The Palo Verde National Park is formed pour an assembly of diverse habitats of plain, delimited by rivers and a row of calcareous hills.

This area is holds to seasonal floods of great magnitude.  During the rainy station and owed al little drainage narural that has the plain, the area is flooded for effect of the action combined of the rain, the tides and the overflows of the rivers Tempisque and Drinkable.  In some occasions, all the zone becomes an immense gap.

The corrals and the old present buildings, they are a reflection of the life of the sabanero bajureño and they constitute a very important element in the cultural heritage of the old one Guanacaste.

Green stick is one of the places of greater ecological diversity of the country; approximately they exist 15 hábitats that are created for the topography, the conditions edáficas, including the drainage, the high current of the rivers and the effect of the tides.

Among these habitats they are found lagoons and freshwater and brackish swamps, the high grass with mangrove balance, the mangrove swamps, the pasturelands with chumico of stick or raspaguacal, the forests achaparrados of coastal fishing, the mixed forests deciduos of woodlands, the forests flooded and the forests always green.

One of the species more conspicuous and that gives name al place is the Palo Verde, a bush of leaves, branches and part of the trunk of light green color, that is found so much in the swamps as in other habitats.  Among the largest trees they are the espavel, the ciba, the pochote, the ron-ron, the cibo potbellied, the gayabón, the javillo, the cocobolo, the medlar and the Panama.  In the swamps species of aquatic plants can be observed like the tifa, the trista, the grass gamalote and the platanilla.

In the scolinas the cardones abound, endemic species for Costa Rica, the real lignum vitae exists also, tree of precious wood in serious danger of extinction.

The natural hydrologic system of GREEN Stick creates the conditions adequate so that be produced in the zone, the most important concentration of the country and of Central America of water birds and vadeadoras, so much resident as migratory.

From September to March, thousands of herons, waiters, egrets, zambullidores, íbises, ducks and gallitos of water they concentrate on the laguans and neighboring areas to be fed and to be reproduced.

The so much aquatic as terrestrial birds observed, they add 279 species, although this number would be able to rise to 300, since al except other 40 species, they have been observed in neighboring places.  The Island Birds, of 2.3 hectares located front al park, is of extraordinary importance by having the largest colony of the country, of the heron coroninegro and by being an area of anidación for the ibis morito, the duck needle, the pink heron, the waiter, the real heron and the little egret bueyera.

In the park, nests the gallant one without fortune, species in danger of extinction and subsists the only population of red limpets of the Pacific Dry.

Some of the most abundant mammals are the cute congo, the cute carablanca, the coatimundis, the deer, the red squirrels, the puercoespines and the coyotes.  In the Tempisque crocodiles have been observed of to five meters of long.

Is the most important area of all the western half of the Caribbean, for the spawning of the green tortoise.  Other species of marine tortoises that also spawn in the beach are the tortoise baula and the tortoiseshell.

The park is crossed for a sytem natural of gaps and navigable channels of great scenic beauty and they are the terrestrial tortoises species habitat, of the manatee or marine cow, of the crocodile, of great diversity of crustaceans and of some 52 species of freshwater fish, including the fish gaspar.

It was created to protect the flora and fauna of this region, as well as for facilitate investigations, scientific studies and to favor the environmental education.

Three zones of life exist: very humid tropical forest, forest mountaineer humid transition to basal and the humid tropical forest.  It includes eight types of greater associations (trees, bushes and herbs) and three smaller associations (herbs in its greater part).

The coastal vegetation with predominance of grasses, the humid forest with abundance of strata and vertical, sotobosque dense and various characterized by ferns, the palm white and several species of anonáceas, forests on hills, the yolillales, constituted mainly by the palm yolillo and located in the central sector of the park, herbaceous swamps formed by herbaceous plants of haste 2 meters of height and herbaceous communities on gaps with floating vegetation The choreja or lily of water; they are some of the most outstanding vegetable associations of the park.

Tortuguero is one of the rainiest zones of the country, between 5.000 and 6.000 mm al year.  Two types of rain can be distinguished: the local rainstorms of short term that are the most frequent, and the characteristic temporary of the Caribbean that are prolonged to 15 days.  These last they are caused by the winds of north and northwest.

The most characteristic species of flora are: the male cedar, the hawk, the pillar, the javillo black, the golden fruit, the manú, the maría, the camphor, the canfín, the cativo, the palm yolillo, the palm suita, the real palm and the choreja or lily of water.  The choreja forms at times so compact masses that can impede the navigation.

