Description: Carara National Park is essentially a swath of virgin rain forest hugging the picturesque west coast of Costa Rica. From the capital of San Jose it is more or less a two and a half to three hour ride, first west to Puntarenas then south along the shore. What the park lacks in size is made up for in wildlife and serenity.
This region is not overly built up, so there aren't a tremendous number of hotels in the area. I myself stayed at what appeared to be a time-share resort at Punta Leone, which was only accessible via the longest driveway I've ever seen, taking a full eight minutes just to arrive at the hotel. For you skeptics, I have this on video tape just to prove I'm not exaggerating. Not to be missed as well is the nearby Tarcoles Bridge and its resident crocodiles that can be seen in various states of submersion along the banks of the muddy Tarcoles River.
The park has a modest visitor center near the road where you are more than likely to be approached by a local guide. My recommendation is to take them up on their offer. That twenty bucks can mean the difference between a meaningless saunter through a bewildering menagerie of jungle and a meaningful experience that will enrich your knowledge and appreciation of this fragile ecosystem. It is my conviction that if we had not hired a guide we would have missed about ninety percent of the things we saw, from various birds which I wouldn't have been able to identify, to an adorable pack of monkeys of which he had the instincts to place us into their path. We were also taken into the interior where our guide was somehow able to spot and capture a colorful poison arrow frog for our closer inspection among the underbrush.
A portion of the park abuts a placid river where caimans, iguanas and Jesus Christ lizards abound. Waterbirds are also plentiful and if you arrive the right time of year you may even get to see some stunning macaws.
One day will usually suffice for this tiny gem in the Costa Rican parks system, but it will almost certainly be a day worth remembering.
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