Barra Honda National Park

Barra Honda National Park - A tropical dry forest and limestone caves make this park a unique attraction for the visitor.  About ten miles past the new Tempisque Bridge you can easily drive to the park entrance of Barra Honda National Park and spend the day hiking in the sun or do some spelunking in the calcareous caves.  There are various hiking trails that wind around the park, all of which are well marked for the visitors.  Camp grounds and rustic cabins are also avialble in the event your adventure turns into several days, however, no resource for food is currently offered.

For an extended stay your best bet is to stop in Loma Bonita or Tres Esquinas before entering the park.  The best time of the year to venture into the limestone caves is during dry season or January through April.  Since the caves range from a few feet to over 780 feet deep, the rainy season makes them difficult as well as dangerous to traverse.  The ranger station in the park offers equipment and guide services to see these wonderous works of nature up close but reservations should be made in advance.  There are camping areas and rustic cabins available in the park as well. 

National Reserves and Refuges around Barra Honda National Park include -  Diria National Refuge, Ostional Refuge, Werner Sauter Refuge, Comaronal Refuge, Estica Refuge, La Celba Refuge, Curu Refuge Islas Los Negritos Biological Reserve, and Isla Guayabo Biological Reserve.

Photo: By Shamhain (Own work) [GFDL or CC-BY-SA-3.0-2.5-2.0-1.0], via Wikimedia Commons