Palo Verde National Park

Birds are the biggest attraction at Palo Verde National Park.

Palo Verde forms part of the Tempisque Lowlands,a flood plain area where several diverse habitats are bordered by rivers and limestone hills.

Palo Verde, is 18.6 miles west of Cañas, and located between the Bebedero and the Tempisque Rivers. It has as many as 15 different habitats, including fresh and saltwater lagoons and swamps, grasslands with stands of black mangrove and mangrove swamps.

When the rivers overflow during heavy seasonal rains, the entire area becomes a large lagoon and conditions are ideal for water fowl and wading birds.

There are approximately 150 species of trees and 55 species of water plants. Heron, stork, egrets, grebes, ibis, ducks and jacamas flock the lagoons and surrounding areas from September to March to feed and mate.

There are many natural waterways and walking trails the park is worth visiting during both the dry and rainy seasons.

One of the best strategies for spotting mammals at Palo Verde is to sit quietly near a water source. You may spot variegated squirrels, howler monkeys, white-nosed coatis, white-tailed deer, white-throated capuchin monkeys and collared peccaries.