- Address: Bajuras del Tempisque, Nicoya, Guanacaste, Costa Rica
- Phone: +506 2659-1551
- E-mail: dorian.mendez@sinac.go.cr
- Website: actempisque.org/pnbarrahonda.htm
- Area: 23 km²
- Foundation date: 1974
The state of Costa Rica is famous not only for its wonderful sandy beaches , but also for its many protected areas . 22 kilometers from the city of Nikoya is the National Park of Barra Onda (Parque Nacional Barra Honda).
This is one of a kind nature reserve, which was specially created to study and protect the cave natural complex. The main attraction of the park and the whole province are the same-name limestone caves, as well as the picturesque landscapes that open from here. The average annual temperature in the territory of the reserve Barra Honda is about 27-29 degrees Celsius.
Description of the reserve Barra Honda
The Barra Onda National Park was opened on September 3 in 1974. Its area is 2295 hectares of land. Here grow dry tropical, deciduous and evergreen forests. In the reserve there are about 150 species of trees, all kinds of herbaceous and shrub plants, most of which are endemic.
The fauna of Barra Onda is represented thus:
- 80 species of birds;
- 44 species of mammals;
- 11 species of reptiles;
- 6 species of amphibians;
- large colony of bats.
In the territory of the Barra Onda National Park, you can meet monkeys, coyotes, anteaters, raccoons, white-tailed deer, agouti, battleship, opossum, skunk, iguana, frogs and other animals. Also here lives a lot of insects. The reserve has a special nature protection program, thanks to which the number of mammals has increased significantly in recent years.
The main attraction of the park
At present, 42 caves are found in the Barra Onda National Park, while only 19 of them have been fully explored. The longest of them (Santa Anna) goes deeper into about 240 meters. In the underground complex were found the remains of ancient animals, traces of the pre-Columbian era, as well as accumulations of stalagmites and stalactites of different colors and forms. Grottoes are decorated with "shark teeth", "cave pearls" and other various forms of minerals that nature has created for thousands of years.
Most of Barra Onda caves are hard to reach for a simple tourist. They have quite steep, even steep slopes, and the underground passages are represented by a branched system. For example, the entrance to La Trampa has a 30 meter vertical chasm. To visit only one cave, called the Caverna Terciopelo, is open. It has a depth of about 17 meters, and climbing and descending the stairs will give travelers a rather sharp and unforgettable experience. Here are some of the most beautiful limestone formations.
How to get to Barra Onda National Park?
Near the Barra Onda National Park there is a motorway with the number 18. You can get there by car or by public transport . Go follows the signs to the villages of Nakaoma or Barra Honda, and from them, 800 meters away is the main entrance. Visiting is possible and with organized excursion . If you like hiking and adventure, the Barra Onda National Park is the best place for this.
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