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All 13 Puntarenas Attractions »

Reserva Biologica Carara

Puntarenas, Costa Rica
Ranked #3 of 5 attractions in Puntarenas
4.5 of 5 stars 10 Reviews
Type: Parks, National Parks
Description: A coastal rain forest park.
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10 reviews from our community

Visitor rating
    6
    3
    0
    1
    0
Date Rating
Herradura, Costa Rica
Reviewer
3 reviews 3 reviews
Reviews in 3 cities Reviews in 3 cities
4 helpful votes 4 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 23 February 2012
1
person found this review helpful

Carara Forest Reserve is a fabulous place. No large crowds and a nice, peaceful hike. I followed the advice of other reviewers and after paying the $10/pp entry fee, hired one of the guides at the ranger station for $25.00 - great recommendation and I would highly encourage you to do this if you do go there. We actually drove... More

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New York City, New York
Senior Reviewer
7 reviews 7 reviews
Reviews in 3 cities Reviews in 3 cities
7 helpful votes 7 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 30 August 2011
3
people found this review helpful

What can I say - my wife and I visited about 6 national parks in Costa Rica in two weeks to go bird watching, and David's tour was the best of all of them. First and foremost, he suggested us NOT going into the park first - because our best chance to see toucans and scarlet mcaws was outside the... More

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Minneapolis, Minnesota
2 reviews
Reviews in 2 cities Reviews in 2 cities
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 17 December 2009
1
person found this review helpful

We stopped here on the way to Manuel Antonio hoping to see the Scarlet Macaw (this is the only place to see this bird in Costa Rica). We enlisted the help of local guide Victor, he was amazing - we saw way more wildlife with his help. He tracked down the Macaw, monkeys, Jesus lizard and sloths. This park is... More

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Chicago, IL
Reviewer
4 reviews 4 reviews
9 helpful votes 9 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 17 June 2009
7
people found this review helpful

We learned about this park as we were leaving one destination and heading to Quepos. so we decided to give it a try and I am so glad we did. The abundance of wildlife in this park is amazing. First, do not hire a guide it isn't worth it. Second, wear keens or waters shoes. You can rent boots if... More

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Brooklyn
Senior Reviewer
10 reviews 10 reviews
Reviews in 7 cities Reviews in 7 cities
11 helpful votes 11 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 6 May 2009
5
people found this review helpful

We stopped at Carara almost as an afterthought, on our way from Arenal to Manuel Antonio. So glad we did! The park was almost empty on our sunny Sunday in late April. The ranger at the front desk called one of the park-sanctioned guides for us, which was definitely the way to go. Our guide, a French/English/Spanish speaking veteran-birder named... More

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Minnesota
2 reviews
Reviews in 2 cities Reviews in 2 cities
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 12 March 2009

My wife and I recently went to Costa Rica. One stop was the Carara National Park. We are avid birdwatchers and had heard Carara was a great location for this. I will say that Carara did have an amazing variety and number of birds. We used a local tour guide, Vic's Tours. Victor is from the area, very knowledgable about... More

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Denver, Colorado
Contributor
20 reviews 20 reviews
Reviews in 13 cities Reviews in 13 cities
27 helpful votes 27 helpful votes
2 of 5 stars Reviewed 4 September 2008
5
people found this review helpful

We went to Carara national park to find the Scarlet Macaws b/c my boyfriend is a birder. The guidebooks say that the entrance fee is about $15/pp and there are trails, etc... When we arrived we went to the counter and were prepared to pay our entrance fees. The official told us that there were two parts of the park... More

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Atlanta
Contributor
13 reviews 13 reviews
Reviews in 5 cities Reviews in 5 cities
17 helpful votes 17 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 31 December 2007
7
people found this review helpful

I'm adding a 100% recommendation for Victor Mora's tour (Vic-Tours) of Carara! He was able to spot monkeys, macaws, bats, and a green & black frog during our tour. Victor's education and extensive experience in Carara paid off big time and my wife and I thoroughly enjoyed our walk. Since we didn't see toucans in the reserve, Victor took us... More

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Tucson
Contributor
11 reviews 11 reviews
Reviews in 6 cities Reviews in 6 cities
15 helpful votes 15 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 4 August 2007
9
people found this review helpful

We walked through Carara National Park in the early morning with Victor, a guide from victourscr, and were amazed at the animals, birds, reptiles, insects, plants etc he was able to point out to us. He has a telescope so you'll be sure to spot some of those that are harder to see. He is so knowledgeable, and a great... More

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Montezuma, Costa Rica
Contributor
16 reviews 16 reviews
Reviews in 4 cities Reviews in 4 cities
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 5 May 2012
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