National Parks of Costa Rica

Although a good portion of Costa Rica has been stripped of its natural forests by aggressive logging operations, the country has managed to preserve more of its natural habitat than many countries in the world. Costa Ricans have formed a national park system envied by all who strive to protect the ecosystem from the ravages of an increasingly industrialized world.

Discover the National Parks of Costa Rica

Click any of Costa Rica's national parks to the left or choose one of the selected parks from the map below to discover more.

National Parks of Costa Rica

1 - Santa Rosa
2 - Rincon de la Vieja
3 - Palo Verde
4 - Arenal Volcano
5 - Tortuguero		 6 - Poas Volcano
7 - Braulio Carrillo
8 - Irazu Volcano
9 - Tapanti
10 - Cahuita

11 - Manuel Antonio
12 - Chirripo
13 - Ballena
14 - Corcovado

Rincon de la Vieja Palo Verde Arenal Volcano Tortuguero Poas Volcano Braulio Carrillo Irazu Volcano Cahuita Tapanti Manuel Antonio Chirripo Ballena Corcovado Santa Rosa

Popular National Parks

Protecting Costa Rica's Natural Habitats

In addition to national parks, Costa Rica's national forests provide a safe haven for an estimated 75 percent of Costa Rica's species of flora and fauna, including species that have all vanished in neighboring countries.

Costa Rica has managed to protect vast amounts of its natural habitat through the conservation of over 180 different protectd areas. Among these protected areas are 51 wildlife refuges, 32 national parks, 13 forest reserves, and 8 biological reserves. In addition, Costa Rica also maintains wildlife refuges and Indian reservations. All of this amounts to an incredible effort toward preserving the wilderness Costa Ricans treasure. In fact, Costa Rica has preserved a greater proportion of its land aea than any other country in the world!

History of the Park System

Costa Rica's national park service was created in 1969 alongsite two other pre-existing environmental agencies: the ministry of the environment, or Ministerio del Ambiente, and the ministry of forestry and wildlife, or Ministerio de la Vida Silvestre. As Costa Rica's dedication towards environmentalism grew, the three organizations were merged into a single entity in 1995: the Sistema Nacionál de Areas de Conservación (SINAC).

 

Rincon de la Vieja Palo Verde Arenal Volcano Tortuguero Poas Volcano Braulio Carrillo Irazu Volcano Cahuita Tapanti Manuel Antonio Chirripo Ballena Corcovado Santa Rosa