Chirripo National Park
From Wiki Costa Rica
This park is joined with the International Friendship Park Costa Rica-Panamá, which as the name says, continues south into Panama. Chirripo National Park has 50.150 Hectares of area and the International Friendship Park has 192.000 Hectares.
Mount Chirripó is the highest peak in Costa Rica: 3819m (12530 feet).
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Location
These two parks are located in the provinces of Limon, San Jose, Cartago and Puntarenas. They encompass most of the Talamanca mountain range, from Chirripó mountain to the border with Panama.
Tourist Services
The administration office is located in San Gerardo, located 18km away from San Isidro. All visitors must check-in there. There is lodging at the base of the "Crestones" (rock formations near the summit). These need to be reserved several months beforehand. There are restrooms, drinkable water, but no restaurants nor shops.
Natural resources
These two parks have the largest biodiversity areas in Costa Rica.
The weather depends on the altitude, although it is very rainy in general. The least rainy months are February and March. The highest areas are subject of big temperature swings, of almost 24ºC in a day. The lowest temperature recorded in Chirripó (and in the whole country) was -9ºC (15.8ºF) in 1971. Any day in the year can be cloudy or have clear skies.
There are 215 species of mammals, 560 of birds, 250 of amphibians and reptiles, and 115 of fish.
Geology
From the base of the Crestones, there are trails leading to the summit of several mountains, and several lakes of glacial origin. GPS device would be very beneficial in order to freely explore other features of the park.
Advice on Hiking to the park
The only way to the park is to hike, beginning from San Gerardo. Unexperienced hikers will take 9-12hours to hike to the base lodge, so the best time to begin hiking is before dawn. Therefore, one night stay at San Gerardo is necessary.
The trails are very steep, plan carefully the items to be taken to the top (must bring food), taking into account their quantity and weight.
Cost and working hours
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Cost: Adults $15 |
| Open hours: 6.30 - 16:30. |
Videos
External Links
- Article on SummitPost.org
Details
| Chirripo National Park | |
| Region | Cartago |
| Telephone | |
| Address | From San Isidro, go to the town of San Gerardo, 18km away. Starting trail to the top starts from there. It is exactly 34 miles (56 km) in a straight line southeast of San José. |
| Website | |
Chirripo National Park in Google Maps |
| Latitude and longitud for GPS: 9.50, -83.50 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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Categories: Tourism | National Park | Cartago | El Guarco | Hiking | Camping
