If you are traveling to Costa Rica, don't miss a visit to Carara National Park. The park is located near Orotina, on the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica. It's well worth a visit for many reasons. One reason is its accessibility: The park is just 45 minutes from San Jose and right on the main road leading to the coast. Another reason for visiting Carara is that it has a vast range of wildlife because it occupies a transition zone between tropical moist forest and tropical dry forest and has species from both habitats.

What to expect at the Carara Biological Reserve?

Carara National Park, part of the Tempisque Conservation Area, is home to many small villages—including Carara itself. The name “Carara” comes from the indigenous language and means “river of crocodiles.” The park has many archaeological sites from the pre-Columbian periods. These include burial sites of people who were important in their communities. A visit to Carara will be very rewarding for anyone interested in tropical biology and ecology, especially birds; Carara is one of the best places in Costa Rica to observe them.

History of Carara National Park

When Carara National Park first opened in 1978, it was a biological reserve. But with the growth in tourism traffic, the government decided to upgrade the park to full national park status in 1998. This was a wise choice because Carara is now one of Costa Rica's most treasured destinations. In fact, Carara used to be part of a huge cattle ranch called El Coyolar. The ranch was bought by the Costa Rican Land Reform Agency in 1970 and divided into small farms for landless peasants. Fortunately, they had the foresight to pass on this forested area to the National Park Service (which became responsible for it) before they sold off the rest of El Coyolar as pastureland for livestock.

Tips when visiting Carara National Park

Be prepared for hot, humid weather when visiting the forests of Carara. Although there is less rain from December through April, the humidity remains high due to transpiration. Mosquito repellent is strongly recommended. The wettest months are August to October and trails may flood during this time. Camping is not allowed at Carara National Park.

The best time to visit Carara National Park is from December to April when it's not rainy or hot, but still warm enough for walking around. Carara is 3km (1.8 miles) south of the bridge along the coastal highway, and there's a ranger station where you can arrange tours. Guides are highly recommended, especially if you're looking for birds.

If you're visiting the Reserva Natural Tárcoles, take some time to stop at the nearby Tárcoles River Bridge. This is possibly the best place in Costa Rica to see crocodiles – both the endangered American Crocodile and the Caiman. You might also see large numbers of these fearsome reptiles lounging on the tidal mud flats at certain times of the day.

Things to do in Carara national park

Carara biological reserve hike

Stop in Carara for a quick hike on your way up or down the Pacific coast. If you are going to or from Slothful Beach Bumming, take a few hours to explore one of the trails. You'll be glad you did.

Carara National Park has two hiking trails. The 2.7 miles (4.5 km) Laguna Meandrica trail parallels the Río Grande de Tárcoles and has short branches to the laguna and marshes. This trail is closed in the heart of the rainy season (about late August to mid-November) because it’s often covered by several feet of water when the river floods. The short (0.6 miles, 1 km) Araceas Nature trail is a loop that starts and ends at the main Quebrada Bonita ranger station.

Parking at the trail heads and even at the ranger station can be a problem.  There are no clear-cut rules about parking, so if you leave any valuables in your car, odds are pretty good that an opportunistic petty thief will grab them and be miles down the road before you return.

Bird Watching and Wildlife

Carara National Park is popular with bird watchers for several reasons besides its ease of access. The park's location in a transition zone between habitats means that residents of both environments are likely to appear. The Río Grande de Tárcoles has free-flowing sections and its waters seep into seasonal marshlands and a shallow oxbow lake covered with hyacinths further expanding the number of distinct local habitats to nearly a dozen. Finally, because it is slightly dryer and not all of the trees are evergreen, Carara is more open than the rainforests further south making wildlife spotting easier.

What Wild - and Birdlife you can spot in Carara NP

Carara National Park is home to the Scarlet Macaw, the park’s symbol and an endangered species. About 200 couples live there and breed freely, making it the second-highest concentration of birds in the country.

Carara National Park has a number of mammals, including anteaters, agouties or pacas, tayras, three and two-toed sloths, kinkajous, collared peccaries, coatis, raccoons, armadillos, white-tailed deers, opossums and monkeys – howler and capuchin monkeys – margays and ocelots. It is also the home of 19 species of poison dart frogs and records 22 poisonous snakes. The birds are the main attraction here though – most notably the Scarlet Macaw which breeds in the park. Other bird attractions include various toucans and trogons while along the riverside stretch egrets and herons can be spotted including the strange Boat-billed Heron plus Anhinga (American Egret), Collared Aracari (Fiery-billed Aracari), American White Pelicans (Great Tinamou), Turkey vultures (Long-billed Gnatwren) and Chestnut-backed Antbird.