The Las Camelias Lagoon Wildlife Refuge was created on January 5th, 1994, in order to protect palustrine wetlands and forests which serve as a feeding area, shelter and breeding area for a wide variety of wildlife in the northern part of Costa Rica, near the Nicaraguan border in Upala, Alajuela. This refuge is part of the Arenal Huetar Norte  Conservation Area.
Las Camelias Lagoon Wildlife Refuge is a palustrine wetland that includes this lagoon bordered almost exclusively by Yolillo Palm (Raphia taedigera) and flooded forests. These forests serve as feeding and breeding area for some 240 species of birds, including endangered species such as Muscovy Duck (Cairina moschata) and the Jabiru (Jabiru mycteria), about 30 species of amphibians and reptiles, including a large number of caimans (Caiman crocodiles) and some 148 species of plants. Also serve as habitat areas to preserve the different species of wildlife such as jaguar, tapir, peccary and the rest of the biodiversity of the Arenal Huetar Norte Conservation Area (ACAHN).
Las Camelias Lagoon Wildlife Refuge aims to recover also the basins of the Pizotillo Gaucalito Rivers which feed the wetland, developing a management plan to reduce sediment and increase economic options and the technical capacity of local people to productive management of natural resources.
The area is influenced by climatic conditions in the Atlantic and, to a lesser extent, of Nicaraguan Lake, which has a regulatory function. The climate here can be classified as tropical rainforest, with annual rainfall between 3,000 and 4,000 mm, with an average temperature of 25ºC (77ºF) and high relative humidity between 85% and 90%.
There are no public facilities at Las Camelias Lagoon Wildlife Refuge. Other nearby Costa Rica parks includes Tenorio Volcano National Park, Miravalles Volcano National Park, Caño Negro National Wildlife Refuge, Arenal Volcano  Emergency Zone Forest Reserve, Arenal Volcano National Park and Corredor Fronterizo Costa Rica – Nicaragua National Wildlife Refuge.
Getting to Las Camelias Lagoon National Wildlife Refuge:
Take the General Cañas highway (Route #1) towards San Ramón/Puntarenas. Keep driving on the Route #1 and approximately 8 Km beyond the city of Cañas, Guanacaste; make a right at the intersection towards Upala (Route #6). Keep driving on the Route #6 for some 55 km until you get to Las Camelias Lagoon National Wildlife Refuge. Now you can also take the new Caldera Highway. Driving time from San José is about 3.5 hours.
From Liberia (Daniel Oduber Airport) take the road (Route #21) heading towards the city of Liberia. At Liberia’s intersection take the road (Route #1) with direction to Bagaces/Cañas. Keep driving on the Route #1 and approximately 20 Km alter the city of Bagaces, make a left at the intersection heading towards Upala (Route #6). Keep driving on the Route #6 for some 55 km until you get to Las Camelias Lagoon National Wildlife Refuge. Driving time from Liberia is about 1.5 hours.
An alternative approach is to take the Pan-American Highway from San Jose to Ciudad Quesada also known as San Carlos, then drive toward to Upala until reaching the refuge. Driving time from San Carlos is about 2 hours.
By bus:
You can take a bus San José – Upala, which takes about 5 hours (Transportes Upala, 2221-3318).
By plane:
You can also take a flight from the Juan Santamaria Airport to the Upala or the Arenal Airport, either with Sansa Airlines or Nature Air every day. From the Arenal Airport you can rent a car and drive to the refuge, which is about 2 hours.
Location: 220 km (137 miles) N of San Jose in Upala, Alajuela, Costa Rica.
Upala GPS Coordinates: 10°53’46.97″N, 85°01’31.18″W
Size: 64 ha (160 acres)
Altitude: from 30m to 100m (100ft to 330 ft) above sea level
Arenal Huetar Norte Conservation Area (ACA-HN) Telephone: +(506) 2460-0055
INFOTUR Tourist Information: 1192
Decreto Ejecutivo No. 22753-MIRENEM
Click here to view directions from Juan Santamaria International Airport (SJO), Alajuela, Costa Rica TO Las Camelias Lagoon National Wildlife Refuge in Alajuela, Costa Rica at Google Maps
The Caño Negro National Wildlife Refuge was created on January 20th, 1984 in order to protect the wetlands, rainforest and swamplands situated in the Northern lowland, near the Nicaraguan border. This is one of the most biologically diverse destinations, as well as one of the most important reserves  for incredible observation of birds and wildlife in Costa Rica.
