The Central Volcanic Cordillera Forest Reserve was created on June 26th, 1975, by Executive Decree No. 4961-A, in order to conserve and manage the hydrological and ecological potential that surrounds the National Parks Braulio Carrillo, Poas Volcano, Irazu Volcano and Turrialba Volcano, in the Central Volcanic Cordillera.
The objectives of its creation were based on the need to protect watersheds, to maintain hydropower production and to ensure safe handling and use of forest resources. In general, it should be noted that the Central Volcanic Cordillera Forest Reserve has an important hydrological network, as with the Braulio Carrillo National Park are the main recharge area that supplies water to the Central Valley and a considerable drainage network, which flows into the plains of the North Atlantic region of the country.
Originally the Central Volcanic Cordillera Forest Reserve comprising an area of 104.300 hectares, however, in the course of time was segregated and giving land to the Braulio Carrillo National Park among others, so that today covers 60.100 hectares. In fact, nowadays, this reserve is distributed by sectors surrounding the areas of Varablanca and Sacramento in Heredia, and the areas of Turrialba and Guápiles in Cartago and Limon.
Forests in this forest reserve are of extraordinary importance, not only for the protection they provide to the vast system of river basins that exists here, but also because it is a biological corridor that connects the Braulio Carrillo, Poas Volcano, Irazu Volcano and Turrialba Volcano National Parks. Two species characteristic of these forests are tree ferns (Cyathea fulva) and Poor Man Umbrellas (Gunnera insignis), with enormous size leaves. Some roads from Sacramento and Rancho Redondo let in a little bit in the southern part of this reserve.
The Central Volcanic Cordillera Forest Reserve has several life zones that correspond to tropical wet forest, montane rain forest, lower montane rain forest and montane rain forest. Thanks to this variety of life zones, the Central Volcanic Cordillera Forest Reserve has a vast collection of flora and fauna. It can be determine that 62% of the reserve is covered by forests, with a 3% in the process of recovery, while the area occupied by crops, grasses and trees covers approximately 14% of the reserve, such as the Aguacatillo (Persea caerulea), Oak (Quercus seemannii), Cedar (Cedrela salvadorensis), Cabbage Tree or Carne Asada (Andira inermis) and Cristobal (Guatteria oliviformis), Lengua de Diablo (Anthurium scherzerianum), Cacho de venado (Oreopanax standleyi) and Quina (Ladenbergia brenesii), among others. Similarly, the reserve has a variety of bromeliads, orchids, ferns, epiphytes and mosses.
Among the mammals that abound the reserve are the howler and white faced monkeys, tapirs, raccoons, sloths, porcupines, coatis, pacas, coyotes, peccaries, rabbits, foxes, squirrels, pocket gophers, juaguars, pumas, ocelots, margays and the jaguarundi. In addition, the Central Volcanic Cordillera Forest Reserve has some 500 species of resident and migratory birds, among which highlights the Resplendent Quetzal (Pharomachrus mocinno), Bare-necked Umbrellabird (Cephalopterus glabricollis), Black-crowned Antpitta (Pittasoma michleri), Golden-browed Chlorophonia (Chlorophonia callophrys), Long-tailed Silky-flycatcher (Ptilogonys caudatus), Flame-throated Warbler (Oreothlypis gutturalis), as well as variety of hummingbirds, toucans, eagles and parrots.
There are no public facilities at the Central Volcanic Cordillera Forest Reserve. Other nearby Costa Rica parks includes the Braulio  Carrillo National Park, Poas Volcano National Park, Turrialba Volcano National Park and Tapiria National Wildlife Refuge.
Getting to Central Volcanic Cordillera Forest Reserve:
To get to the Varablanca surrounds Sector, from San Jose, take the Pan-American Highway towards the Juan Santamaria International Airport and then take the Alajuela exit. Continue straight on this road for 19km (12 miles) following the signs for Poás Volcano. At the dead end three-way intersection, where you see Jaulares Restaurant, take a right. Proceed for 1 mile to the town of Poasito and make another right at the intersection where it says Heredia – Varablanca – Sarapiqui. Make a left at the gas station in Varablanca and proceed for 5km (3 miles). Driving time from San José is about 1.5 hours.
To get to the Sacramento surrounds Sector, from San Jose, drive through Heredia, then turn north and drive through Barva, San José de la Montaña, and Sacramento. Driving time from San José is about 1.5 hours.
