RSSThe national parks of Costa Rica, covering about 14 percent of the national territory, are home to a rich and diverse flora and fauna. About 9,000 different kinds of flowering plants are found in this country including more than thousand species of orchids. Over 800 species of birds can be observed here while wildlife includes more than 300 kinds of reptiles and amphibians, about 2,000 species of butterflies, at least 4,500 different types of moths, and over 200 species of mammals.
The country's forests with giant towering tropical trees and the canopies hold an impressive collection of vegetation and wildlife. There are three kinds of forests founding Costa Rica, the rainforests, cloud and dry forests. Rain forests are found in the Atlantic lowlands and the southwest while the northwest is dominated by the tropical dry forest. Cloud forests, which cover the upper slopes of most mountains and volcanoes, are the most luxuriant of the tropical forests, with mosses and other small plants covering the trunks and branches of trees.
These parks encompassing varied and complex ecosystems and preserving the bio-diversity of the nation are ideal for hiking and observing wildlife while some of these are also excellent for skin diving, spelunking, surfing and other outdoor activities. Admission to any national park costs around US $5.
Arenal National Park
This national park, created in 1991, covers an area of nearly 3,000 hectares. The active Arenal Volcano is the main attraction of this park with a promising chance of seeing it in action when you visit. You can see the volcano erupt, throwing out incandescent rocks and ash. Arenal does not produce lava in a liquid form, all of its previous lava flows have been chunky, boulder type. There is substantial vegetation and interesting wildlife in the park, although the eruptions do cause problems. Arenal's eruption in the beginning of May 1998 produced a major lava flow and one side of the crater lip also collapsed. Some tourist resorts and nearby towns were evacuated for a couple of days but no one was hurt, however many tourists carried home many exciting photos. The active and threatening state of the Arenal has evoked a government recommendation to observe the volcano from a distance.
Ballena National Marine Park
Ballena National Marine Park is located south of Dominical on the Pacific side between Uvita Point and Piñuela Point in Osa and is around 200 kms from San Jose. This park is a reserve for a coral reef in the rich, clear waters of the Pacific. These reefs are quite porous, with some 50% of their volume being filled with water, channels and cavities, making them ideal to shelter the fish. The park also includes various sandy and rocky beach areas, little islands, rocky cliffs, and the Punta Uvita blowhole. Common and bottlenose dolphins can be seen from the shore and you may also see some migrating humpback whales. Ballena Island is an important roosting spot for plenty of seabirds including frigatebirds, brown pelicans and white ibis. The mangroves in the coastal sector also attract several birds. Boat trips and accommodation can be arranged in Uvita and Dominical.
