco-Los Sueños. 5 km/1 mile) branches off. Carara National Park is the northernmost, intact, Pacific rainforest in Costa Rica. Hopefully, the text below will convince you to visit this beautiful place. Sloths, peccaries, agoutis, coatis, basilisk lizards and boa constrictors are just a few of the other animals dwelling in the park. The local association of registered tour guides has several guides onsite daily. No crowds and the concentration of Scarlet Macaws inside the park is amazing. There are two sections of this park: Laguna Meandrica and Sendero Universal Access/Quebrada Bonita/Los Araceas and they each have their own separate access. When we are looking for some adventure or we simply want to break up the monotony and discover new places, we always use GetYourGuide. Located north of Jaco along the Pacific coast, Carara National Park is at the confluence of two important ecosystems—the steamy jungle of the southern coast and the dry tropical forest of Guanacaste.
Tip: It's almost always best to get an early start when birding but this is especially true in Costa Rica where temperatures heat up quickly and the hot sun can keep birds hiding or resting in the thick brush. Location: Carara National Park, Puntarenas. Coincidence brought us to Jaco, so we started looking for the best things to do in the area. We really enjoyed the peaceful rainforest without crowds; it was a nice change from the Manuel Antonio National Park. You will undoubtedly see more wildlife and learn more about this unique ecosystem when paired with an experienced guide. Location and Directions. Carara's uniqueness in species and fauna is due to the fact that it lies in a transitional zone separating the Pacific rainforest from the northwestern tropical dry forests. If you're visiting the area and want to see wild forest, we definitely recommend it. WORLD WIDE +1-210-858-6640. That said, it is really important to know where to look for them. Here are some essential things you should pack with you for a day trip to Carara National Park. This mesh of two habitats means flora and fauna from both live in one area, making it an extremely biologically rich zone.
Make your way through Manuel Antonio National Park's emerald rainforests and soft, sandy beaches on a guided tour. Most advanced birders are more than happy to impart information and point out those hard to spot species to people who show any interest. But only a few days after we crossed borders from Panama to Costa Rica, we decided to change our plans, and it did not take long, and we found ourselves in a new destination. Is a very quiet place and non-crowded compared to Manuel Antonio NP. 75 miles), circles through shaded forest with shrubby undergrowth. Budget | Selina Jaco - An unusual hotel concept you must check out when in Jaco. We opted for canyoning in Jaco, and it was fun. Carara National Park is a centrally located forest bordering the Central Pacific Coast. From there it is just a 15-20 minute drive to the National Park. The park has the only transitional forest of the Central Pacific, which produces a diversity of flora and fauna, where species from dry and humid forests converge. Hadn't it been for this turn of event, we would have probably never visited Carara National Park, one of the most diverse places in Costa Rica, boasting absolutely outstanding flora and fauna. All you need to know about.
We are far from expert birders but our enthusiasm outweighs our lack of skill. Click the link below to check pricing & availability on your preferred travel date. Having read up about all the different birds on the Meandrica Trail, we birded that first. DOWNLOAD THE BEST TRAVEL GUIDE FOR COSTA RICA! A water bottle with a filter or SteriPen treat water almost instantly while on the road. 80 miles, has a paved path that leads through the secondary forest and part of the primary forest and is accessible for the physically disabled and elderly. You can present either a paper or an electronic voucher for this activity. If you decide to explore the country by car, getting to Carara National Park will be only a matter of about approximately 30 minutes. Due to the humidity and abundance of trees, there are a lot of insects in this area and in turn, many birds since there is so much food. Besides the birds, you will probably see opossums, sloths, kinkajou, white-tailed deer, many species of frogs and the beautiful monkeys of Costa Rica.
Yes, we can bird carara all day if wanted, including some local spots during the middle of the day to add more species. Along the way, you will find bathrooms and resting places, things that are pretty rare in any other Costa Rican park. Costa Rica, before your travel.
Led by English-speaking naturalist guides, guided tours provide travelers with the sort of hands-on education one demands while exploring new territory.