National Parks of Costa Rica
Central Volcanic Range Conservation Area
Braulio Carrillo National Park

Area:

45,899 Ha

Location:

In the Central Volcanic Mountain Range, northeast of the Central Valley. It includes Barva Volcano, Bajo la Hondura and Cacho Negro Peak.

This park is located in one of the most rugged landscapes of the country. Almost the entire region is formed by high mountains densely covered with forest and countless rivers. The park contains two extinct volcanoes -Cacho negro, highly visible because of its conic shape, and Barva, which has several craters. Barva's Lake is circular in shape and some 70 meters in diameter. The Las Marias Peaks, clearly visible from San Jose, are the remains of a calderic structure.

Braulio Carrillo's vegetation consists of a densely packed evergreen forest with a wide variety of flowers. This type of forest is constantly changing with environmental conditions.

The forests with lots of different species are found in the lowest regions. In the high, broken areas, the trees are shorter and deformed and the species count is reduced. Most of the park is covered by a primary forest in which some 6,000 species of plants thrive.

Mammals found in this park include the howler, spider and white-faced monkeys, tapir, jaguar, puma, ocelot, paca and white-tailed deer. As to birds, 347 species have been spotted, including the resplendent quetzal. Frogs and toads are very abundant in the park. One of the reptiles inhabiting this area is the bushmaster, the largest poisonous snake in the continent.