The fauna is rich and diverse.  Among the most outstanding one we find the tapir, the jaguar, the manigordo, the saíno, the cute congo, the cute one carablanca, the red monkey or spider, the lazy one, the tepescuinte, the coatimundi, the raccoon, hammers it, the otter, the tolomuco, the bat fisherman that is one of the largest of the country and is fed of fish that captures with its strong legs and nails when flies over on the surface of the Frog calf, the frog of glass reticulada whose internal organs are seen bias of its transparent skin; the poisonous frog or sapito red, whose skin is toxic.

Some of the birds protected they are the green limpet, species in danger of extinction, the peacock, the zopilote cabecirrojo, the hawk cangrejero, the trogón violáceo and the golden oriole of montezuma.  Besides, of the tortoise baula, the tortoiseshell and the green tortoise; the tortoise black turtle, is very common in the channels from Moín to Torguguero.

It conserves one of the samples of most important humid zones of our territory, considered of international importance by serving of shelter to great quantity of migratory species, species in v’ ace of extinciópn and species of imporancia commercial.

The gap of Caño Negro is a lake somero freshwater with an extension of 800 Has. and a desagëe of stagnant water of the adjacent Cold river and its tributary the river Mónica.

The area that understands the gap and its outskirts constitutye one of the most diverse biological areas and of vital importance for the maintenance of the environmental quality in the northern part of the country.

Besides, the area constitutes a habitat with great flora species variety and fauna and natural communities, many of them unique or in danger of extinction that do of the area a place of international importance, therefore they constitute, along with the humid zones al south of the Lake of Nicaragua, one of the smuestras of more outstanding humid zone of Mesoamerica.

This Refuge is source of alimenteo for north migratory birds.  Species of plants exist and animal that are found us in other parts of country, great abundance of birds and fish for the human consumption and is one of the few parts where the fish needle is found or gaspar.

It was created by the Law Not. 5398, of October 23, 1973.  Counts on an extension of 14.083.9 hectares.

One of the large benefits of this wild area is the protection of hydro graphic basins.  In this park exite probably, the greater population in wild state of the guaria morada (Costa Rica National Flower), the national flower.  It has great tourist potential due to the attractions that possesses, specifically the scenic beauty and the geological characteristics.

The solid one of the Corner of the old woman, of 1.916 meters of the altitude, is a composed structure.  In the top identifying nine eruptive points they have themselves, one assets and the inactive remainders or in process of degradation.  Toward the south of the crater, a gap of pure water is found.

The last period eruptive fort, with launch of large clouds of ash and production of earthquakes and subterranean noises, occurred between 1966 and 1970.  The most recent eruptions occurred in 1983, 1984 and 1991.  Currently, the Corner of the old woman presents activity fumarólica.

Al foot of the volcano, of the south side, are the called areas The Pans and The Hornillas, that cover a surface of some 50 has.  Hot springs exist here, that give rise to fractions of very hot water; gaps solfatáricas busy by small depressions in which the muddy water bubbles continuously, orifices by where are elevated steam jets, particularly during the rainy station, and volcancitos of mud in forms and very various dimensions.

The Rincón de la Vieja presents diverse hábitats due to the differences in altitude and in haste, al effect of the volcanic eruptions and al type of side.  In the lowest parts, some of the most common trees they are: the laurel, the guanacaste, the olive tree, the ardillo, the Indian naked, the bitter cedar and the capulín white.

In the intermediate parts of the solid one, between 1200 and 1400 m.s.n.m., the most abundant trees are: the copey, the jelled, the jícaro danto, the papayillo, the burío mouse, the yos, the iguano, the oak tree, the kills-people and the white cypress.

Of the 1400 meters until near the top, the forests are of low height and the trees are shown very ramified and covered with mosses and bulls epífitas.  The most common species here are: the copyey, the papayillo, the crepe.  The top of the volcano is cover by ash and presents little vegetation, some of the present plants they are the copey and the sombrilla of poor.

The copey is found at times adorning almost pure forests; there the cats, the tapirs, the gongolonas and the black turkeys are very numerous.

In the park 257 species of birds have been observed: the calandría, the peacock, the goldfinch, the golden oriole of Montezuma, the swallow river dweller, the tucancillo or curré green, the red widow, the hummingbird colidorado, the oropopo or owl of eyeglasses, the parrot frentiblanca and the guaco.

