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
La Cureña Forest Reserve was created on April 7th, 1994, in order to protect the largest remnant of moist forest on the right bank of the San Juan River, near the border of Nicaragua on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica. Now, this reserve is part of the Maquenque National Wildlife Refuge, in order to be converted into a biological reserve with the  main aim of protecting the endangered Great Green Macaw (Ara ambigua).
La Cureña 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.
The reserve has the Cureña and Cureñita Rivers, which before disembogue into the San Juan River, form extensive lagoons and marshes crops. In fact, the Cureña River forms the Maquenque Lagoon. One of the main problems of these rivers is the same sedimentation as in ponds and marshes.
In the reserve outcrop lahars, mainly composed of heterogeneous volcanic materials, with a matrix comprising clay, sand and gravel. These deposits are characterized by an extended flat topography and rolling hills, known in the region as “lomo de cerdo” (Pork loin). These hills are surrounded by lower grounds, thus generally run rainwater, streams, or even “yolillales” and small marshes, surrounded by forest.
This reserve has a tropical rainforest, with an average temperature of about 26°C (78°F), ranging between 21°C (69°F) and 30°C (86°F). 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), Wild Almond tree (Dipteryx panamensis), “Guácimo colorado” (Luehea seemannii) and “Guayabo de charco” (Terminalia bucidioides), as well as a large number of endemic trees such as the “Tostao” (Sclerolobium costaricense), the “Naranjito” (Capparis pittieri) and botarrama (Vochysia allenii). 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).
In secondary early forests of the Cureña Forest Reserve can be found the Bastard cedar or Light virola (Virola koschnyi), the Botarrama (Vochysia ferruginea), the Burío (Heliocarpus appendiculatus), the Oil Tree (Pentaclethra macroloba), the Guarumo or Trumpet tree (Cecropia peltata), the Turkey Berry or Tabacon (Solanum torvum), the Achiotillo (Vismia baccifera), the Manga Larga (Laetia procera) and the Jacaranda. In the lagoons and marshes are commonly found species  of the family Amaryllidaceae, Araceae, Cyperaceae, Melastomataceae, Onagraceae and Papilionaceae, while the flooded forests mainly consist of Caobilla (Carapa nicaraguensis), Sangrillo (Paramachaerium gruberi), Malabar chestnut (Pachira aquatica) and Sotacaballo (Zygia longifolia).
On the other hand, La Cureña Forest Reserve also has a wide variety of mammals such as white-faced or capuchin monkeys, howler monkeys, spider monkeys, peccaries, tapirs, agoutis, kinkajous, spotted pacas, pumas, ocelots, jaguars and jaguarundi. Also, there have been reported some 20 species of amphibians and about 23 species of reptiles.
Furthermore, many species of birds indicate that the area of La Cureña Forest Reserve is a site of great importance for more than 340 species of birds conservation, 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 La Cureña Forest Reserve. Other nearby Costa Rica parks includes Maquenque National Wildlife Refuge, El Jardin Forest Reserve and Corredor Fronterizo Costa Rica – Nicaragua National Wildlife Refuge.
Getting to La Cureña Forest Reserve:
Take the Pan-American Highway from San Jose to Ciudad Quesada. Continue for some 18 km (11 miles), and then turn right looking for Pital town, as Boca Tapada is accessed most easily from there. Once you reach Pital, go straight to the gas station and continue on for 2.5 km more, where you will arrive at a Y intersection. Go Right and continue for approximately 9 km to another Y. Follow the sign to Boca Tapada to the right. After another km or so, you will reach another gas station, where you will continue straight and stay to the left. 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 private ferry (a pick up from Pital or Boca Tapada can be coordinated if necessary).
By bus:
You can take a bus 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 is 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: 6.307 ha (14,800 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 La Cureña Wildlife Refuge in Alajuela, Costa Rica at Google Maps
Maquenque National Wildlife Refuge was established by executive decree in June 13th 2005, thanks to the initiative of Eduardo Artavia, his wife and six children, to maintain and conserve the wildlife habitat, protecting different types of ecosystems, such as the fragile wetlands and the tropical rainforest endagered species.  This refuge is located to the north of Boca Tapada in San Carlos, Alajuela.
Maquenque National Wildlife Refuge is part of the Arenal Huetar Norte Conservation Area and an intermediate strip of Nicaragua-Costa Rica Border Corridor National Wildlife Refuge, in the northern part of Costa Rica, some 130km from San Jose, 30km fromm Pital and only 21km from the Río San Juan, the natural border with Nicaragua.
