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| SOUTH
PACIFIC REGION |
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| CORCOVADO
NATIONAL PARK |
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This park protects one of the greatest areas of tropical wet
forest and also conserves one of the richest ecosystems with a great biodiversity.
It has large tracts of primary forest ( virgin forest ), where we find the tallest
trees in Costa Rica, and the park is home to many endangered species. It is
one of the wettest areas in the country. As much as 5,000 mm falls on the highest
hills. The vegetation, one of the richest and most diverse of Costa Rica, is
botanically very similar to South America. The main habitats are mountain forest
that covers over half the park and contains the greatest variety of species
of fauna and flora in the area; the cloud forest that occupies the highest parts
is very rich in oaks, and in tree ferns; high plains forest, occupying the alluvial
part of the park; and swamp forest that is flooded almost all year.
Given its extraordinary biological diversity, Corcovado is
currently an important centre for research into moist tropical forest; in Sirena
there is a biological station with facilities to carry out research. This park
and the rest of the peninsula was an important centre of settlement of Pre-hispanic
peoples; archeological sites have been found practically on the edge of all
the paths within the park.
The fauna of Corcovado is as rich and varied as its plants. 140 species of mammals,
367 birds, 117 amphibians and reptiles and 40 freshwater fishes are known to
occur there. The park holds the biggest population of scarlet macaw in the country.
Some of the threatened species found there are: Baird´s Tapir, giant anteater
and five of the six species of cats found in Costa Rica; namely, puma, ocelot,
jaguarundi, margay and jaguar.
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| SAN
PEDRILLO STATION CORCOVADO NATIONAL PARK |
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You start this one day excursion by boat from the hotels to
the station. Once there your tour guide will offer you a 2 hour walk through
the rainforest to see birds and animals of the area. One of the highlights of
this excursion are the scarlet macaws, which you may see by the beach and around
the station. At the station there are restrooms and a place to have your picnic
brought from the hotel. After lunch a hike to the waterfall is available, or
you can just relax and enjoy the beach until departure time.
