Wellspring of the Rio Tempisque, the watershed of the Orosi and Cacao volcanoes was protected in 1989 and enshrined in this national park, a rugged, rarely visited world devoid of tourist services and appealing to those with a spirit of adventure.

Parque Nacional Guanacaste is a mosaic extending form lowland savannah to cloud forest atop its two volcanoes: Orasi and Cacao. Much of the cattle range at their western base is being returned to dry deciduous forest in an effort to fuse the disparate native habitats and create migratory corridors for the parks’ profuse wildlife.

On the Caribbean side, the Pitilla Field Station, set in pre-montane rain forest is reached via a dirt tack from Santa Cecilia, 29 km east of Hwy 1.