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Guanacaste
National Park was created in 1989 to connect Santa Rosa
National Park with the high elevation cloud forest of
Orosi and Cacao volcanoes and across the continental
divide to the Caribbean rainforest of Northern Costa
Rica. The hope is that together these two parks protect
enough land to ensure sufficiently large habitats for
wide-ranging species such as jaguars and mountain lions,
while simultaneously creating a biological corridor
for birds and insects to make local seasonal migrations
between the dry forest and the evergreen cloud and rain
forests.
The
park owes its existence as much to Dr. Daniel Janzen
as to any other. He successfully raised donations
telling international contributors he would show the
world "how to grow a National Park." He
launched his campaign when international beef prices
were low, and many of the ranch owners were eager
to sell their degraded grazing lands. His goals of
recreating more of the severely threatened tropical
dry forest habitat from cattle pasture, as well as
forming a biological corridor are now coming to fruition.
Happily, biologist have commented that the habitat
is regenerating more quickly than they had hoped.
Janzen
was also aware that the changes in the land that would
benefit the wildlife would leave many ranch hands
without work and have a major impact on local communities.
His foresight ensured that one of the goals of the
park is to encourage local participation in environmental
programs, and train and employ locals as park personnel.
This attitude is important, because although the National
Parks of Costa Rica are part of the world's heritage,
they are also an important part of Tico's everyday
lives.
Attractions:
Hiking,
nature walks and birdwatching: The main attraction
of Guanacaste National Park is a good brisk walk or
a leisurely stroll. The large range of elevations
result in trails that cross several ecosystems as
you climb from the dry Pacific forests near the border
with Santa Rosa National Park to the high elevation
cloud forests near the peaks of Orosi and Cacao volcanoes.
You can cross the continental divide and climb down
to rainforest typical of the Caribbean side of Northern
Costa Rica.
Among
the dry forest inhabitants are Collared Peccaries,
Howler Monkeys, White-nosed Coatis, White-tailed Deer,
and Variegated Squirrels, Long-tongued Bats, and Capuchin
Monkeys. You will almost certainly spot dozens of
birds in a hour or two of walking including White-throated
Magpie Jays, Orange-Fronted Parakeets, and Crested
Caracara (roadside hawks). At higher elevations you
may spot Squirrel Cuckoos, Tanagers and Groove-billed
Anis.
The
region around Guanacaste National Park:
Santa
Rosa National Park: This park is contiguous with Guanacaste
National Park at its western border and continues
the march of varying ecosystems right out to the Pacific
ocean where you can see the turtles nesting.
Rincon
de la Vieja Volcano National Park: Again because of
the range of elevations Rincon de la Vieja National
Park has many different life zones, but its unique
attraction are the geothermal features, including
an active volcano. On the southern slope of the volcano
there are numerous kinds of geothermal activity. Bubbling,
boiling hot mud springs, sulfur springs, steam vents,
and fumaroles can all be seen in a relatively small
area.
When
to visit:
This
is one of the hotter drier areas of Costa Rica, and
the whole Guanacaste region has more predictable seasons
than the rest of Costa Rica. The chance of rain is
much less during the dry season from December to April,
but the higher you climb, the more likely you are
to get wet... any time of the year.
Although
it is fairly likely that it will rain on any given
day during the rainy season (AKA the green season),
it is also fairly likely that it will be a short shower
in mid-afternoon. The rainy season which lasts from
May until November is also usually interrupted by
a two or three week dry spell in late July or August
called the veranillo de San Juan (saint Joseph's little
summer).
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