Macaws
Pairs over the trees.
Dominic Sherony — CC BY-SA 2.0 · lwolfartist — CC BY 2.0 · Bernard Gagnon — CC0 · Becky Matsubara from El Sobrante, California — CC BY 2.0
A small national park on the Pacific coast in a transition zone between the dry forests of the north and the wet forests of the south, so plants and animals of both meet here. Its best-known residents are scarlet macaws, big parrots in red, blue and yellow that fly in pairs and screech above the trees. Visitors walk easy, well-made forest trails, some wheelchair-accessible, seeing giant trees, monkeys, many birds and sometimes tiny colourful poison frogs. Early morning is best for wildlife. A few minutes away, on the road bridge over the Tárcoles River, travellers stop to watch dozens of huge American crocodiles lying on the sandy banks below, from the dedicated footway. Never feed the crocodiles or go near the water. It lies on the way to Jacó and Manuel Antonio, so it fits into the same trip. The air is hot and humid.
Pairs over the trees.
Huge crocodiles.
Dry meets wet.
Coastal Route 34 near the Tárcoles River, about an hour and a half from San José
From the footway on the road bridge over the Tárcoles River, minutes from the park entrance; viewing is free.