Braulio Carrillo National Park facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Braulio Carrillo National Park |
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IUCN Category II (National Park)
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Patria Canyon, Braulio Carrillo National Park
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| Location | Heredia Province, Cartago Province, Limón Province, and San José Province, Costa Rica |
| Nearest city | San José |
| Area | 475.8 km2 (183.7 sq mi) |
| Established | 1978 |
| Governing body | National System of Conservation Areas (SINAC) |
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Braulio Carrillo National Park is a huge national park in central Costa Rica. It stretches across four different provinces: Heredia Province, Cartago Province, Limón Province, and San José Province. This park is a key part of Costa Rica's Central Conservation Area, helping to protect amazing nature.
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Where is Braulio Carrillo National Park?
This park is located in the Central mountain range of Costa Rica. It sits between the capital city, San José, and Puerto Limón on the Caribbean coast.
You can reach the park from the Limon Highway. This major road cuts right through the park from northwest to southeast. You can also get there from the Barva area in the north.
The park is divided into three main parts: Zurquí, Quebrada Gonzales, and Barva.
How Braulio Carrillo National Park Was Created
Braulio Carrillo National Park was created in 1978. It was formed after environmental groups worked to protect the area. This happened when the Limon Highway was being built. This highway is a very important road connecting San José to the Caribbean port of Puerto Limón.
The park was named after Braulio Carrillo, a former president of Costa Rica. His government helped grow the country's farming economy. He also helped build the first road linking San José to the Caribbean coast.
Amazing Nature in the Park
The park has many cool natural features. It includes the Barva Volcano and several other volcanoes that are not active. These include Cerro Chompipe, Cerro Cacho Negro, and Cerros las Tres Marias. The Barva section of the park has three lakes inside volcano craters. These are called Barva, Danta, and Copey.
The park also protects parts of the Sarapiquí River area. This includes large sections of untouched cloud forests and rainforests. Many plants and animals live here. Other rivers in the park are the Hondura River, Patria River, and the Súcio River, which has mineral-colored water.
Plants and Animals You Can Find
Braulio Carrillo National Park is very large, covering about 108,970 acres. It also has a big difference in height, from its lowest to highest points. This means it has many different types of natural areas. These range from high-up cloud forests to low-lying tropical rainforests. Because of this, it has one of the highest numbers of different living things in Costa Rica. More than 90% of the park is covered in untouched forest.
The park is home to different types of forests. At high elevations, you'll find Talamancan montane forests. At lower elevations, there are Isthmian-Atlantic moist forests. The park is known for its amazing variety of life. Scientists have found 600 types of trees, over 530 kinds of birds, and 135 types of mammals here.
Near the Barva area, you might find the rare frog Pristimantis altae. There is also the venomous snake called the bushmaster. Some birds you might see include the solitary eagle, the bare-necked umbrellabird, and many kinds of hummingbirds.
Fun Things to Do in the Park
Braulio Carrillo National Park is not as busy as some other famous Costa Rican parks. Examples of popular parks are Poás Volcano National Park and Manuel Antonio National Park. Braulio Carrillo is less developed and has fewer visitors.
There are three main ranger stations in the park. Two of them, Quebrada Gonzales and Barva, offer restrooms and drinking water for visitors.
Exploring the Trails
Braulio Carrillo National Park has several hiking trails. These trails can be narrow and are not checked by park rangers very often. The trail from Puesto Barva to the La Selva Protected Zone in the north is a very difficult and long path. It can take more than 4 days to walk the whole way.
Other shorter trails include Los Botarramas and El Ciebo. Both are between 1–2 kilometres (0.62–1.24 mi) long. They have steep parts with amazing views of the park.
See also
In Spanish: Parque nacional Braulio Carrillo para niños
- National parks of Costa Rica
- Protected areas of Costa Rica
