Palo Verde National Park is an aquatic wonderland! There are some 280 species of migratory and resident birds in the park, giving Palo Verde the largest concentration of aquatic birds in Central America. Many endangered and threatened species can be seen including the Jabiru stork, the continent’s tallest water bird as well as the pheasant-like Great Curassow, manakins, falcons, ducks and herons.
The park is also home to deer, peccaries, ocelots, coyotes, pumas, tayras, agoutis, pacas, monkeys, boa constrictors, rattlesnakes, coral snakes, crocodiles and huge populations of toads and frogs, including several species of tree frogs.
Palo Verde also sustains an array of exquisite hardwoods such as Ironwood, Cocobolo and Ron Ron as well as extensive mangroves and hundreds of other plant species.
Palo Verde National Park is an aquatic wonderland! There are some 280 species of migratory and resident birds in the park, giving Palo Verde the largest concentration of aquatic birds in Central America. Many endangered and threatened species can be seen including the Jabiru stork, the continent’s tallest water bird as well as the pheasant-like Great Curassow, manakins, falcons, ducks and herons.
The park is also home to deer, peccaries, ocelots, coyotes, pumas, tayras, agoutis, pacas, monkeys, boa constrictors, rattlesnakes, coral snakes, crocodiles and huge populations of toads and frogs, including several species of tree frogs.
Palo Verde also sustains an array of exquisite hardwoods such as Ironwood, Cocobolo and Ron Ron as well as extensive mangroves and hundreds of other plant species.
Due to the vast range of flora and fauna, Palo Verde National Park was designated an important “Ramsar Site” in 1991 to facilitate the conservation and wise use of wetlands as part of a national and international effort to achieve worldwide sustainable development.
We pick you up at your hotel between 7:00 and 7:30 am (depending on your location). Our first stop is to visit a troop of howler monkeys. Take as much time as you’d like to enjoy and photograph the antics of these vociferous primates! Then it’s on to the park for a relaxing two-hour boat ride on the Tempisque River, one of Costa Rica’s largest, to see an outstanding variety of wetland wildlife! After that, guests who visit from January to May will have a chance to see and photograph Scarlet Macaws feeding in mango trees.
Return to your hotel in time for lunch between 12:00 and 12:30.
Shorts, hat and comfortable footwear.
Camera, insect repellent, sunscreen, sunglasses and drinking water.
Half-day tour – pick up 7:00 to 7:30 am and drop off 12:00 to 12:30 noon.
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Rincon de la Vieja, whose name “old woman’s corner” comes from an indigenous legend about a reclusive medicine woman, is the largest of Costa Rica’s volcanoes. The Las Pailas Sector of the National Park provides an intriguing and exotic mixture of geothermal features and the unique flora and fauna of the high dry tropical forest.
Rincon de la Vieja encompasses a variety of ecosystems due to differing altitudes, rainfall and the effect of volcanic eruptions. Flora includes a large population of the Costa Rican national flower, the Guaria Morada orchid, as well as the national tree, the Guanacaste, and others such as Strangler Figs, Tropical Cedars, Naked Indian trees and Copeys. Some 300 species of birds have been identified in the park, among them the turkey-like Crested Guan, the Motmot with its tick-tock tail wag and the Emerald Toucanet. The park is also home to deer, coatis, peccaries, skunks, coyotes, pumas, armadillos, tayras, agoutis, pacas, sloths, monkeys, anteaters and rattlesnakes.
Don’t miss the opportunity to enjoy a high adrenaline experience going down Colorado river by tubing at Rincon de la Vieja , swinging jumping rope, river pool jump during the trip with specialized guides and full security equipment.
Tenorio Volcano National Park with its lush, humid forests and a wealth of palms, heliconias, ferns, bromeliads and orchids, has a decidedly greener hue than Guanacaste’s drier regions. The park is also known for its mammals, most notably the Baird’s Tapir, a prehistoric-looking creature that resembles a cross between and horse and a rhinoceros! In addition to these gentle giants, Tenorio Volcano park hosts other endangered, though not so gentle species such as jaguars, pumas, ocelots and margays, as well as peccaries and howler and white-faced monkeys, among others. There is also an abundance of bird species, especially the reclusive Bellbird whose mysterious, ringing call characterizes the forest ambiance.
In addition to the outstanding jungle scenery and wildlife, the park is known for its startling turquoise-colored Celeste river, waterfalls and hot springs, considered one of the Seven Natural Wonders of Costa Rica! Legend has it that the gods of creation rinsed their paintbrushes in the river while painting the sky, though the less-romantic version attributes the color to the mixing of volcanic minerals.