To get to the Guapiles surrounds Sector, from the Juan Santamaria International Airport drive for about 8 km in direction to San Jose. On your right hand the Hospital Mexico will appear.After the Hospital Mexico, you must take the exit to La Uruca (on the rotonda, the third exit). Turn right at the traffic lights and follow to San José (keep the middle lane as much as possible) until you get to Shell gas station at a Y-junction, keep left. Take the exit Guapiles-Limon and follow the road (nr. 32) to Limón, passing through the Zurqui bridge and the Braulio Carrillo mountains. It is likely that you will encounter fog and rain. Please drive with your lights on. After the mountains the road to Limon is practically straight with no hills.. Driving time from San José is about 3 hours.
To get to the Turrialba surrounds Sector, from San Jose, drive to Cartago and continue on Highway 10 following signs to Turrialba, which is about 40 km west of Cartago. Pass through the towns of Paraiso, Cervantes and Juan Viñas. Driving time from San José is about 3 hours.
Location: in Heredia, Cartago and Limon provinces, Costa Rica.
Varablanca GPS Coordinates: 10.168117, -84.156164 (10°10’5.22″N, 84°09’22.19″O)
Sacramento GPS Coordinates: 10.109086, -84.123036 (10°06’32.71″N, 84°07’22.93″O)
Guapiles GPS Coordinates: 10.202261, -83.795883 (10°12’8.14″N, 83°47’45.18″O)
Turrialba GPS Coordinates: 9.905747, -83.683928 (9°54’20.69″N, 83°41’2.14″O)
Size: 60,100 ha (150,000 acres)
Altitude: from 450m to 1,800m (1,480ft to 5,900ft) above sea level
Central Volcanic Cordillera Conservation Area (ACCVC) Telephone: +(506) 2268-8087/2268-9150
INFOTUR Tourist Information: 1192
Click here to view directions from Juan Santamaria International Airport (SJO), Alajuela, Costa Rica TO Central Volcanic Cordillera Forest Reserve in Heredia, Cartago and Limon, Costa Rica at Google Maps
The Barbilla National Park was created first as a biological reserve on March 16th 1982, to protect forests and wet tropical lowland rainforests of the Caribbean slope of the Talamanca Mountain Range, declared a national park on January 14th, 1998. Its part of the Talamanca – La Amistad Biosphere Reserve declared by UNESCO in 1982 in order to  protect important ecological systems in the country.
The park is also home to the Cabécar, the second largest indigenous group in Costa Rica, which has a rich culture and history. Their main livelihood is hunting and fishing, along with the planting of bananas, yucca and grains. In fact, it is located next to the Chirripo Indigenous Reservation, which continues to give the traditional modest existence.
The main objective of the Barbilla National Park is to provide protection for a large area of Tropical Rain Forest in pristine condition, where there is a great diversity, due to its physiographic and climatic characteristics, as well as suitable conditions for the establishment of a wide number of flora and fauna such as pumas, jaguars, ocelots, tolomucos (Eira barbara), tapirs, monkeys and lots of bird species, many of them endangered. Rare species of birds like the heron can also be observed here, making the park popular for birdwatchers.
The park also protects Dantas River Basin, the Dos Ramas Sector, Ayil Lagoon and Cerro Tigre, being its highest point. The Barbilla National Park is almost entirely covered in lowland tropical rainforest comprising species such as the banak (Virola sebifera) and the palm (Astrocaryum alatum).
The area is very wet with a large number of rivers which rise there and flow into the Pacuare River, sheltering a large primary tropical wet forest and tropical very wet forest, making the park’s territory an important water resource of vital interest to supply potable water to neighboring communities and animals.
This is one of the least visited of Costa Rica’s national parks, therefore, has the distinction of being both relatively intact and ecologically rich. Rugged hiking trails roughly following the Dantas and Barbilla rivers are the main attraction in the park. The area is very ravine with rain fall averages of 3,500 mm to 4,00 mm anually (140in to 180in), which makes it necessary to maintain the forest cover to prevent the rapid erosion caused by heavy rains.
The Park has the Barbilla Biological Station administered by the National Biodiversity Institute, as well as an administrative building with potable water, sanitary services, electricity and a system of radio communication, located in Brisas de Pacuarito town, which research efforts are focused on classification of species and insect parataxonomy.
Located some 20 kilometers from the city of Siquirres, the park is difficult to access. For this reason, and because necessary facilities are not available, visits are only recommended for those  accustomed to hiking under this conditions and should be led by local guides. Other nearby parks include Pacuare River Forest Reserve and La Amistad International Park.
