Carara National Park

Carara National Park lies about 15 km north of Herradura on the coastal highway, and it is one of the most rewarding quick wildlife stops in Costa Rica. The park protects a patch of transitional forest where two distinct ecosystems meet, creating conditions that support an extraordinary range of species in a relatively compact area. Scarlet macaws are the headline attraction — the park has a healthy population and they are reliably visible, especially in the morning and late afternoon.

Well-maintained trails wind through the forest, including a loop trail accessible without a guide that takes about two hours and passes through tall primary forest. Crocodiles congregate at the Río Tárcoles bridge just outside the park entrance — the bridge railings above the river are lined with visitors leaning over to photograph the animals below. From the park entrance, trails head into quieter forest away from the roadside crowds. Guides available at the entrance enhance the experience considerably — they find animals you would never see on your own.

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A story
Carara sits in a biological transition zone — the dry forests of the north meet the humid rainforests of the south here, producing exceptional biodiversity. Scarlet macaws, which have been devastated across most of Central America, survive here in significant numbers and return to roost each evening in the trees along the park boundary. The roosting flight at dusk is one of the most spectacular wildlife spectacles on Costa Rica's Pacific coast.