Carara National Park: Home to Costa Rica's Unique Transitional Forest and Diverse Bird Species
3.8
9 Ratings
Carara
Discover the unique transitional forest and diverse bird species of Carara National Park in Costa Rica. Explore the universal trail and spot the endangered Scarlet Macaw.
Duration:
6 hours
Cancellation:
1 day
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Highlights
- Carara National Park - We drive for about 25 minutes from the Jaco area to Carara National Park. This incredible protected area measures about 4,700 Hectares and is home to approximately 48% of Costa Rica’s aviary species. This tour will show you the importance of the region, as it is situated in a transitional region between the tropical dry forest and the humid pacific rainforest. Carara Preserve showcases colorful species of flora and fauna from a varied ecosystem. This sanctuary is populated by many different species of birds and animals, amongst them the white face and howler monkeys, iguanas, toucans, and trogons. Carara also holds an important population of scarlet macaws, the main attraction in town. Carara stands out in its inclusion features, being the first National Park of Costa Rica with a universal trail.
What's Included
- National Park fees included
- Professional guided tour
- Complimentary bottled water
- Fresh tropical fruit provided
- Convenient hotel pickup and drop-off
What's Not Included
- Lunch
Additional Information
First in Costa Rica to introduce an inclusive trail system, Carara National Park distinguishes itself with its unique features. Named ‘River of Crocodiles’ in the Huetar indigenous language, it is sole home to the Central Pacific’s transitional forest, fostering a wide variety of plant and animal life where dry and humid forest species meet.
Known globally as a prime site for bird watching, the Park is teeming with myriad bird species, with the endangered Scarlet Macaw (Ara macao) - being the second largest Psittacine species in Costa Rica - as a notable standout.
- Minimum age is 6 years
Location
Carara National Park
Highway 34
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
3.8
(9 Ratings)
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Susan_m
Feb 18, 2024
Nature at its best - Our guide Antonio provided a scope and knew exactly where to find all the unique animals, birds and insects in the park. We went at a slow pace and spent 3 hours learning and seeing everything the park has to offer. He would take our phones and take a picture of what we were seeing with our eyes in the scope. Our favorites were the Mccaw and toucan birds.
Review provided by Viator
Joycebh112091
Dec 19, 2019
A day at the park - My wife and I had a great time at Carara national park. Our guide Jacob showed us Tuscans,Scarlet Macaws, and many other species of birds and animals. Jacob spoke good english and was very knowledgeable about the forest. After lunch we saw many crocodiles and was transported to our hotel in a very comfortable ac van.
Over all the day was wonderful and I highly recommend it.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Joanne_p
Feb 4, 2023
The guide was a very... - The guide was a very important part of the Carara park visit. We were also in a small group which was more conducive to a genuine rainforest visit. On the best of times it is a lot to ask to see so many animals, birds etc but with less people trampling through it is a better experience.
Review provided by Viator
Loretta_m
Dec 22, 2022
Expensive for only a 2 hour tour. - Our guide Antonio was really good & we did see a few monkeys but did not see any macaws at all so was a bit disappointed. Overall it was a good tour even though it was quite expensive.
Review provided by Viator
Jessica_h
Apr 18, 2021
Worth the time! - Tour guide was very knowledgeable. We saw poison Dart frogs, howler monkeys and alot of other cool things.
Review provided by Viator
Aebdelta
Dec 26, 2019
Flora and fauna - My husband and I spent an easy day with our own Jacamar guide (Albarro). We visited Carara and then took the crocodile river cruise. Carara is a large park. The walk we chose was not too long and it was fairly easy, with some trails paved for wheelchair access. We saw leaf cutter ants busy farming, a small deer, and many birds, including a pair of scarlet macaws.
The river cruise was also very good and informational. Our time ended with a super lunch at the river cruise facility.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Kate
Feb 26, 2018
Wait for it!! - We went on this excursion a couple days after arrival. We wanted to see some natural life. We new there were thousands of species, but we only managed to see a few.Our tour guide Jacob made the walk far more productive by bringing his high powered telescope that he rigged up for us to take a couple of beautiful shots on our cell cameras. About 1/2 hour into the tour we reached a destination where he called out to some howler monkeys and boy did they respond! We were under and incredible canopy of about 20 monkeys all calling out to us. My daughter was so happy and that was the highlight of the day!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Joes-responsibletrav
Feb 4, 2020
Ok park... not our favorite for birding. - OK time in Carera. Though a transition zone... not the OMG amazing birding experience one gets from Monteverde or Sarapiqui or Rancho Naturalista. Very cool is that it is an ‘accessible’ park with trails paved for wheel chair access and interpretative signs in Braille. Guides wait for tourists out front. Choose wisely. Our guide, Maurice, who has many positive reviews was loud, throwing banana peels into the trees, and going off trail numerous times... not cool
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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