Braulio Carrillo National Park

Before 1970 the only two ways to get from San Jose to the Caribbean Coast were by using the slow railroad and the other was driving through a narrow and impractical highway. It was in 1970 that the Government of Costa Rica decided that a modern highway needed to be constructed. The best route to reach the Caribbean Coast seemed to be the low pass between the Barva Volcano and the Irazu Volcano to the northwest of the Central Valley. The problem lay on the fact that this area contained a vast area of pristine rainforest. Finally, it was decided that the area would be turned into a National Park and that one main highway would be built in the middle bisecting the rainforest into two sections. This national park was named Braulio Carrillo in honor one of Costa Rica’s chief of state who opened the road from the Central Valley to Matina Limon back in the 1840’s. The Braulio Carrillo highway that connects San Jose to Guapiles was finished in 1987. The beauty of Braulio Carrillo National Park is that it can be visited just by passing by on the highway that crosses it. The view is really stunning, tall hills thickly covered with lush dark green rainforest on each side embrace this highway.

If you walk into this exuberant National Park you will have a chance to see an amazing variety of plant such as different varieties of orchids, ferns, and palms; just to name a few. There is an approximate of 6000 plant species contained inside Braulio Carrillo, which represents around half of the total plant species of Costa Rica. Braulio Carrillo National Park has an amazing variety of wildlife due to the many different altitudes the rainforest has. This National Park in Costa Rica has a total area of 118 00 acres and its elevations range from 9534 feet at the top of Volcan Barva to 165 feet in the Caribbean lowlands. Most of the rainforest of Braulio Carrillo is primary cloud forest and rainforest that lodge innumerable rivers and waterfalls. Actually, this Costa Rica National Park is fundamental for the protection of the water resources that supply the north sector of the Central Valley. Several dormant volcanoes are found in the overpowering Braulio Carrillo Park, these are the Chompipe Hill, Cacho Negro Hill, and the Las Tres Marias Hills. Barva Volcano is also located inside this Costa Rica park and it has several crater lakes; Barva, Dante, and Copey.

Braulio Carrrillo biodiversity is such that five of the Holdridge life zones are represented and in addition it has different habitats within, thanks to the elevations differences throughout the National Park. Temperatures at Braulio Carrillo can range from 35 F to 90 F and at nighttime around the Barva Volcano area temperature can go several degrees below freezing. Barva Volcano is one of Costa Rica volcanoes that can be climbed. Climbing the Barva Volcano can take about five hours roundtrip at a normal pace. Annual rainfall has been registered at around 180 inches at this Costa Rica National Park.

Bird species that can be found in the dense Braulio Carrillo National Park are quetzals, umbrella birds, toucans, trogons, guans, eagles; overall there is about 515 bird species that include local and migrating species. Mammal species like white face monkeys, dantas, puma and jaguar, sainos, bears, martilla, cabro del monte, guatusa and coyote can be spotted at the wild Braulio Carrillo National Park. Endangered species like the pavon and tepezcuinte are also residents of Braulio Carrillo. Frogs are very common in this area, such as the sapo Bufa Holdridgei and the matabuey.

The Aerial Tram, which is just past the northeastern exit of Braulio Carrrillo National Park is a recommended tour. This Aerial Tram consists of a one and a half mile of an aerial tram with 22 cars that can take up to five passengers and a guide over the dense canopies of the Braulio Carrillo Rainforest; providing a great slow view from the top were lots of plant species and bird species can be spotted. The whole ride takes 40 minutes each way.