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CORCOVADO NATIONAL PARK
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This park protects one of the greatest areas of tropical wet forest and also conserves
one of the richest ecosystems with a great biodiversity. It has large tracts of
primary forest ( virgin forest ), where we find the tallest trees in Costa Rica,
and the park is home to many endangered species. It is one of the wettest areas
in the country. As much as 5,000 mm falls on the highest hills. The vegetation,
one of the richest and most diverse of Costa Rica, is botanically very similar
to South America. The main habitats are mountain forest that covers over half
the park and contains the greatest variety of species of fauna and flora in the
area; the cloud forest that occupies the highest parts is very rich in oaks, and
in tree ferns; high plains forest, occupying the alluvial part of the park; and
swamp forest that is flooded almost all year.
Given its extraordinary biological diversity, Corcovado is currently an important
centre for research into moist tropical forest; in Sirena there is a biological
station with facilities to carry out research. This park and the rest of the peninsula
was an important centre of settlement of Pre-hispanic peoples; archeological sites
have been found practically on the edge of all the paths within the park.
The fauna of Corcovado is as rich and varied as its plants. 140 species of mammals,
367 birds, 117 amphibians and reptiles and 40 freshwater fishes are known to occur
there. The park holds the biggest population of scarlet macaw in the country.
Some of the threatened species found there are: Baird´s Tapir, giant anteater
and five of the six species of cats found in Costa Rica; namely, puma, ocelot,
jaguarundi, margay and jaguar .
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SAN PEDRILLO STATION CORCOVADO NATIONAL PARK
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You start this one day excursion by boat from the hotels to the station. Once there your tour guide will offer you a 2 hour walk through the rainforest to see birds and animals of the area. One of the highlights of this excursion are the scarlet macaws, which you may see by the beach and around the station. At the station there are restrooms and a place to have your picnic brought from the hotel. After lunch a hike to the waterfall is available, or you can just relax and enjoy the beach until departure time.
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