This property is surrounded by virgin nature, which includes a lagoon complex and swamp ecosystems of the tropical wet forest ecoregion, characterized by high biodiversity and the livelihoods of endangered species such as the Great Green Macaw (Ara ambigua), vulnerable species like the Manatee (Trichechus manatus) and other important species such as the Jaguar (Panthera onca) and the Gaspar Fish (Atractosteus tropicus), which makes the Maquenque Wetland unique in the country.
Also, the wetland plays an important hydrological function to the surrounding watershed. Inside the refuge 4 wetlands have been identified: Maquenque, Tambor, Colpachí and Canacas.
The refuge is a proposal to bring together a number of existing Nature Reserves, Wildlife refuges and Forest Reserves to form a new National Park, covering the areas between the San Carlos River, the Sarapiquí River and other areas near the Nicaraguan border. Among the existing reserves that would be consolidated would be Cerro El Jardin Forest Reserve, La Cureña Forest Reserve, Lacustrino Maquenque Wetlands and the Palustrino Tamborcito Wetlands.
Maquenque National Wildlife Refuge is a mix of habitats on both sides of the San Carlos River, with sections of former pasture lands that are now being reforested. There are about 40 hectares of secondary forest bordering the western edge, while to the east, the refuge borders a neighbor that holds hundreds of hectares of some of the oldest forests in northern Costa Rica.
Maquenque National Wildlife Refuge is home to a rich biodiversity of animals and plants, with large amounts of Almond trees, which can’t be found in any other national park  or protected area of Costa Rica and is a favored food source of the Great Green Macaw, which has led the World Parrot Trust, among other organizations, to campaign to create this national park.
The refuge has a tropical rainy climate with an average temperature of 27ºC (81ºF), which rainiest months are between May through December, and occasionally, this can extend until February. This region has some of the best habitat for the Great Green Macaw and there is a big number of nests in the area. ALso, among the species of accounted animals, there are approximately 139 mammals, 135 reptiles, 80 amphibians and 424 birds, since wetlands are of great importance as habitat for water birds, many are seen near the large lagoon and along the San Carlos River, such as the Scaly-throated Leaftosser (Sclerurus guatemalensis), Blue Dacnis or Turquoise Honeycreeper (Dacnis cayana) and Black-and-yellow Tanager (Chrysothlypis chrysomelaena).
The refuge is also of vital importance as it is the core of San Juan – La Selva Corridor. This corridor allows connections between ecosystems (both public and private) in Costa Rica and Nicaragua, making it an important part of the Mesoamerican Biological Corridor. It is also located in a zone designed to protect the whole group of native species and fulfill basic corridor functions of connectivity, while maximizing compatible sustainable forestry uses and benefits from environmental services.
For years, Maquenque Wetland has been competing with other wetlands, located throughout the world, to enter the listing on the Ramsar list, abbreviated name for the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, which was an agreement signed February 2, 1971 in the city of Iran, Ramsar.
Maquenque National Wildlife Refuge offers guided hikes as well as guided canoe tours of the San Carlos River. A butterfly garden is also currently being developed. Meals are home cooked with fresh organic vegetables grown in  the family’s garden. The cheese and meat are fresh too, as the family still maintains a small number of cows. Besides, due to its proximity to the San Juan River, it also offers the possibility of making extensions to Nicaragua, including the Bartola Refuge, Indio Maiz, El Castillo and more.
Other nearby parks in the area include Cerro El Jardin Forest Reserve, La Cureña Forest Reserve, Arenal Volcano National Park and an intermediate strip of Nicaragua-Costa Rica Border Corridor National Wildlife Refuge.
Getting to Maquenque Wildlife Refuge:
Take the Pan-American Highway from San Jose to Ciudad Quesada. Continue for approximately 18 km (11 miles), and then turn right looking for Pital town, 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. Follow the sign to Boca Tapada to the right. After another km or so, you will reach another gas station, where you will continue straight and stay to the left. 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 our private ferry (a pick up from Pital or Boca Tapada may be able to coordinate 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 is 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: 60 ha (148 acres)
Altitude: about 200m above sea level
Telephone: + (506) 2479-8200 / 2479-7785
Fax: + (506) 2479-8219
Arenal Huetar Norte Conservation Area (ACA-HN) Telephone: +(506) 2460-0055
INFOTUR Tourist Information: 1192
Website: www.maquenqueecolodge.com
Click here to view directions from Juan Santamaria International Airport (SJO), Alajuela, Costa Rica TO Maquenque Wildlife Refuge in Alajuela, Costa Rica at Google Maps
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