Getting to Barbilla National Park:
From San Jose take the Guapiles-Limon road (road #32), passing through the Zurqui tunnel and the Braulio Carrillo mountains. It is likely that you will encounter fog and rain. Please drive with your lights on. After the mountains the road to Limon is practically straight with no hills. Take the Siquirres turn-off. The main entrance is located 3 km (2 miles) from the city of Siquirres. After turning off the highway, follow a rough dirt road for 17 km (10 miles) to the town of Brisas de Pacuarito. A 4 wheel drive vehicle is recommended. The park has very few services, with limited navigational road signs, and it is advised to bring a local guide with you.
Please note that if you have not left San Jose by 2 pm you will be driving part of the way at night. We do not recommend this for first time travelers driving in Costa Rica. Roads do not have lines, and rain can be bad and there are potholes and people walking/cycling that you might not see very well.
By bus
Take a bus from the route San Jose – Siquirres, which takes about 1.5 hours (Transportes Caribeños, 2222-0610 / 2221-7990 / 2768-9484). From here you can rent a car and drive or take a taxi to Barbilla National Park, which is about 20 minutes.
By plane:
You can also take a flight from the Juan Santamaria Airport to the Siquirres or Barra del Parismina airports, either with Sansa, TravelAir or Nature Air airlines, all with daily flights. From here you can rent a car and drive or take a taxi to Barbilla National Park, which takes about 15 minutes.
Location: 20 km (13 miles) from the city of Siquirres, in Brisas de Pacuarito town, in the limit between the provinces of Cartago and Limón, Costa Rica.
Siquirres GPS Coordinates: 10.09475,-83.510267 (10°05’41.10″N, 83°30’36.96″W)
Size: 11,994 ha (29,500 acres)
Altitude: from 110 m to 1,617 m (5,300in) at Cerro Tigre
Schedule: from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Subregional office of the Area of Conservation in Siquirres Telephone: 2768-8603
Caribbean La Amistad Conservation Area (ACLA-C) Telephone: +(506) 2795-1446
INFOTUR Tourist Information: 1192
Click here to view directions from Juan Santamaria International Airport (SJO), Alajuela, Costa Rica TO Brisas de Pacuarito (limit between Cartago and Limón), Costa Rica at Google Maps
The Hitoy Cerere Biological Reserve was created on April 27th, 1978 and since then protects more than 40 species, including endangered species between the hills of the Talamanca mountain range on the Caribbean Brunca region, such as the silk anteater, ocelots and peccaries. Approximately 60km (37 miles) south of Limón in the Estrella Valley, between the Estrella and Telire Rivers is located in the Talamanca mountain range the Hitoy-Cerere Biological Reserve, surrounded by many indigenous reserves like Tayni, Telire and Talamanca, one of the least visited parks in Costa Rica, largely due to its extreme inaccessibility. This reserve protects a remote and pretty  unexplored area of rain forest. This area belongs to La Amistad Caribbean Conservation Area of the Minister of Environment and Energy, which was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1993.
The reserve has a humid tropical and a premountain pluvial forest. Just getting to the Hitoy-Cerere Reserve can make for an interesting all-day adventure, its rugged terrain and the uneven terrain combined with the heavy rainfall – an outstanding 4000mm (158in) a year with no dry season – make this park somewhat difficult to deal and will deter all but the most enthusiastic naturalist. One of the best ways of getting into the reserve is to walk the river beds upstream. This is also a good way to be able to sight the prominently patterned Sunbittern, a bird that frequents the tropical streams.
The name refers to the primary river basins, the Hitoy and the Cerere Rivers, which comes from the Bribrí language, hitoy meaning “moss-covered” and cerere referring to “clear waters”. The habitat is dense tropical rainforest, with all trees, dripping with epiphytes, bromeliads, orchids and lianas.
