Lush and beautiful: Carara National Park

Posted December 20, 2022

Located right in between San Jose and Puntarenas you will find a gorgeous (and not very well-know) Carara National Park.

Carara is a unique National Park which is known for having some of the most intense and lush flora and fauna in the country. Its wildlife is so dense that it really stands out from the rest of the National Parks in the country.

The park is located smack in between the Amazonian and Mesoamerican habitat, which is one of the main reasons why its habitat is such a truly amazing place. Both habitats combined into one which is why the National Park is so amazingly lush and vibrant.

The Tarcoles River surrounds the northern part of the park and it is inhabited with some of the most enormous crocodiles year round. The area used to belong to the Huetar tribe, which is the reason why the park is named Carara (translates into crocodile).

: Carara National Park, wildlife

: Carara National Park, View

: Carara National Park, crocodile

Although both tourists and locals tend to visit more popular National Parks such as Manuel Antonio, Carara contains more primary rainforest and fauna that most National Parks in the country.

Because of this reason, Carara is one of the most spectacular places for bird watching. If you are a fan, Carara National Park is the best to spot and capture some of the most gorgeous birds. Also you will be able to check out other kinds of wildlife such as white-face monkeys, toucans, parrots, anteaters and poison-arrow frogs. One of the coolest features about the park, is that it serves as a home for thousands of scarlet macaws which is one of Costa Rica’s favorite animals.

You can most definitely hike through the park. There are actually two different trails you can explore. The smallest one is 1 km long and the second is about 4.5 km long. Take into account that the long trail is usually closed during the rainy season due to over flooding.

Both trails and amazingly gorgeous and totally worthwhile visiting!

Carara National Park is just off the 27th Highway (road to Caldera). The highway has been recently built so you may access it with either a compact car or an SUV.

If you’re looking for car hire services in Puntarenas, contact us at Solid Car Rental Costa Rica for information on our rates and services.