Some of the mammals they are: the goat of mount, the saíno, the guatuza, the tolomuco, the armadillo, the anteater, the perzoso of two fingers and the cute congo, carablanca and red.  The insects are very abundant, the beautiful butterflies excel morfo of the ones that four species exist.

The National Park Manuel Antonio is a small biological island, inside an area submitted to different activities as the agriculture, the stockbreeding and a high tourist development.  It splits of the forest is found in process of regeneration, since in the past was object of a selective extraction of timber-yielding trees.

It is one of the national parks of greater scenic beauty of the country.  It is the wild area that receives greater quantity of national tourism and international.  Another important attraction is the humid tropical forest where they inhabit species of flora and fauna in danger of extinction, like the tití monkey.

A characteristic geomorphologic to emphasize is Tip Cathedral.  In the past was an island and due to the accumulation of sediments, joined with the continental mass, forming a girdle sandy call “tómbolo”.

The park is situated in a region of great haste and of high temperatures.  The average of annual haste is of 3.875 mm.  The dry months are January, February and March; the rainiest are August, September and October.

The National Park Manuel Antonio is found in the tropical very humid forest life zone.  He protects patches of primary forest, secondary forest, mangrove swamp, vegetation of beach and marine environments.

The most characteristic species of flora inside the primary forest are the guácimo red, the pillar, the cedar maría, the guapinol, the surá, the guapinol black, timber-yielding tree in danger of extinction; the milky one, the tassel, the cenízaro and the kapok tree.  In the secondary forest, that covers old areas of cultivation and patoreo, the most common species are the raft, the comb of monkey, the trumpetwood, the guácimo, the capulín white and the garocho.  The mangrove swamp that covers approximately 18 hectares, is constituted pair rtres species: red mangrove, botoncillo and ladybug.

In the vegetation of beach exceed him the manzanillo, tree that possesses a substance papaya and poisonous fruits, the almond tree, the oak tree savannah and the coconut.

The fauna is various, distinguished 109 species of mammals they have themselves and 184 of birds.  Among the most outstanding, we find the raccoon, the coatimundi, the blonde one, the lazy one of two fingers, the lazy one of three fingers, the cute one carablanca, the cute congo and the cute one tití, subespecie endemic of the park and that is found in danger of extinction, due to the destruction of its habitat and its utilization as pet.

In the area is also frequent to observe species of birds as the tucancillo, the pelican or buchón, the guaco, the hawk fisherman, the kingfisher green and the gallito of water.  It is possible to observe iguanas and iguanas, snakes and infinity of insects.

The main environmental problems of the park the deficient planning of the tourist development in the outskirts constitutes it, causing an affluence of massive visitors al area and contamination al sea.  On the other hand, the monocultures to great scale deteriorate the floor and they produce sedimentation in the sea.  The trash and the diet of the wild animals on the part of the visitors are other problems that confront the area.

Three programs of management of the park exist.  The Program of Environmental Education whose objective is to contribute al development of a conscience environmentalist among the inhabitants of the neighboring communities al park.

The Program of Protection, which intends to maintain al most minimum level the biological and physical alterations of human origin in the park; to offer protection al visiting and personal and to watch for the fulfillment of the laws of conservation in force.

Finally, the Program of Administration, which participates to the local communities and to the private and public agencies in the planning and development of the area.

It was created by Executive Decree Not. 1236-A, of the 7 of setiembre, 1970, (with the name of National Monument Cahuita).

Counts on an area of 1,067.9 hectares in the terrestrial part and 22.400 hectares in the marine part.

Cahuita is located in the zone Basal Tropical of the Atlantic Region of Costa Rica and can be told that no other wild area of the country protects the resources of plants and present animals in said region.  The park was created to protect the flora and the terrestrial fauna, the coral reefs and various marine ecosystems.  Is one of the areas of greater scenic beauty of the country by its beaches of white sand, its thousands of coconut palms, its sea of blue color turquoise and its coral reef.

According to the life zones classification of Holdridge, the park is found inside the Humid Tropical Forest life zone.  The park possesses various hábitats important as they are the marshy forest with species of cativo, the sangregao and the golden fruit; the mixed forest done not flood with species of guaitíl, the jorco and the match; the mangrove swamp, with predominance of the red mangrove; and the coastal vegetation, with abundance of coconut palms and papaturros.

