Barbilla National Park is a

national park A national park is a nature park designated for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes because of unparalleled national natural, historic, or cultural significance. It is an area of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that is protecte ...

in the

Caribbean La Amistad Conservation Area Caribbean La Amistad Conservation Area is an administrative area which is managed by SINAC for the purposes of conservation in the eastern part of Costa Rica, on the Caribbean coast. It contains several national parks, and a number wildlife refug ...

Costa Rica Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as Maritime bo ...

located on the eastern slopes of the

Cordillera de Talamanca The Cordillera de Talamanca is a mountain range that lies in the southeast half of Costa Rica and the far west of Panama. Much of the range and the area around it is included in La Amistad International Park, which also is shared between the two ...

. It protects forests as well as Laguna Ayil and Cerro Tigre and the Dantas River watershed, covering parts of both Cartago and

Limón Limón (), also known as Puerto Limón, is the capital city of both the province and canton of the same name. One of Costa Rica's seven "middle cities" (i.e., main cities outside of San José's Greater Metropolitan Area), Limón has a populat ...

Provinces. It was initially established in 1982. The park protects over 29,500 acres (11,938 ha) of humid lowlands tropical forest. It is one of the country's least-visited parks; this has allowed the park to remain ecologically rich and diverse. Rare (and even endangered) species live within the park, including jaguars, ocelots, pumas, and tapirs. The park also protects the Dantas River Watershed, which is an important source of water for the people and animals of the region. The Barbilla National Park is also the home of the second largest indigenous group in Costa Rica, the

Cabécar people The Cabécar are an indigenous group of the remote Talamanca region of eastern Costa Rica. They speak Cabécar, a language belonging to the Chibchan language family of the Isthmo-Colombian Area of lower Central America and northwestern Colom ...

. It is also located next to the Chirripó Indigenous Reserve The park has the Barbilla Biological Station on site, as well as an administrative building located in Brisas de Pacuarito. Access is via an unpaved road, 17 km long and about an hour of driving. The start of the road is 2–3 km east of Siquirres. The buildings are actually located outside of the park. The path into the park descends through indigenous farms to the Dantas river. The main trail crosses the river and climbs the opposite hill (heading due south). There are few smaller trails.

References

External links

* at Costa Rica National Parks National parks of Costa Rica Protected areas established in 1982 Geography of Limón Province Geography of Cartago Province Tourist attractions in Limón Province Tourist attractions in Cartago Province 1982 establishments in Costa Rica {{CostaRica-protected-area-stub