This is one of the best areas of Costa Rica to see large wild cats, as there is a great abundance of mammalian fauna including white-faced and howler monkeys, jaguars, tapirs, peccaries, rabbits, anteaters, sloths, pacas, deers, agoutis and armadillos. Also, there are over 300 species of birds and more than 30 species of amphibians and 30 reptiles. A big attractive of this reserve are the frogs and toads, which include the poison dark frog colored like the Dendrobates species. Other species are the cherepos, gallegos, chirbalas and many snakes. The invertebrates that live in this reserve are the bullet and leaf-cut army ants, huge dragonflies, red butterflies, metal colored bees and beetles. Also you can find spiders in every hide corner, but must be prepared to work for it; here the trails are poorly maintained and the uphills are difficult. The road to the reserve reveals vegetation like herpetecanthus stenophyllus, ticodendron  incognitum and trees full of the colonial nests of Montezuma and Chestnut-headed Oropendolas, large members of the oriole family with bright yellow tails, can be found nesting in the valley from January to August. Nest trees are easy to spot since they sport dozens of meter-long hanging pouch nests that the birds so expertly weave. Also there are big forest trees which make the canopy function. These trees are javillos, espavels, aguacatillos, ojoches and guayabones. More than 380 species of plants are known but this number grows more each day.
In the forest you are able to see the outstanding Squirrel Cuckoo, toucans and parrots. This is also one of the last strongholds of the extremely endangered Harpy Eagle. There are few facilities at the reserve, but there are a few trails; these, however, are very challenging and only for the experienced tropical hiker. North of Hitoy-Cerere is Selva Bananito, a 2,350 acre (950 ha) reserve adjacent to a neighboring cattle ranch. A four-wheel drive vehicle is necessary to navigate the dirt roads that lead to the reserve, but the park can also be reached by foot and horseback.
If you’re an intrepid trekker and know how to take care of yourself in the jungle, this is an exceptional opportunity to experience uncharted territory filled with pristine waterfalls, lush vegetation and hundreds of species of animals that haven’t even been recorded by biologists yet.
Undeveloped and virtually unexplored, the Hitoy Cerere is only for the most adventurous and fit hikers, this biological reserve is one of the most remote territories in the eastern portion of the country. In fact, there are several unexplored portions along the upper Talamanca Mountains. There is a ranger station at the entrance, but no other facilities exist. Other nearby parks include Cahuita National Park, Gandoca Manzanillo National Wildlife Refuge and Aviarios del Caribe National Wildlife Refuge.
Getting to Hitoy-Cerere Biological Reserve:
From the Juan Santamaria International Airport drive for about 8 km in direction to San Jose. On your right hand the Hospital Mexico will appear. After the Hospital Mexico, you must take the exit to La Uruca (on the rotonda, the third exit). Turn right at the traffic lights and follow signs to San José (keep in the middle lane as much as possible) until you get to a Shell gas station at a Y-junction, where you will turn left. Take the exit Guapiles-Limon and follow the road (route #32) to Limón, passing through the Zurqui bridge and the Braulio Carrillo mountains. It is likely that you will encounter fog and rain. Please drive with your lights on. After the mountains the road to Limon is practically straight with no hills.
When you reach Puerto Limon, just before you enter the city you will see a sign (at the Texaco Station) where you turn right and go to Cahuita and Puerto Viejo and then turn right to La Estrella Valley. The reserve is about 40 miles southwest of Limón, and about an hour and a half from Cahuita. This route requires a total of six hours from San Jose.
Please note that if you have not left San Jose by 2 pm you will be driving part of the way at night. We do not recommend this for first time travelers driving in Costa Rica. Roads may not be well marked, and rain can be bad and there are potholes and people walking/cycling that you may not be able to see very well.
By bus
Take a bus from the route San Jose – Cahuita National Park – Puerto Viejo, which takes 3.5 hours (Transportes Caribeños, 2257-8129). We recommend buying the ticket a day earlier to be sure your seat is saved.
By plane:
You can also take a flight between the Juan Santamaria and the Limon airports, either with Sansa, TravelAir or Nature Air airlines, all with daily flights. From here you can rent a car and drive or take a taxi to Hitoy-Cerere Biological Reserve, which is about 1.5 hours.
Location: 60km (37 miles) south of Puerto Limón, Valle La Estrella, Limon, Costa Rica. Zone postal code: 70102
GPS Coordinates: 9.667625,-83.003381 (9°40’03.45″N, 83°00’12.17″W)
Size: 9154 ha (22,620 acres)
Altitude: 150m (430ft) rising to 1000m (3280ft)
Caribbean La Amistad Conservation Area (ACLA-C) Telephone: +(506) 2795-1446
INFOTUR Tourist Information: 1192
Click here to view directions from Juan Santamaria International Airport (SJO), Alajuela, Costa Rica TO La Estrella Valley, Limon, Costa Rica at Google Maps
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