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Santa
Rosa National Park
Santa Rosa National Park is one of Costa Rica's most
important historic areas, in addition to serving as
a popular destination for nature lovers and surfers.
The ranch house, known as "La Casona", and
the stone corrals witnessed the nation's greatest
heroic deed: the Battle of Santa Rosa, which took
place on March 20th, 1956. These historical sights
are located just to the left after reaching the parks
main entrance; on the upper level. A short walk from
the camping area brings you to this very photographic
location. For the adventurous, a short climb up a
nearby tower offer terrific views of the surrounding
area.
A
challenging dirt road, which departs from the main
area near the camp grounds, arrives at the beautiful
Nancite and Naranjo beaches, both of which are major
nesting grounds for the olive ridley, leatherback
and pacific green sea turtles. Nancite is where the
largest "arribadas" of olive ridley turtles
in Tropical America come ashore. While the Naranjo
beach is open to the public, Nancite beach requires
special permits, particularly during the time the
olive-ridley turtles are nesting.
Within
the park there are ten habitats, including savannas,
consisting of jaragua grassland and various trees
such as the live oak, shoemaker's tree and rough-leaf
tree, among others. The deciduous forests contain
some 240 species of trees and shrubs; among them Costa
Rica's National Tree, the Guanacaste or ear tree,
gumbo-limbo and mayflower. In the evergreen forests
the dominant species are locust, chicle, oak, tempisque
and bitterwood.
The
fauna is rich and diverse as well. More than 155 species
of mammals have been identified, more than half of
which are bats. There are also 253 species of birds,
100 of amphibians and reptiles, and over ten thousand
types of insects, including some 3,140 species of
butterflies and moths. The most conspicuous mammals
are the howler monkey and whitefaced monkeys, armadillo,
white tailed deer, white-nosed coati, collared peccary,
raccoon and the spiny pocket mouse, which is the most
abundant of all. Some of the birds found include the
magpie jay, orange-fronted parakeet, elegant trogan,
rufous-naped wren, crested caracara, great curassow,
common black hawk and long-tailed manakin.
Special Considerations
Near the upper camping grounds, there is a short nature
trail ( Indio Desnudo ) just before the Santa Rosa
National Monument. This trail provides the best opportunities
within the park to view wildlife, particularly in
the early morning or late afternoon hours. Deer, howler,
spider and white-faced monkeys, lizards and hawks
are quite common. Light levels are low, but there
are good photographic opportunities on this trail.
There are several trails near the main office, as
well as along the road heading south to the beach
area. Trails are present around the beach area as
well, many of which are located behind the estuary.
Camping is permited, however, only in the designated
areas, not along any of the trails. Maps are available
at the park office which do an adequate job of detailing
the areas of interest.
The
water level available throughout the upper campground
area is potable. However, if you proceed to the beach
area below, bring all the supplies necessary as it
is common to have no water available at the lower
campgrounds. Any water is utilized for bathing and
cooking only.
How To Get There
Bus - You can take a direct bus to Liberia, which
departs San Jose eight times daily, and later catch
a connecting bus which will pass by the entrance to
the park along the Pan American Highway. There are
several buses which depart daily from Liberia and
pass the Santa Rosa National Park. The direct bus
to Liberia takes approximately four hours and they
normally run close to schedule.
Let
the driver know, with sufficient notice, that you
would like to be dropped off at the entrance to the
park. The distance from the drop-off point to the
main camping area is approximately 7 km ( 4.35 miles
) on a hot, paved and open road. We recommend that
you purchase a good supply of fluids before departing
either San Jose or Liberia. Upon your arrive at the
park entrance, there is no fluid available until you
reach the main camping area. Along the entrance road,
there are two vistas on the right side which provide
spectacular views and a well deserved resting spot.
Car
- Just continue north along the Panamerican Highway
from Liberia until you reach the Park's entrance on
the left side of the road. The road from the main,
upper level camping area down to the beach is at times
restricted even in the dry season. We highly recommend
a strong, four-wheel drive vehicle as this long, steep,
pothole filled dirt road is treacherous and at times
impassable.
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Surfing
Snorkeling