The refuge lies close to the settlement of the Malekus, direct descendants of the Guatuso Indians that once lived in the area. The Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge is important as a wintering site for migrant waterfowl, as well as a year-round habitat for local wetland species. In fact, Caño Negro is considered by many to be the third most important wetland in the world and was named Wetland of International Importance in 1991.
The Frio River is the largest flowing river in the area and is the main water source of Caño Negro Lake, a 2,000 acre (810 ha) and 3m deep lake, made by alluvial sediments that plays a crucial role for the environment. During the rainy season, the rising water level invades the surrounding landscape. This natural phenomenon creates a perfect environment for birds to procreate, thus providing a bird-watchers paradise, reason why this refuge is gaining popularity amongst nature oriented tourists. But in the dry season, from December to April, the lake dries up, only exposing the dried out basin and the main channel of the Frio River, which surges from the slopes of the Tilaran Mountain Range.
From October to April, when the migrant birds are at the refuge, the variety of species and sheer quantity of individuals creates a spectacle that even non-birdwatchers will marvel at. More than 200 bird species can be found inside such as the curious Roseate Spoonbill (Platalea ajaja), Glossy Ibis (Plegadis falcinellus), White Ibis (Eudocimus albus), Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis), Anhinga (Anhinga anhinga), Green-backed Heron (Butorides virescens), Osprey (Pandion haliaetus), Northern Shoveler (Anas clypeata), Wood Stork (Mycteria americana), Snail Kite (Rostrhamus sociabilis), Black-necked Stilt (Himantopus mexicanus), Olivaceous Cormorant (Phalacrocorax brasilianus), Blue-winged Teal (Anas discors), Black-bellied Whistling-Duck (Dendrocygna autumnalis), American Widgeon (Anas americana), Northern Jacana (Jacana spinosa) and the Jabiru (Jabiru mycteria), which is the largest bird, and seriously endangered, as well as storks, cormorants, ducks and egrets. One species that birdwatchers hope to see here, since refuge  also protects the only permanent population in Costa Rica, is the Nicaraguan Grackle (Quiscalus nicaraguensis) an endemic bird of the Nicaraguan Lake Basin.
The delicate ecosystems found in Caño Negro National Wildlife Refuge supply a plethora of different plants and animal life, many of which are rare or endangered. Some of the animals being protected here are pumas, jaguars, ocelots and caymans, as well as some more common species such as three species of howler, spider and white-faced monkeys, peccaries, raccoons, otters, sloths, tapirs, giant anteaters, deer, turtles, bats, iguanas, emerald basilisk and even Jesus Christ Lizards, as well as numerous tropical plants and diverse fish population such as snook, Wolf Cichlid or Guapote (Parachromis dovii), Alligator Gar (Atractosteus spatula), Drums or Hardheads, Garfishes (Belone belone) – half fish half mammal, with lungs gills and nose, the huge Tarpon (Megalops atlanticus) which can weigh up to 90 kg, and even Bull Sharks (Carcharhinus leucas), giving to vacationing fishermen to have a good shot at reeling in some trophies during fishing season inside the Frio River, which extends from September to March.
The Caño Negro National Wildlife Refuge daytime temperatures are quite warm and it is usually humid where temperature ranges from 21ºC (70ºF) to 32ºC (90ºF), with an annual precipitation average of some 120 inches. Although this refuge is on the Atlantic side of Costa Rica, it is far enough inland in the northern plains to have a weather pattern with a short but distinct dry season from December to April.
Throughout the dry months, the refuge can be easily accessed by road, as during this time many of the swamps and wetlands dry up. The resulting lagoon filled basin attracts thousands of birds flying overhead. During the rainy season boats are the main form of transportation as flooding causes many of the roads to be inaccessible for vehicles.
In order to visit Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge, it’s necessary to join a day tour. These tours pick up guests from the Arenal area hotels at 7:30 a.m. to Los Chiles, a 1½ hour drive. Visitors are required to have a copy of their passport on hand, as the tour begins near a checkpoint with the Nicaraguan border.
