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Technical Information

Name: Braulio Carrillo National Park.

Location: Heredia and San José Provinces, Central Mountain Range.

Size: 45,899 hectares.

Access: The Park Headquarters are 20 kms. From San José along a paved road to Guápiles. A Partly paved and partly flagstone road, 23 kms. long, leads to Barba Volcano, Danta Lake and other regions from the city of Heredia via Barba-San José de la Montaña- Sacramento- guardpost.

Accommodation: There are camping sites near Barba Volcano. Furthermore, as the park is close to San José and in an area that is crossed by a busy highway, there are hotels, hostels, guesthouses, restaurants and octopus stalls both north and south of the park.

This park was named after Braulio Carrillo, a national benefactor and the third president of Costa Rica. The park lies in one of the most rugged wilderness areas in the country. A road with excellent look-out points crosses it from northeast to southwest. The main feature of the landscape consists of towering volcanic mountains. These are heavily cloaked with thick forests and sculpted by many deep rivers that form steep canyons, often with almost sheer walls. The terrain and heavy rainfall – about 4,500 mm a year – conspire to create innumerable waterfalls that can be seen everywhere in the park. There are three extinct volcanoes in the park. Barba, which rises 2,906 meters above sea level, is a strato–volcano with two lakes: Barba which is 100 meters in diameter and Danta, which is almost 500 meters. Cacho Negro Peak at 2,250 meters above sea level is a cone – shaped volcano and can easily be seen from the road that crosses the park. Lastly, Zurquí Volcano consists of several very steep cones and can be seen to the left on entering the park from San José.

Most of the parkland is covered with a thick, evergreen primary forest that houses about 6,000 species of plants. The tallest and most varied of these grow in the lowland forests in front of the Caribbean plain. These are rich in tree ferns, heliconias of the Heliconia genus, palm trees, bromeliads and poor man’s umbrella (Gunnera insignis), which is easily recognized by its immense leaves.

There is a wealth of wildlife. Birds are especially numerous with 347 species. These include the exquisite resplendent quetzal (Pharomachrus mocinno), the strange bare-necked umbrella bird (Cephalopterus glabricollis), which migrates to different altitudes in the park, the osprey (Pandion haliaetus) and the sooty robin (Turdus grayi), which is the national bird. Frogs and toads abound in the area around Bajo de la Hondura. One endemic species is the Bufo holdridgeitoad, frequently seen in the vicinity of Barba Volcano and Bajos del Tigre.

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Braulio Carrillo National Park