Right near the river mouth of Tempisque, just 20 km from Bagaces is one of the largest wetlands in our country.

The Palo Verde National Park is of great importance for migratory birds that use this space to feed or reproduce, It also has multiple trails that lead to different hills where a surprisingly particular landscape can be seen.

How to get there?
From Bagaces 20 km southwest.

With Waze

Hours:Open every day from 8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.
Cost:¢ 1000 national / $ 10 foreigners
Pets:Not allowed
Vehicle:Every vehicle arrives.
Parking:Yes

What to bring?
Comfortable clothing with sunscreen, trail tennis shoes, hat, sunglasses, sunscreen, insect repellent, snacks and hydrating drinks for walking.

Food?
Water for the heat but really it depends on how long you want to stay at the park, for us 1 bottle was enough because the path we did was short.

Time:Whatever you want.
Difficulty:Easy

On our way to Liberia, on the northern Interamerican highway, you can pass by Bagaces, a canton full of attractions that many of us do not know about, but it is worth a visit. From the intersection of Bagaces take the entrance that goes to the left and continues 20 km down a ballast street in good condition until you reach the entrance to the national park. On the way, you pass many rice farms, a green landscape that is extremely relaxing to look at with mountains that are not very high in the background.

Once at the entrance, they explained some of the trails, and for the short time, we had decided to take the recommended path, La Roca. Then we get inside the car and continued for another 10 minutes until we reached the marked entrance of the path. We parked under a tree with a bunch of cones, and after a few attempts of selfies we started walking, the path is just over 500 m, the dry vegetation of low height mixed with the sounds of nature makes you really forget the heat.

When we finished climbing the hill we found a very large calcareous stone that we reached by climbing steps, when we climbed we were surprised by the epic panoramic view of practically the entire national park towards the main wetland. After the excitement of the initial sighting, we began to appreciate more what surrounded us, and we found many intense green dragonflies that captivated us while they were suspended in the air. Then we noticed some white-faced monkeys that watched us from the top of the trees while the sun fell on the horizon, something spectacular.

To finish off our day, we climbed down the hill of La Roca and went to the last recommendation of the park ranger, It was a platform that is on the wetland (when we went It did not have water) and appreciated what was left of daylight in that unique mosquito-filled landscape. After taking several pictures on the deck, we saw a lot of white-faced monkeys feeding on who knows what, this was very funny because we could get close enough to touch them, besides it’s a little weird to see the monkeys walking around in instead of swinging in the trees.

We headed back to Bagaces, satisfied to have visited this national park that has so much to offer.