Once guests arrive to Los Chiles they will board a boat and begin the tour. The tour consists of a four-hour floating safari along the Frio River, a slow-flowing river through canyons, tropical rainforest, pastures, and marshland on its way to the Caño Negro Lake.  Once the tour is over, guests will re-board the bus and be back at their hotels by 4:30 p.m. Visitors are advised to bring light clothing, bug repellent, sun block, camera and binoculars. Also, it is important to make clear that the Caño Negro Wildlife Refuge tour does not actually bring visitors within the refuge, only near it. However, the area just outside the park is just as spectacular as the area inside, so visitors needn’t worry about missing out on anything.
There are no public facilities at Caño Negro National Wildlife Refuge. Other nearby Costa Rica parks includes Las Camelias National Wildlife Refuge, Arenal Volcano Emergency Zone Forest Reserve, Arenal Volcano National Park and Corredor Fronterizo Costa Rica – Nicaragua National Wildlife Refuge.
Getting to Caño Negro National Wildlife Refuge:
Take the Pan-American Highway from San Jose to Ciudad Quesada also known as San Carlos, then drive toward Los Chiles, near the Nicaraguan border. About 4 miles before you reach Los Chiles, you will see the turn-off to the new bridge to Caño Negro. In Los Chiles, a number of boats are kept at the town dock that can be hired for the approximately 15 km trip upriver to Playuelas on the northern edge of the refuge.
An alternative approach is to drive to Upala (especially for those coming from Guanacaste) and continue east on a gravel road for 36 km until reaching the village of Caño Negro. Here dugout canoes can be hired for exploration of the marsh area.
By bus:
You can take a bus San José – Los Chiles, which takes about 5:30 hours (Auto Transportes San Carlos, 2255-4318). Or, you can also take a bus San José – Upala, which takes about 5 hours (Transportes Upala, 2221-3318). There is a bus that runs from Upala to Caño Negro.
By plane:
You can also take a flight from the Juan Santamaria Airport to the Los Chiles or Arenal Airport, either with Sansa Airlines or Nature Air every day. From the Arenal Airpot you can rent a car and drive to the refuge, which is about 1.5 hours.
Location: 291 km (80 miles) straight north from San Jose, southeast of the town of Los Chiles, near the Nicaraguan border in Alajuela, Costa Rica.
Los Chiles GPS Coordinates: 11°01’53.37″N, 84°42’44.42″W
Size: 9.969 hectares (25,100 acres)
Altitude: from 30m to 100m (100ft to 330 ft) above sea level
Arenal Huetar Norte Conservation Area (ACA-HN) Telephone: +(506) 2460-0055
INFOTUR Tourist Information: 1192
Click here to view directions from Juan Santamaria International Airport (SJO), Alajuela, Costa Rica TO Caño Negro National Wildlife Refuge in Alajuela, Costa Rica at Google Maps
Cerro El Jardin Forest Reserve was created on March 16th, 1994, in order to protect low forested areas and a remnant of moist forest that existed on the right bank of the San Juan River, near the border with Nicaragua. Now, this reserve is part of the Maquenque National Wildlife Refuge, in order to be converted  into a biological reserve with the main purpose of protecting the endangered Great Green Macaw (Ara ambigua).
Cerro El Jardin Forest Reserve is part of the Arenal Huetar Norte Conservation Area, in the northern part of Costa Rica, about 80 miles (130 km) north of San José, to the east of Boca Tapada. The best way to get to know the reserve is to take a boat on the San Juan River and go along one of the countless rivers and streams that crisscross the area and discharge into this river. Furthermore, these areas have a high strategic value of biodiversity, as they are important passing breaches that provide connectivity for species of very large range between the Central Volcanic Mountain Range Conservation Area and the Indio-Maiz Biological Reserve.
The reserve has the remnant of a previously extensive moist forest that existed alongside the San Juan River. It is possible to view this forest comfortable and in silence and listen to the countless sounds of the creatures of the jungle due to the presence of two navigable rivers (the San Carlos and the San Juan) and of several channels such as El Jardin and El Recreo.
Cerro El Jardin Forest Reserve has a tropical rainforest, with an average temperature of 78°F (26°C), ranging between 69°F (21°C) and 86°F (30°C). The rainfall pattern that characterizes the region presents a short dry season which occurs between the months of March and April, with the wettest months being between June and November, when rainfall exceeds 300 mm per month, with an average annual precipitation between 2,800 to 3,600 mm.
