List of national parks of Costa Rica facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

National Parks of Costa Rica
Manuel Antonio National Park

First Park	Poás Volcano National Park, 1955
Smallest Park	San Lucas Island National Park, 4.49 km²
Largest Park	La Amistad International Park, 1991 km²
Governing body	SINAC

Costa Rica is a country famous for its amazing nature and wildlife. In 2023, it had thirty National Parks! These parks are special protected areas. They are managed by an organization called SINAC. SINAC stands for "Sistema Nacional de Areas de Conservacion," which means National System of Conservation Areas. It's part of Costa Rica's Ministry of Environment and Energy (MINAE).

Did you know that over 25% of Costa Rica's land is protected? This includes national parks and other natural areas. Costa Rica is a world leader in protecting its environment. It also focuses on ecotourism, which means visiting natural places in a way that helps protect them. This approach is a great example for other countries.

Scientists from universities and other groups often study Costa Rica's rainforests, tropical forests, ocean areas, and wetlands. These studies help us learn more about important habitats around the world. Costa Rica's National Parks System helps us understand and protect these amazing places.

Some of the most famous national parks are found in the Cordillera de Talamanca mountain range. One of these is La Amistad International Park. This huge park is so big it even stretches into the country of Panamá! On the southern Osa Peninsula, you'll find Corcovado National Park. It protects a large part of the lowland tropical rainforest, which is very rare and special. Manuel Antonio National Park was even named one of the world's most beautiful national parks by Forbes magazine in 2011.

There's also a long hiking trail called the Camino de Costa Rica. It's about 280 kilometers (174 miles) long. This trail goes all the way across Costa Rica, from the Atlantic Ocean (Caribbean coast) to the Pacific Ocean. It passes through mountains, valleys, and even near Barbilla National Park. You can see volcanoes like Turrialba and Irazu along the way.

Exploring Costa Rica's National Parks
How Many People Visit the Parks?
Photographs
See also

