Braulio carrillo national park

The Braulio Carrillo National Park is the largest in the central zone of the country, with at least 47,689 ha and is under the administration of the Central Volcanic Conservation Area.

It is located north of the Central Valley, on the Central Volcanic Cordillera, between the massifs of the Poás and Irazú volcanoes. This marvelous natural treasure includes the Barva and Cacho Negro volcanoes, extending from Alto de la Palma in the north of the canton of Moravia, to the La Selva Protection Zone in Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí.

It has a maximum elevation of 2906 m a.s.l. at the top of the Barva Volcano and registers a minimum temperature of 3 ºC and a maximum of 24 ºC. Due to the great altitudinal gradient that the park encompasses, rainfall is very varied and ranges from 2,500 mm on the slopes facing the Central Valley to 5,734 mm on the Caribbean slope.

The landscape is made up of high mountains densely covered with forests and a large number of canyons through which rivers and streams of great importance in the production of hydroelectric energy flow.

This park bears its name in honor of the third head of state, Braulio Carrillo, who ruled the country between 1837 and 1842.

On the other hand, in 1977 the construction of the current San José – Guápiles highway began and a year later, to avoid the irrational destruction of the forest, the Braulio Carrillo National Park was created, according to Executive Decree on April 15, 1978.