Palo Verde National Park is located on the Pacific slopes of the northwestern Costa Rica. It is an 18.418-hectares area of a plain delineated by rivers, limestone hills and extensive wetland vegetation bordering the Tempisque River that flows into the Gulf of Nicoya. Our visit will consist of a boat ride through the river to appreciate the great ecological variety of this park.

Birds are the biggest attraction at Palo Verde National Park; in the wet season the floodwaters of the Tempisque River spread to form extensive marshes that welcome migrant birds from North and South America.

Large numbers of aquatic birds can be seen: Grebes, Cormorants, Anhinga, Herons, Jabirus Storks, Ibises, Spoonbills, Falcons, Caracaras and Jacanas. The mammal fauna is equally rich and visible, particularly during the dry season when peccaries, armadillos, jaguarondis, coatis, agoutis, deer's, and monkeys are attracted to the water holes.

There are 13 different habitats, including mangrove and swampy forests, salty and freshwater marshes, evergreen, lowland, limestone and secondary forests in a wide range of continuous stages. What to bring: Comfortable clothing, sun block, insect repellent, hat, binoculars and camera. Includes: Transportation, bilingual guide, entrance fee and lunch.

ABOUT THE PALO VERDE NATIONAL PARK

The Palo Verde National is located in the province of Guanacaste, between the Bebedero River and Tempisque river, approximate 30-km west of the Cañas city. Created by means of the Executive Decree No. 11541-A of May 30,1980 ratify by the Law 6831 of December 20,1982. Has an extension of 16.804 hectares.
The Palo Verde National Park is form by a group of diversity prairie habitats delimited by rivers and a row of hills.

This area is subject to inundation's of big magnitude. During the rainy season and because of the little natural drainage the hill has, the area flood by effect of the combinative action of the rain, the tides and the overflow of the rivers Tempisque and Bebedero.In some occasions, the whole zone converted in a large lagoon.

The yards and old buildings are a reflection of the life of the "Sabanero Bajureño" and constitute an important element in the antic Guanacaste culture.

Palo Verde is one of the places of more ecological diversity of the country, approximate exist 15 habitats created by the topography, the conditions, including the drainage, the rivers overflow and the tides effects.

One of the species most common and that give name to the place is the Palo Verde, is a bush of levees, branches and part of the trunk is light green color, you can find it in the swamps and in others habitats. Between the biggest trees are the espavel, the ciba, the pochote, the ron ron, the cibo barrigón, the guayabón, the javillo, the cocobolo, the níspero and the panamá. In the swamps you can observe plants species like the tifa, the trista, the zacate gamalote and platanilla.
In the hills you can find cardones, guayacan real, the tree of precious wood endanger extinct.

The natural hydrologic system of Palo Verde create the right conditions to produce in the zone the most important concentration of birds in the country and Central America.

From September to March, miles of sea gulls, herons, garcetas, zambullidores, bises, ducks and water rooster concentrate in the lagoons and neighbor areas to feed and reproduce.

The species of birds you can observe are about 279, although this number can increase to 300, at least 40 species has been observed in neighbor places. The Bird Island, of 2.3 hectares located in front of the park, is of an extraordinary importance for having the biggest colony of the country, and for being a nest area for the ibis morito, the pato aguja, the pink heron, the garzon, the real heron and the garcilla bueyera.

In the park, nest the galán sin ventura, specie endanger of extinct and subsist the only population of lapas rojas of the Dry Pacific.

Some of the mammals most common are the Congo monk