A park created with a great purpose in 1989, the serene Guanacaste National Park serves to unify a region and educate visitors and residents alike.

Guanacaste National Park is home to the Orosi and Cacao Volcanoes, cloud forests and a surplus of plant and animal species. The park was established due to the efforts of one Dr. Daniel Janzen, and the ranchers that once populated the area have been transformed to suit the new purpose of the park. The park covers around 83,000 acres, and the highest point of the Orosi and Cacao volcanoes is 5,443 feet above sea level.

Guanacaste National Park is in a developed area and entrance to the park can be attained with some ease. Route number one of the Pan-American Highway divides Guanacaste National Park from Santa Rosa National Park, and links the two important ecological zones. You could choose to visit Santa Rosa one day, and then Guanacaste the next considering their proximity to one another. Santa Rosa National Park extends to the ocean front, whereas Guanacaste National Park is inland. In this way, the two parks offer up a great contrast in climate zones, ecosystems, wildlife and vegetation.

Of the myriad lifeforms found in Guancaste National Park, there are around 300 species of birds for the ornithologically inclined. Some of these birds include the guan, the goldfinch, the Montezuma Oropendola, the collared aracari, the king vulture, the spectacled owl, the three-wattled bellbird, the bare-necked umbrella bird, the magpie and the northern caracara. A few of the gravity bound animals of Guanacaste National Park consist of pacas, deer, jaguars, white-faced monkeys, howler monkeys, pumas, tapirs, coatis, peccaries, armadillos, tayras and two-toed sloths.

The plant life in Guanacaste National Park is as varied as the ecosystems that are supported in this area. Guanacaste is a somewhat drier province than most of the rest of the provinces of Costa Rica thus making it the habitat to plants more suited to the climate. There are around 3,000 species of plants in Guanacaste National Park. Some of these include the maria, the tempisque, the cork tree, the capulin, the calabash tree, the danto and the golden-fruit tree among many others.

What you may want to bring to Guanacaste National Park in Costa Rica might consist of binoculars, hiking boots, sunscreen, lots of bottled water, a camera and insect repellant. Camping is not allowed in most of the Guanacaste National Park area.

Location: Guanacaste National Park
Items to bring: binoculars, hiking boots, sunscreen, lots of bottled water, a camera, insect repellant
Species of fauna: pacas, deer, jaguars, white-faced monkeys, howler monkeys, pumas, tapirs, coatis, peccaries, armadillos, tayras and two-toed sloths, the guan, the goldfinch, the Montezuma Oropendola, the collared aracari, the king vulture, the spectacled owl, the three-wattled bellbird, the bare-necked umbrella bird, the magpie, the northern caracara
Species of flora: the maria, the tempisque, the cork tree, the capulin, the calabash tree, the danto, the golden-fruit tree
Cities nearby: Santa Cecilia, Dos Rios
Ways to get here: Rental Car, Private Shuttle, Taxi, Tour Bus