Think of Costa Rica and you will probably see images of beautiful environments with lush green rainforests, breathtaking waterfalls, impressive volcanoes as well as exotic plants and flowers and captivating wildlife… And you are completely right! Costa Rica is indeed an ideal destination for those of us in search of natural beautiful surroundings.
Not only does Costa Rica offer the most amazing environmental landscapes, the country is moreover absolutely dedicated to preserving its natural treasures. One important way is that currently approximately 93 percent of its energy comes from alternative sources and the country is dedicated to becoming carbon-neutral by 2021. The country’s most valuable assets however are its national parks, did you know that nearly 25 percent of Costa Rica’s nature is protected as national parks? And to honor its special commitment of conserving its national parks, the country has dedicated an entire day to them, called the “Dia de las Parques Nacionales”, the Day of National Parks, which takes place today, August 24th.
To celebrate this special day, we would like to introduce to you the most special of Costa Rica’s national parks:
Manuel Antonio National Park
Located only seven kilometers southeast of Quepos, Manuel Antonio has one of the most beautiful beaches of the country, set against emerald-green forests and lush hillsides. Besides being blessed by nature, Manuel Antonio is also lucky when it comes to accommodations and facilities. Small Distinctive Hotels offers its highly luxurious and highly sustainable Arenas del Mar Beachfront and Rainforest Resort here.
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| Courtesy of Destination360.com |
Braulio Carrillo National Park
The tropical rain forest of Braulio Carrillo is located only 20 kilometers northeast of the capital city of San José, which can be perfectly combined with our city boutique hotel Grano de Oro. This breathtaking flora and fauna sanctuary is an emerald-green mass of vegetation, tropical plants and waterfalls... Noone that visits the Braulio Carrillo National Park can escape feeling a sense of awe because of its beauty and magnitude.
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| Courtesy of Go2Costarica.com |
Volcan Poas National Park
Volcan Poas offers a luxuriant forest surrounding two craters and four different habitats: areas with scarce vegetation, a stunted forest, a cloud forest, and an area without vegetation. Among the mammals found here are the coyotes, long-tailed weasels, skunks and some small felines. If you see a greenish-yellow squirrel, take a good look at it, because it’s the Poas green-yellow squirrel, and as its name suggests, it’s only found in this park, and nowhere else in the whole world! If you would like to continue enjoying Costa Rica’s nature, the nearby Peace Lodge with its stunning Waterfall Gardens is the place.
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| Courtesy of Destination360.com |
Marino Ballena National Park
Marino Ballena National Park is named after the Humpback Whales that migrate here each year from December to April. Established in 1990, the park contains the largest coral reef on the Pacific side of Central America. The water just off shore provides wonderful snorkeling as the park is mostly oceanic, except for the mangrove and wildlife riddled 9.3 miles (15 km) of coastline. Located closeby this stunning national park lies our angelic Hotel Cuna del Angel.
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| Courtesy of Costaricatraveladvisors.net |
Piedras Blancas National Park
Piedras Blancas National Park is a national park which is part of the Osa Conservation Area. The flora is among the richest on the planet, encompassing several thousand different species of plants and hundreds of trees. The park is also home to a number of rare trees, as well as all five species of cats (the ocelot, margay, jaguarundi, puma and jaguar) as well as toucans and scarlet macaws, kinkajous and coatis, white-faced capuchin and spider monkeys, as well as the two-toed sloth, anteater, and over 53 species of bats. It can be easily understood why the Osa region was described as “the most biologically intense place on earth” by magazine National Geographic. To immerse yourself in this beautiful spot of nature, Playa Nicuesa Rainforest Lodge provides the perfect experience.
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| Courtesy of Costarica-Nationalparks.com |
Carara National Park
This national park is especially popular among birdwatchers, with high chances of spotting the rare and endangered Scarlet Macaw. The fact that the park is situated between two distinct ecosystems presents an opportunity to spot birds from both habitats. The name of the park derives from the indigenous Huetar language and means crocodiles, of which plenty can be spotted and almost year round on the Río Tarcoles. The excellent starting point for an expedition to this national park, is our highly luxurious Hotel Villa Caletas.
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| Courtesy of Costaricabureau.com |
Turrialba National Park
The Turrialba volcano is one of the various active volcanoes of Costa Rica. Covered in dense vegetation, it looks out over an enormous area of mostly mountain rainforest. The various lava flows in Turrialba National Park still remind visitors of the once flowing rivers of hot magma. The hiking trails around the park provide plenty of opportunities to watch the typical smaller Costa Rican wildlife. When reaching the summit, spectacular 360-degree views await you. Our member Hotel Casa Turire is perfectly located for excursions to this exciting national park.
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| Courtesy of Addictedtotravel.com |
Marino las Baulas National Park
This national park is located on the Pacific coast and named after the leatherback sea turtles that nest here every year. They are the largest marine reptiles and also the most endangered. The park consists of roughly 445 hectares of mangrove swamps and coastlines and is made up of four beaches. Besides the impressive leatherbacks, crocodiles, capuchin monkeys, and raccoons are among the typical animals that can be spotted at this national park. Trips to this impressive national park can be undertaken from Hotel Capitan Suizo in Tamarindo.
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| Courtesy of Go2Costarica.com |
Cabo Blanco Nature Reserve
The Cabo Blanco Nature Reserve is situated at the extreme southern tip of the Nicoya Peninsula. Not only does it rank among the most beautiful reserves of Costa Rica, it was also the first protected area of the country in 1963. The forest is classified as moist tropical forest and is home to a large variety of animals such as white-tailed deer, pacas, armadillos, anteaters, howler, spider and capuchin monkeys, collared peccary, coyotes, porcupines, raccoons and coatis. With a keen eye you can find traces of ocelots, jaguarundis or margay cats. To view all these exotic animals up close, we recommend you book your stay at Florblanca Resort and take a journey from there.
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| Courtesy of Nicoyapeninsula.com |
Did you know that Small Distinctive Hotels is also active on Twitter? You can find us at @SDHCostaRica and the majority of our members hotels too!
