National Parks

CABO BLANCO STRICT NATURE RESERVE

Area:
1,172 Terrestrial Ha.
1,790 Maritime Ha.

Location: Southern tip of the Nicoya Peninsula, Pacific Coast, Puntarens Province.

This refuge is a marine bird sanctuary and is one of the most beautiful areas on the Pacific coast.

The woods are predominated by evergreen species. Some of the most common trees are lancewood, bastard cedar, wild plum, gumbo-limbo, trumpet tree, dogwood, frangipani, and the spiny cedar. One spiny cedar is a veritable natural monument growing beside the trail to Maven Peak -it towers 50 meters and measures 3 meters in diameter at chest height.

Among the 119 types of trees in this reserve, the dominant species in the primary forest are spiny cedar, chicle, and espave.

The white-tailed deer, howler, spider and white-faced monkeys, porcupines, agoutis, pacas kinkajous, coyotes, long-nosed armadillos, and margay cats are also found here.

Marine birds are very numerous, particularly brown pelicans, magnificent frigatebirds, laughing gulls, common terns, and brown boobies. Terrestrial birds include the long-tailed manakin, magpie jay, cattle egret, crested caracara, elegant tragon, white-bellied chachalaca, ringed kingfisher, sulphur-winged parakeet, and turkey vulture.

In the sea, large populations of fish, crabs, chitons, lobster, shrimp, giant chanches, and clams are present, while many other species inhabit the intertidal zone and neighboring shores.