La Amistad Biosphere Reserve,  Southern Costa Rica

Lets travel to Costa Rica, a small country in Central America, but big when it comes to conservation  and protection of its natural resources , sustainable development,  and ecotourism.  Twenty five percent of Costa Rica’s territory has been set aside by it’s government for the use  as Costa Rica’s National Parks and Costa Rica’s Wildlife Refuges, and the government uses these parks to attract tourist who come to experience the tropical rainforest, wildlife, and extraordinary outdoor activities.   One of the best examples is La Amistad Biosphere Reserve, Costa Ricawith 1.5 million acres of protected area.    Tourists come to Costa Rica to experience these natural attractions,  making Costa Rica one of the top ten places in the world  for ecotourism.    So many outdoor activities to integrate one with nature:  rain forest zips lines (Canopy tours) , butterfly farms,  serpentariums,  white water rafting,  rain forest treks, birdwatching, monkey watching, and on and on

La Amistad Biosphere Reserve  Costa Rica’s largest unaltered forest reserve, and is a model of conservation and protection of Costa Rica’s natural resources.   It is an enormous complex of protected areas that cover around 1.5 million acres or 12 % of Costa Rica’s territory.  This encompasses  10 National Parks and protected areas  including La Amistad National Park,  Chirripo National Park,  Hitoy Cerere Biological Reserve,  Tapanti Wildlife Refuge,   Wilson Botanical Gardens,  as well as  8 indigenous reserves.

La Amistad biosphere reserve is home to seven different life habitats, and six transitional ecological zones, due to the immense variation in altitudes, climates, and topography.  Within this reserve  can be found:  70% of  Costa Rica’s wildlife species including giant anteaters, tapirs, jaguars, pumas, ocelots, and tiger cats.   There are  500 species of birds and 115 species of reptiles and amphibians, and  “millions”  of insects.

A part of the reserve is home to some of Costa Rica’s indigenous people.

Where is La Amistad National Park Located? 40 miles NW of San Vito in southern Costa Rica

How do I get there? Is La Amistad National Park accessible and do tourist usually go there?  In 1983 La Amistad Biosphere Reserve  was declared a world heritage site by UNESCO.  However, much of the national park,  La Amistad , remains inaccessible and yet to be explored and mapped.  The park can be accessed from a base in San Isidro or San Vito.  But one should not enter without a guide due to the abrupt topography, great fluctuations in temperature, and wild animals. The well marked infracture for the tourist is not yet defined.