This is why the vegetation here consists of tall forest trees such as enormous Silk Cotton or Ceiba (Ceiba pentandra), Guácimo colorado (Luehea seemannii) and Wild Almond tree (Dipteryx panamensis), as well as a large number of endemic trees such as the the Oil Tree (Pentaclethra macroloba), the Sangrillo (Paramachaerium gruberi), the Botarrama (Vochysia allenii), the Tostao (Sclerolobium costaricense), the the Guarumo or Trumpet tree (Cecropia peltata), the Bastard cedar or Light virola (Virola koschnyi), the “Naranjito” (Capparis pittieri), the Sotacaballo (Zygia longifolia), the Burío (Heliocarpus appendiculatus), Caobilla (Carapa nicaraguensis), the Turkey Berry or Tabacon (Solanum torvum), Malabar chestnut (Pachira aquatica) and the Achiotillo (Vismia baccifera). Moreover, in the area there are many tree species threatened and endangered such as the “Repollito” (Eschweilera calyculata), the “Cuero de sapo” (Licania kallunkii), the Chiricano (Vantanea barbourii), the Coquito (Astrocaryum alatum), the Zapotillo (Pouteria uniloculares), the Cola de Pavo (Hymenolobium mesoamericanum), the Areno (Qualea paraensis), the  Cipresillo (Podocarpus guatemalensis) and the Cativo (Prioria copaifera).
El Jardin Forest Reserve also has a wide variety of mammals such as monkeys (white-faced or capuchin, howler and spider), tapirs, peccaries, agoutis, spotted pacas, kinkajous, ocelots, jaguars, pumas and jaguarundí, as well as some 20 species of amphibians and about 23 species of reptiles.
Also, many species of birds indicate that the area of El Jardin Forest Reserve is a site of great importance bird conservation, for more than 340 species of birds such as endangered species like the Green Macaw (Ara ambigua) and the Scarlet Macaw (Ara macao) and rare species like the Great Curassow (Crax rubra) and Guan (Penelope purpurascens).
There are no public facilities at El Jardin Forest Reserve. Other nearby Costa Rican parks include Maquenque National Wildlife Refuge, La Cureña Forest Reserve and Corredor Fronterizo Costa Rica – Nicaragua National Wildlife Refuge.
Getting to Cerro El Jardin Forest Reserve:
Take the Pan-American Highway from San Jose to Ciudad Quesada. Continue for approximately 18 km (11 miles), and then turn right looking for a town called Pital, as Boca Tapada is accessed most easily from there. Once you reach Pital, go straight to the gas station and continue for 2.5 km more, where you will arrive at a Y intersection, go Right and continue for approximately 9 km to another Y intersection. Follow the signs to Boca Tapada. After another km or so, you will reach another gas station, where you will continue straight. Here you will see a sign for Mi Pedacito de Cielo. Continue straight through the town of Saino and follow the signs for Boca Tapada (Boca Tapada is about 28 km from Pital). Continue straight through Boca Tapada going down the hill, following the road back up the mountain and continue for about another 3 km to Maquenque Eco-lodge, which will be on your left side. To arrive at the lodge by car, you must cross the San Carlos River in Maquenque Eco-Lodge rivate ferry (a pick up from Pital or Boca Tapada can be coordinated if necessary).
By bus:
You can take a bus from the route San José – Pital, which takes about 4 hours and then take a bus Pital – Boca Tapada, which takes about 2:30 hours. Or you can also take a bus San José – Cuidad Quesada which takes about 2:30 hours, then Cuidad Quesada – Pital, which takes about 1.30 hours and Pital – Boca Tapada, which takes about 2:30 hours.
By plane:
You can also take a flight from the Juan Santamaria Airport to the Arenal Airport, either with Sansa Airlines or Nature Air every day. From here you can rent a car and drive to the refuge, which takes about 4 hours.
Location: just north of Boca Tapada, near the Nicaraguan border in Alajuela, Costa Rica.
Pital GPS Coordinates: 10.451586, -84.273422 (10°27’05.71″N, 84°16’24.32″W)
Size: 1.426 ha (3,530 acres)
Altitude: about 200m above sea level
Arenal Huetar Norte Conservation Area (ACA-HN) Telephone: +(506) 2460-0055
INFOTUR Tourist Information: 1192
Click here to view directions from Juan Santamaria International Airport (SJO), Alajuela, Costa Rica TO El Jardin Forest Reserve in Alajuela, Costa Rica at Google Maps
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