Exploring Costa Rica's National Parks

Park	Location Details	Size	What Makes it Special?
Arenal Volcano	Central Costa Rica	12,124 hectares	Home to Arenal Volcano, which has been active since 1968. There's also another volcano, Chato, with a lake in its crater.
Ballena Marine	Pacific Coast	5,330 hectares	Most of this park is ocean. You can see humpback whales, dolphins, and other sea animals here during certain times of the year.
Barbilla	Caribbean side	11,955 hectares	Features wet rainforests. You might spot big cats like pumas, jaguars, ocelots, and tapirs.
Barra Honda	Guanacaste Province	2,295 hectares	Famous for its many limestone caves. Some caves are still unexplored and have cool stalagtite and stalagmite formations.
Braulio Carrillo	Near San José	50,000 hectares	Has steep mountains, volcanoes, and rainforests. It's close to the capital city of San José.
Cahuita	Atlantic Coast	57,932 hectares	Mostly ocean, this park has Costa Rica's largest coral reef. It protects lots of marine life.
Carara	Pacific Coast	5,800 hectares	This park is the northernmost coastal rain forest in Costa Rica. It's a great place for bird watching, especially to see many scarlet macaws.
Chirripó	Southern Costa Rica	50,150 hectares	Home to Costa Rica's highest mountain, Mount Chirripó (3,820 meters or 12,533 feet). You can find Alpine tundra and glacial lakes here.
Cocos Island	Pacific Ocean	2,310 hectares	A UNESCO World Heritage Site located far off the coast. It's known for its marine life, green forests, and waterfalls.
Corcovado	Pacific Coast	41,788 hectares	Features shallow lagoons, mangrove forests, and beaches. You need an approved guide to visit this park.
Diriá	Guanacaste Province	5,429 hectares	This park protects important wetlands and forests.
Guanacaste	Northern Costa Rica	33,796 hectares	Part of a larger World Heritage Site. It has two volcanoes (Orosi and Cacao) and different types of forests.
Irazú Volcano	Central Costa Rica	2,000 hectares	Irazú is Costa Rica's highest volcano (3,432 meters or 11,260 feet). You can often see both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts from near the top!
Juan Castro Blanco	Central Costa Rica	14,308 hectares	A mountainous park with volcanic features, waterfalls, and many bird species, including beautiful quetzals.
La Amistad	Southern Costa Rica/Panama	199,147 hectares	This is a huge UNESCO World Heritage Site and the largest wilderness area in Costa Rica. It has rugged mountains and amazing plant and animal life.
La Cangreja	Central Costa Rica	2,570 hectares	Known for its unique plants (44 species found only in Costa Rica) and clear river water.
Las Baulas	Pacific Coast	90,100 hectares	Mostly ocean, this park has the world's largest nesting ground for sea turtles. It also has mangrove forests along the coast.
Los Quetzales	Central Costa Rica	4,117 hectares	A mountainous park where the main attraction is the beautiful quetzal bird.
Manuel Antonio	Pacific Coast	27,587 hectares	One of the last places where the endangered Grey-crowned Central American squirrel monkey lives. Most of the park is ocean, with 12 islands that are home to marine birds.
Miravalles Jorge Manuel Dengo	Guanacaste Province	4,300 hectares	Features the Miravalles Volcano (2,028 meters or 6,654 feet). Geothermal power is generated from the volcano's heat here.
Palo Verde	Guanacaste Province	18,332 hectares	A very important wetland area. About half of the park is water or wetlands, attracting many migratory and local water birds.
Piedras Blancas	Southern Costa Rica	15,350 hectares	This park is full of diverse plants and animals. It's part of a larger conservation area called the Osa Conservation Area.
Poás Volcano	Central Costa Rica	6,506 hectares	The volcano (2,708 meters or 8,885 feet) has gas vents that cause acid rain. This sometimes leads to the park being closed for safety.
Rincón de la Vieja Volcano	Guanacaste Province	14,127 hectares	This volcano (1,916 meters or 6,286 feet) is always active. You can hike to see its volcanic cones, mud pits, and hot springs.
Santa Rosa	Guanacaste Province	39,322 hectares	Protects a dry tropical forest and beaches where sea turtles lay their eggs. It's also a historic site from the Battle of Santa Rosa.
San Lucas Island	Pacific Ocean	472 hectares	Located off the coast, this island park used to be a prison. Now it's a wildlife preserve.
Tapantí-Macizo de la Muerte	Central Costa Rica	58,495 hectares	A very rainy park with rainforests and old oak and alder trees. It gets over 6,500 mm (256 inches) of rain each year!
Tenorio Volcano	Guanacaste Province	12,905 hectares	This park is known for its cloud forests and rainforests. The volcano reaches 1,917 meters (6,289 feet) high.
Tortuguero	Caribbean Coast	76,397 hectares	Two-thirds of this park is water. It has the largest nesting beach in the Americas for green turtles. Most of the park is kept wild, with only a small part open to visitors.
Turrialba Volcano	Central Costa Rica	1,257 hectares	Turrialba is Costa Rica's second highest volcano (3,340 meters or 10,958 feet). It is active from time to time.
Total		816,521 hectares (including ocean)	The land area of national parks makes up about 13% of Costa Rica's total land. This is about half of all the protected land in the country.

How Many People Visit the Parks?

Here's a list of how many people visited Costa Rica's national parks between 2012 and 2022:

Rank	Park	Total Visitors (2012–2022)
1	Manuel Antonio	4,388,469
2	Irazú Volcano	2,732,394
3	Poás Volcano	2,503,944
4	Marino Ballena	1,878,848
5	Tortaguero	1,277,816
6	Cahuita	1,113,911
7	Arenal Volcano	1,010,866
8	Tenoro Volcano	975,754
9	Rincón de La Vieja Volcano	769,719
10	Corcovado	551,101
11	Santa Rosa	425,388
12	Carara	398,910
13	Tapanti-Macizo de la Muerte	240,482
14	Braulio Carrillo	240,089
15	Chirripó	155,696
16	Coco Island	107,295
17	Palo Verde	68,591
18	Barra Honda	52,067
19	Los Quetzales	28,751
20	San Lucas Island	18,872
21	Marino Las Baulas	18,012
22	Diriá	16,300
23	La Cangreja	12,556
24	La Amistad International Park	7,985
25	Turrialba Volcano	7,234
26	Barbilla	4,157
27	Piedras Blancas	3,727
28	Juan Castro Blanco	732
29	Guancaste	n/a
30	Miravalles Jorge Manuel Dengo	n/a