Costa Rica's Portalon National Wildlife Refuge
Located in the central Pacific
| Location: | Puntarenas province, 20 kilometers (13 miles) south of Manuel Antonio National Park. |
| GPS Coordinates: | 9°21’15.59N, 83°5847.84”W |
| Area size: | 408 hectares (1,025 acres) |
The Portalon Wildlife Refuge was established on May 27, 1996, to conserve tropical forest regions along Costa Rica's Pacific coast. The Manuel Antonio National Park and the Marino Ballena National Park are also close to the Refuge. It's only a 25-minute drive from the Manuel Antonio/Quepos airport or the Dominical beach.
Matapalo Beach, the most gorgeous beach in the southern zone, is about 10 minutes away. It comprises of a beach, remnants of mountain forest running along to the coast, and mangrove that connects to the Savegre River's huge mangrove forest. Large trees such as the Red Mangrove (Rhizophora mangle), which may grow up to 40 meters tall, can be found in the marsh, and are frequently visited by the Roseate Spoonbill and Chocuaco or Boat-billed Heron. Leatherback turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) and Olive Ridley turtles both lay their eggs on the sand (Lepidochelys olivacea).
The Portalon national wildlife refuge has no public park infrastructure, despite the fact that the Costanera Sur route passes through it.
Portalon national wildlife refuge costa-rica, how to Get There
It's a four-hour trip from San Jose, along the Pan-American Roadway west to the Atenas exit, and then over the mountains via an old highway to the town of Orotina, where you'll rejoin a more modern highway. Take the Jaco exit and continue down the coast to Quepos. Follow the signs to the airport and Dominical in Quepos. The road turns into a gravel road. Follow this for approximately 20 kilometers. You'll pass through a few small towns and cross the Savegre River. Before arriving at Portalon, you will travel through the settlement of Pasito after crossing the river. There are also daily SANSA flights from San Jose to Quepos, which take around 20 minutes. You can also take the new Caldera Freeway, which includes a Jaco exit. You can also take the new Caldera Expressway, which includes also the Jaco junction.