Piedras Blancas National Park, South Puntarenas

With a stunning diversity of flora and fauna, the gorgeous Piedras Blancas National Park is a significant natural reserve and wildlife refuge located in the Puntarenas province.

Lying on the Southern Pacific Coast of Costa Rica, this national park is situated in Golfito in the south east of the Osa Peninsula. Neighboring the Golfito National Wildlife Refuge, the Piedras Blancas National Park connects with the Corcovado National Park to form and safeguard an important and ecologically diverse biological corridor in the Golfo Dulce.

History of Piedras Blancas National Park

Formerly part of the Esquinas zone of the Corcovado National Park, the Piedras Blancas National Park was created in 1993 to protect the only remaining lowland tropical rainforest in the Golfo Dulce or Dulce Gulf.

Spanning over 14,000 hectares, this national park is among the last remaining homes of the jaguar in Costa Rica. With its lush tropical forests and plethora of indigenous plants and wildlife, the Piedras Blancas National Park also protects the northern Golfo Dulce beaches and bays.

Flora & Fauna of Piedras Blancas National Park

Due to its humid and hot climate, this park gets plenty of rain keeping it lush and verdant all year long. There are hundreds of rare plant, animal, and insect species found in this forest, as well as a large number of snakes and other reptiles. However, not all of them are known, as studies of this park are still going on.

Some of the more common birds and animals found here include: the howler monkey, the white-nose capuchin, coatis, toucans and Scarlet Macaws.

Considered by many to be one of the best bird watching parks in the country, the Piedras Blancas National Park is an important gathering point for many birds from North and South America.

Map of the Area

Click to enlarge map - Map of the Area

Landscape of Piedras Blancas National Park

With its tall dense forestation, this national park is essentially an evergreen primary forest that is also the habitat of many indigenous trees and plants.

Also found here are many beautiful waterfalls and rivers along meandering trials as well as stunning beaches and a coral reef off shore. Research has additionally unearthed clues that in the pre-Hispanic period, this park was the home of many native Costa Rican tribes.

Getting To Piedras Blancas National Park

To reach the Piedras Blancas National Park, take the Pan-American Highway to Palmar Sur and go some 20 miles further south to La Gamba village. From here you can easily access the entrance to this park.

You can also fly or drive to either Golfito or Puerto Jimenez and then take a boat to the Park. If you are staying at one of the beautiful lodges they will arrange your transfers from either city.