LA AMISTAD INTERNATIONAL PARK

The 194,000 hectare (479,000 acres) La Amistad International Park, shared with Costa Rica's southern neighbor, Panama, is part of the huge (600,000 hectare/1,483,000 acres) Amistad Biosphere Reserve, a United Nations UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Also known as the Amistad/Talamanca Regional Conservation Unit, this is the largest biological reserve in all of the Central America isthmus, encompassing La Amistad International Park, the Hitoy-Cerere Biological Reserve, Tapanti National Park, Las Tablas and Barbilla protective zones, Las Cruces Biological Reserve, several Indian reservations and one of Costa Rica's Seven Wonders, Mount Chirripo.

There are essentially only two ways to get into the Park when you travel Costa Rica.

You can travel by car (or bus) along the Costa Rica Caribbean coast, to the VERY Caribbean town of Limon, turn south, and go along mile-after-mile of spectacular, virtually deserted beaches, almost to Panama.

Click here to visit the Caribbean region of La Amistad.

Another way to reach La Amistad International Park is by traveling on the Pan-American Highway south from San Jose or, if you're on Costa Rica's Pacific Coast, from Dominical inland, to San Isidro de la General.

Familiar with this area? No? Click to find helpful Costa Rica maps.

Visiting La Amistad in the Central Region

La Amistad International Park has eight different life-zones with an astounding 60% of Costa Rica animals, including at least 400 (some claim closer to 450) kinds of birds, and (along with the neighboring parks in this biosphere) the country's largest population of resplendant quetzals, click.

Here, home to the country's largest density of jaguars, tapirs (up to 800 pounds), harpy eagles and many, many endangered species, you'll find yourself in mile-after-mile of Costa Rica rainforests, indeed the largest stands of tropical rainforests in Central America.

Not to mention huge tracts of cloud forests.

And the very mysterious (nobody knows who made them or why) disquis balls, click.

You can hike to the Hitoy-Cerere Biological Reserve on the Caribbean side of the country but this is about a 25 mile (54 kilometer) very strenuous task. You'll need to register at the CONAI (Indigenous Affairs) office in tiny Ujarras (about five miles from Buenos Aires. Even with a good guide, the hike will take at least 3-4 days.

There's also a bus from Buenos Aires to Boruca. As of this writing it has two departures and two returns a day but you'll need to check the schedule once you're there.

Boruca is only about 30-40 kilometers (15-20 miles) east of Costa Rica's magnificent Pacific Coast south of Dominical with unspoiled beaches and Ballena National Park where you can enjoy humpback whale watching, click.

Costa Rica Attractions In La Amistad

Does San Vito sound a bit like...well...Italian?

It is! Before World War II, an Italian sailor named "Vito" met a Costa Rica girl while in port in Panama. They fell in love but the war intervened. In 1946, she went to Italy where they married and a few years later, he signed a contract with Costa Rica to build a new town (in his name, of course). Oliva, he, and about 120 Italians created the little town from the jungle and created a vibrant farming community.

From forest, to a city, to a part of La Amistad International Park.

Many people rent cars in Costa Rica and make this journey. Others fly into San Vito. Budget-minded travelers can reach this part of the country with comfortable, very inexpensive buses. Click for Costa Rica bus schedules

Las Cruces Biological Station is run by the Organization of Tropical Studies which is made up of about 50 universities. It's a center for research and scientific training that's open to the public. You'll find miles of hiking trails with great wildlife and bird watching. More than 330 kinds of birds have been recorded at this reserve.

And, for many, the highlight is. . .

You'll wander through more than 7,000 plant species including a repository for the Begonia Society and Heliconia Society. You'll also see many species of plants that are now extinct in their native habitats.

Sound special?

It truly is but don't forget your raincoat because it rains a lot here!

Finally, if you want to continue seeing the southern part of La Amistad International Park you can do so by traveling into Panama which is very close.

All you'll need is your passport (and a ticket to return or go somewhere else).

Go to Costa Rica National Parks here

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