COSTA RICA PARKS

VOL. 3: MANUEL ANTONIO, CORCOVADO, DRAKE BAY

With 161 parks and reserves encompassing more than 25% of its land, probably every Costa Rica vacation includes activities in and around these magnificent set aside areas.

In this section, I'll take you to three very different national parks along Costa Rica's Pacific coast.
Manuel Antonio is tiny but tony.

Corcovado is tiny but among the most biologically intense places left on the planet.

And Drake Bay, which borders the northern coast of Corcovado, is famous for having been discovered by one of the greatest sea captains/explorers in British history and Costa Rica fishing.

Manuel Antonio National Park

All while retaining prestigious "Blue Flag" beach status.

And remaining one of Costa Rica's Seven Wonders. Click to visit Manuel Antonio Park.

Corcovado National Park

There's Cocos Island, one of its Seven Wonders, nominated as one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the world, with the greatest big animal diving in the world and real buried treasure from real pirates. Jacques Cousteau described it as "the most beautiful island" on earth, and Michael Crichton used it as the setting for Jurassic Park.

There's magnificent Arenal Volcano where you can sit in luxurious hot springs and sip a Mai Tai as the night sky erupts in red as the volcano belches lava into the air and down its slopes.

And, Irazu Volcano, where, on a clear day, you can stand at the rim of a volcano and see the Pacific Ocean---and the Atlantic ocean---at the same time.

There are 799 miles of beaches and

More than 100 volcanoes.

People who take Costa Rica vacations speak in superlatives because

superlatives are in order. . . .

But one place, and only one place, is the "most biologically intense place" on earth. It is a tiny wilderness called Corcovado, click.

You can help preserve this magnificent remnant of wilderness and, an acre at a time, save one of the great, though tiny, Costa Rica parks.

Adopt an acre through Nature Conservancy, click.

Drake Bay and Other Great Parks and Preserves in the Area

Today, more than 530 years later, it's still spectacular and it's named after him. You'll know it as Drake Bay, click While you're in Drake Bay, be sure to go scuba diving at one of the best Costa Rica parks for that sport. It's a national preserve called Cano Island Biological Preserve, click.

And, I bet you didn't know that Costa Rica has some of the best whale watching in the world right off the coast here, too.

Yep, more than a third of all whale and porpoise species visit Costa Rica.

You'll find great whale watching at one of the marine Costa Rica national parks. The blue whale, biggest animal ever to inhabit the earth, breeds off Costa Rica's coasts and humpback whales from both the Arctic and Antarctic swim thousands of miles---from the cold north and the frigid south---where you can watch them by Ballena National Marine Park, click

And, don't forget these other nearby Costa Rica parks:

Piedras Blancas National Park

Golfo Dulce Forest Reserve

Carate Wildlife Refuge

Donald Peters Hayes Wildlife Refuge

Golfito Wildlife Refuge

Osa Wildlife Refuge

Rancho La Merced Wildlife Refuge

What's Your Favorite Park?

Have a particular park or preserve that you adore? Or a great story about your park experience? Tell us all about it!