Braulio Carrillo National Park
From Wiki Costa Rica
Braulio Carrillo National Park is located in the province of Heredia, and has an extension of 31 thousand hectares (480 square kilometers). The name is in honor of the third Chief of State. This park connects San José to Puerto Limón, and was created in 1978.
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Geology and location
It is located on both sides of the highway to the town of Guapiles, between the Zurquí mountain and the rivers Sucio and General. The highway crosses the park from Northeast to Southwest.
The park has steep mountains, with dense vegetation and strong rivers that form deep canyons. Numerous waterfalls can be seen from the highway.
The Barva volcano is part of the park, located in the southwest area, and has an height of 2096 meters. In the west park, with a height of 2136 meters, is located the Cacho Negro volcano. These two are the most important reference points of the park.
The highway to Guápiles has one tunnel, called Túnel Zurquí, because of the mountain it crosses. Shorty before the tunnel, traveling towards Guápiles, a stop can be made to have a good view of part of the park. Another interesting stop is an aerial tram located beside the highway, called Rain Forest Aerial Tram.
The rain forest is very dense, and due to the geology, there are multiple waterfalls visible from the highway. There are also hidden waterfalls, like the one in the right.
Services and access to the park
The easiest way to see the park is just to travel along the highway, which starts in the town of Tibás. There is no restrooms or any buildings in this park. Please bring all necessary equipment to make this forest trip. It is required for visitors to notify the park officers of the date and time of arrival, and also the date of departure.
The main entrance is located at the Zurquí forest office, near the entrance is a very nice viewpoint.
Numerous roads allow travel around Barva Volcano at the West side of the park, it is recommended to rent a 4x4 vehicle to access this second entrance.
For experimented hikers there is a longer trip that follows downward traveling through deep canyons.
There are tours available everyday, organized by San José offices.
Advice
This park is notorious for the number of people who had been lost in it. Some have never been found, or in more than one occasion, other human remains have been found while searching for a lost hiker. It is not advisable to enter the park alone without proper training in survival or not knowing the trails well enough. Always notify someone of your entry. GPS devices are useful, but due to the dense forest, it can be hard to get a lock.
Cost and working hours
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Cost: Adults $7 |
| Open hours: 8.00 - 16:00. |
Videos
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| Braulio Carrillo National Park | |
| Region | Heredia |
| Telephone | (506) 268-1038 |
| Address | 20 Km North from San José, going through the San José-Guápiles Highway. |
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Braulio Carrillo National Park in Google Maps |
| Latitude and longitud for GPS: 10.129258, -83.993053 To use Google Earth, cut and paste the coordinates into the search bar. You can also open this location with Maps.Google.com |
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