The coral reef occupies an extension of 600 hectares and extends in the shape of fan set against Tip Cahuita, among the Lazy river and Port Vargas.  It splits of the platform arrecifal is found submerged until some 11 meters above sea level.

According to studies carried out after the earthquake of April 22, 1991, the platform arrecifal emerged approximately 1 meter.  Is the most developed reef in the coast of the costa rican Caribbean.  Among the most characteristic species of choir the moose horn choir is found, the cerebriformes, the Poritis poritis, the Montastrea cavernous of great size and the Poritis divaricata.  Besides, the fans of sea, the hedgehogs and infinity of goldfish and very various sizes.

The reign angel fish is without doubt one of the most beautiful of the reef.  Nevertheless, other very attractive species exist like are the fish French angel, the isabelita and the fish blue parrot.  Other species that have its habitat here are the fish barracuda, the hindrance, the blanket lines, 3 species of tiburones, the dark, the hedgehogs, the cucumber of sea that comes measure to 30 cm of length, the lobster, the sponge, the cambute, the white shrimp, the green tortoise and the tortoise tortoiseshell.  In the reef of Cahuita, identifying 35 species of choirs they have themselves, 140 of mollusks, 44 of crustaceans, 128 of algae and 123 of fish.  The marine resources protected here, they are found in a process of deterioration caused by the great quantity of sediments and contamination by agrochemicals, that drags the laughed The Star and that are placed for the marine currents on the coral reef.

They are common inside the terrestrial fauna the cute congo, the cute one carablanca, the raccoon, the lazy one, the otter and the coatimundi, al the same as several marshy forest birds species, as the green ibis, the kingfisher verdirrojizo, the nocturnal heron and the chocuaco.

The Irazú is an active volcano with a long history of eruptions and eruptive cycles.  Is a zone of great hydrologic importance.  In it they are born various rivers that feed the basins of the River Chirripó, river Reventazón, river Sarapiquí and Rio Grande of Tárcoles.

The origin of its name itself due to a populated native that existed in the skirts of the called volcano Iztarú, word that for them signified hill of the trembling and thunder.  Nevertheless, through the years, like product of the verbal communication, its name was modified to Irazú.

It is one of the areas of the so much, most visited system by national as international tourists.

The Irazú is an estratovolcán (volcanic layers differentiated of material) of 3.432 meters of altitude, with form subcónica irregular, caraterísticas estrombolianas (with violent eruptions) and five craters well deferenciados.  The most important by its recent activity are the Main Crater, almost to circulate and with walls very inclined.  It measures 1050 meters of diameter and 300 meters of depth.  The Crater Diego of It Should 600 meters of diameter and 100 meters of depth.  Other craters are the Beautiful Beach, the Gap and the Piroclástico.

The vegetation in the highest part is caraterística of the rain wasteland subalpino, zone of life that develops to heights over the 3.300 meters and even the 4.000 m.s.n.m., typical of the Andean regions.  It fits to indicate that is the only place in the Central Volcanic mountain Range, that presents this life zone type, with species as the myrtle and the arracachillo.

They exist besides, almost pure forests of oak tree encino, tree of abundant, hard bark in the Atlantic sector of the volcano.  Patches of primary vegetation are found, understood in the rain forest life zone montano in the margins of the rivers, northeastern sector of the main crater, with species as black oak tree, jaúl, sage, matagente, lorito, escalonia, candelillo, tongue of cow and sombrilla of poor.

Among the bird life they emphasize species as the reed volcanero, the carpenter careto, the yigüirro, the goldfinch, the lechucita brown, the trepador reddish, the zacatera, the pitorreal and several species of hummingbirds.  Some mammals that can be observed are the wild rabbit, the coyote, the armadillo, the puercoespín, the weasel, the caucel and the red squirrel.

Carara is located in the zone transnationals between the humid and dry forests of the Peaceful region of Costa Rica and can be told that no other wild area of the country protects the resources of plants and present animals in said region climatically.

The Reserve was created to facilitate investigations and scientific studies, as well as to favor the environmental education.  This wild area is respected an excellent living laboratory, where the structure can be studied and the operation of the tropical ecosystems and the relations among them.

Carara possesses various ecosystems as marshes, a gap and forests of gallery, secondary and primary.  The marshes are formed for the seasonal floods of the Rio Grande of Tárcoles, in an area located al northeastern of the reserve.  These zones are rich in species of wading birds, amphibious and associated reptiles to those environments.  The gap occupies an extensive meander abandoned of the Rio Grande of Tárcoles, measures some 600 meters long, 40 meters of wide and two meters of depth.  Practically is covered with choreja or lily of water and of other aquatic plants.

