Braulio Carrillo National Park
10/3/2009
Braulio Carrillo National Park is bisected by allegedly the busiest highway in all of Costa Rica, the Guapiles Highway, which connects San Jose to Limon. The 47,000 hectare park boasts the largest altitude range of any park in Costa Rica. Extending from 36 to 2906 meters above sea level, it encompasses rugged yet lush terrain and is difficult to access from any point other than this highway.
Zurqui Tunnel
Despite the park’s huge size, it has only a few, relatively short, maintained trails. Three of these are reached from the Quebrada Gonzalez Sector. We chose the two connecting loop trails, Senderos Ceibo and Botarrama.
Trailhead in the Quebrada Gonzalez Sector of Braulio Carrillo National Park
Rain in the rainforest – the mirador along the Sendero Ceibo
The Ceibo trail was recently graced with a maintenance effort courtesy of LL Bean, so it is a rather easy stroll along a stoned path through extraordinarily lush, virgin rainforests. This short loop links to the slightly more rugged Botarrama trail, which continues through verdant forest, descending to the Rio Sucio.
Ceibo Trail, Braulio Carrillo National Park
Sendero Botarrama, Braulio Carrillo National Park
Although sucio translates to dirty, the river is so named for its clayey color that results from the rich mineral volcanic soils. The water in this river is actually quite clean and, in fact, the park was originally established in 1978 for the express purpose of protecting this watershed of the greater San Jose area. This seems to have been in exchange for the permitted highway construction through the virgin forest.
Drying out along the Rio Sucio
Rio Sucio, Braulio Carrillo National Park
We spent about three hours on the trails, spying countless songbirds and a few monkeys. For me however, the highlight of this park was the overwhelming sense of green. The lushness, the size, the shapes and the textures of the vegetation were simply stunning.
Extraordinary vegetation in Braulio Carrillo National Park
“Ford every stream…”
Braulio Carrillo National Park is bisected by allegedly the busiest highway in all of Costa Rica, the Guapiles Highway, which connects San Jose to Limon. The 47,000 hectare park boasts the largest altitude range of any park in Costa Rica. Extending from 36 to 2906 meters above sea level, it encompasses rugged yet lush terrain and is difficult to access from any point other than this highway.
Zurqui Tunnel
Despite the park’s huge size, it has only a few, relatively short, maintained trails. Three of these are reached from the Quebrada Gonzalez Sector. We chose the two connecting loop trails, Senderos Ceibo and Botarrama.
Trailhead in the Quebrada Gonzalez Sector of Braulio Carrillo National Park
Rain in the rainforest – the mirador along the Sendero Ceibo
The Ceibo trail was recently graced with a maintenance effort courtesy of LL Bean, so it is a rather easy stroll along a stoned path through extraordinarily lush, virgin rainforests. This short loop links to the slightly more rugged Botarrama trail, which continues through verdant forest, descending to the Rio Sucio.
Ceibo Trail, Braulio Carrillo National Park
Sendero Botarrama, Braulio Carrillo National Park
Although sucio translates to dirty, the river is so named for its clayey color that results from the rich mineral volcanic soils. The water in this river is actually quite clean and, in fact, the park was originally established in 1978 for the express purpose of protecting this watershed of the greater San Jose area. This seems to have been in exchange for the permitted highway construction through the virgin forest.
Drying out along the Rio Sucio
Rio Sucio, Braulio Carrillo National Park
We spent about three hours on the trails, spying countless songbirds and a few monkeys. For me however, the highlight of this park was the overwhelming sense of green. The lushness, the size, the shapes and the textures of the vegetation were simply stunning.
Extraordinary vegetation in Braulio Carrillo National Park
“Ford every stream…”
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