La Amistad International Park is located in the southern part of the Talamanca Mountain Range, bordered to the north by the Chirripó National Park, and continues in Panama Republic. It was funded on February 4th 1982, and it consists of two conservation areas: Caribbean Friendship area and Pacific Friendship area. Additionally, the park is the largest protected area in the country, and its boundaries go beyond our country’s borders. Because of this reason, it is an international park, sharing two countries (Costa Rica and Panamá) the responsability to protect wildlife. The park has 612,570 hectares in total, 193,929 of which belong to Costa Rica. One year after its foundation, it was recognized as a World Heritage Site by the UNESCO.
This huge protected area is influenced by the Pacific and the Caribbean slopes. Moreover, the elevation goes from 400 m.a.s.l to over 3000 m.a.s.l which produce important variations in temperature, precipitation, humidity, as well as wind speed and direction.Thus, the combination of all these factors make the protected area a multi climatic site with diversity of forests and species.
The park belongs to La Amistad Biosphere Reserve along with other protected areas. Those areas include Chirripó National Park, Barbilla National Park, Hitoy Cerere Biological Reserve, Las Tablas Protector Area, Wilson Botanical Garden, and the indigenous reserves. Indigenous resevation include: Talamanca, Tayni, Telire, Chirripó, Ujarrás, Salitre and Cabagra. Consequently, this large park helps to connect all those reservations for the well of species. Therefore, the presence of the park lowers the isolation of species and guarantees genetic flow between species.
There are many areas from which you can visit La Amistad International Park. In Costa Rica, you can visit Cerro Cabecar, Cerro Kámuk, Cerro Pittier, and Valle del Silencio. Park authorities allow visitors to climb these mounts as long as tourists pay the admission to the park and register at each of the station. Interestingly, all the stations are located in the Puntarenas province although most of the park’s territory is located in the province of Limón. Finally, consider planning your trip with plenty of time so you can get information about how to arrive and avoid getting lost.
Trekking in La Amistad International Park is possible to four different summits. Choose the adventure that better adjusts to your travel itinerary.
We are a tour operator established in Costa Rica that offers hiking and mountaineering options for those who wish to explore the most remote and majestic places in Costa Rica.
When planning your trip, it is advisable to know certain aspects about the country you visit. Therefore, we have a section you may want to read in order to know generalities of the country.
San Isidro de El General
Pérez Zeledón, San José
Costa Rica 11901
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