In this environment they are abundant diverse species of reptiles as the crocodiles that measure to three meters of long and of water birds like the pink herons, the ducks needle, the gallitos of water, the zambullidores piquipintos and the martin rock.  The crocodiles are also abundant and easy to observe in the Rio Grande of Tárcoles.

The forests of gallery are found in the margins of the rivers, they are dense, high and of little diversity in species.  The espavel is the characteristic species in this habitat.  The secondary forests are located on lands that previously they were dedicated to activities agribusiness, they have a smaller floral diversity that the primary forests and present more species caducifolias.  The palm viscoyol, very thorny, is found forming almost pure rosebushes in this type of forest.  The primary forests occupy most of the reserve.  They situated on lands from 20 to 60 percent of slope, they present high diversity, various strata and abundance of liana and flat epífitas.  Some of the trees that call more the attention by their size are the espavel, the kapok tree, the guanacaste, the vulture, the guácimo red, the higuerón, the guayabón and the javillo.  Other species of trees are the milky one, the of nazareth that produces a precious wood of purple color; the christopher, the garlic, the oilcloth, the pochote, the blackberry, the golden fruit and the ron ron.

The fauna is abundant in spite of the isolation of the reserve.  The most outstanding one is: the saíno, the dull horse, hammers it, the blonde one, the coatimundi, the raccoon, the manigordo, the cute one carablanca, the lazy one of two fingers, the tolomuco, the deer and the fox four eyes.  A very conspicuous bird by its beautiful plumage and because pràcticamente has disappeared of the Pacific Dry, is the red limpet.  Other species of birds are: the trogón violáceo, the peacock, al hummingbird, the tucancillo the guaco and the chocuaco.  Some of the species animal before cited they are found in danger of extinction or with populations reduced.

The Reserve Biological Carara counts on numerous traces of pre-Colombian native occupations.  The archaeological studies carried out have permitted the location up to now of fifteen archaeological places that correspond to two epochs of occupation: the Phase Turkeys (300 years to.C.  - 300 years d.C.) and the Phase Carthage (800 years - 1500 years d.C.), with agriculture as base of subsistence.  Of the second epoch of occupation various places excel, like Carara that corresponds to a rectangular basement (6×4 m), built in stone of river and calcareous rocks, and Hills Burial, an extensive village with housing zones and funeral homes in the top of some hills located front al I laugh Tárcoles.  Hills Burial was a main settlement during the pre-Colombian epoch and exercised an economic and political control in the low zone of the river Tárcoles.

The forest fires, the furtive shooting and the limitation in cuatno to financial resources and humans to face the growing tourist demand by the attractions that protects the reserve, are the main problems that faces the reserve.

It was created by Executive Decree Not. 20791-MIRENEM, of the 30 of setiembre of 1991.

Its extension is of 2.920 hectares.

It is considered as a zone of aquatic refill, whose water drain al Reservoir Arenal for the utilization in the production of hydroelectric energy and in the farm projects of the District of Irrigation of Moracia.

It protects important species of flora and characteristic fauna of the rain forest pre-mountain and of the cloudy forest of great tourist and scientific value.

The Park National Arenal presents three zones of life: very humid forest pre-mountain, rain forest pre-mountain and rain forest mountain low.

In these zones of life the most common species of flora are the guava tree of mount, the lurel, the cocobolo, the medlar the raft and other.

The main species of fauna are: tepezcuinte, tapir, coatimundi, lazy, jaguar, deer; birds as parrots, parakeets, quetzals. Snakes as the parrot, the velvet and the boa.

It protects the wild fauna, especially those species under extinction or with populations reduced. It protects also the natural only bank of oyster of mangrove of the zone of reefs in the coastal stripe.

It possesses a gap, by which this portion of the Atlantic coast is classified like tropical humid forest.

The primary forest that remains in this area is of unique value, by the small relative surface covered by this zone of life of the low lands of the Atlantic coast.

The area possesses a great diversity of habitats terrestrial with patches of primary forests and with numerous habitats sweet water and marine, that include the coral reef that is conserved in better conditions in the Atlantic coast of Costa Rica.

By its natural conditions, the region constitutes an attraction for scientists and visitors in search of recreation.