Riddled with stygian chambers like holes in Swiss cheese, Barra Honda offers cavers an exciting challenge. Not all of its appeals are subterranean, however; above ground, its hiking trails thread a wonderful, wildlife-rich world of dry forests.

Unique in the nation, Barra Honda comprises a 2,295 ha wilderness of pitted limestone uplands that rise west of the Rio Tempisque flood plain and from which eons of weathering have carved out caverns. During the dry season you can make arrangements via the national park service to go into many of the 42 caverns that have been explored so far.

The caves boast their own home-grown species; among them are endemic blind fish and salamanders that have adapted to absolute dark.