To view detailed information on the protected areas, click on the names
Parque Nacional Juan Castro Blanco
This National Park protects a great number of water resources that are very important for the region both for human consumption, generation of hidroelectric energy and industrial consumption. It also protects primary forest in different habitats with important animal and plant species.
This region was originally protected after the local community protested against a transnational company that wanted to build a sulphur mine, that would have caused great contamination, damaging the important water sources. 
Parque Nacional Volcán Poás
The Poas Volcano National Park is located on the continental divide of the volcanic Central Mountain Range. It is a compound basaltic volcano with 2708 meters above sea level. There are wtwo craters, the main crater measures 1.5 km in diameter and is considered one of the widest in the world. The second crater is now a cold water lake called Botos.
The Poas Volcano has a long story of eruptions that range from emissions of hot vapours and muddy water to blowouts of ash and incandescent rocks. In 1910 an enormous column of ash that was over 8000 meters high was visible from different places around the country.
Parque Nacional Braulio Carrillo
This park is located only 20 km from San José. It is one of the cloudiest places in the country and consists mainly of steep slopes covered with dense rain and cloudforest. The topography and the extremely high precipitation (4500 mm per year), give place to an infinity of waterfalls. Its location is very important for the protection of groundwater. Most of the sources that feed the Central Valley are located inside this park.
Parque Nacional Volcán Irazú
The Irazú Volcano National Park is located on the continental divide northeast of the city of Cartago. The volcano has a long history of eruptions, instilling fear in the religious inhabitants of Cartago and deep concern among the people living in other towns in the Central Valley. The slopes of the Irazu Volcano are very fertile thanks to the accumulation of volcanic materials and plantations of different vegetables can be found here.
Parque Nacional Volcán Turrialba
This volcano has been asleep for 143 years and it was even possible for the visitors to descend into its crater. During the last months there has been a tremendous increase in the activity and there has been incidents of acid rain, that has damaged the surrounding of the volcano as well as the potato and carrot plantations nearby.
Parque Nacional La Cangreja
At the end of the 19 th century Puriscal was described as a true "Garden of Eden" for its fertile grounds. But, as a result of bad management of these grounds and other natural resources, the canton lost a big part of this today. However, there still exists a part of this original Garden, the "National Park La Cangreja ". La Cangreja is the last piece of virgin forest in an area that used to extend up to the Peninsula of Osa in the south of Costa Rica. The forest is also the most important water supply for nearby communities and serves as well as a climate stabilization.
Parque Nacional Carara
This small reserve is located near Orotina in the Tarcoles lower river basin. Its transition forest is home to many different species of animals and plants. Carara is one of the most important nesting sites for the Scarlet Macaw. Towards dusk they can be seen returning to their roosts in the mangrove swamps. From the bridge over the Tarcoles River it is easy to observe immense crocodiles taking the sun on the sand banks.
Parque Nacional Tapantí
The Tapanti National Park, Macizo Cerro La Muerte protects large forested areas in the northern Talamanca Mountain region. The Rio Grande de Orosi flows through the park, with many other rivers and creeks joining the main river. It is one of the rainiest regions of the country with an annual average precipitation of 6.500 mm. The abundant water is used for generating electricity and water supply for a large part of the population.
Parque Nacional Chirripo
The difference in altitude that ranges from 1400 meter to 3819 meters above sea level on Chirripó peak together with the variate climate and soil give rise to the largest ecological diversity in the country. About 400 species of birds and 260 amphibians have been identified. The park of "eternal waters" is full of incomparable sites of great beauty, such as the summit of Chirripó peak surrounded by several lakes of glacial origin or the imposing mass of crags known as the crestones.
Parque Nacional Barbilla
This park protects a region where mankind has not altered nature. The area still conserves its natural state due to its hard access location. It is part of the "Reserva de la Biosfera de la Amistad" which was declared by the UNESCO as a world heritage site. It is one of the few places in Costa Rica where 5 feline species can still be found.
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