Costa Rica's first protected area, at the tip of the Nicoya Peninsula. It opens Wednesday to Sunday only.
Costa Rica Tourism Board (ICT): park fees and hours, in Spanish
Run by: SINAC, Tempisque Conservation Area.
Created: 21 October 1963, the country's first protected area.
Size: 1,369 ha of land and 1,688 ha of sea, including Isla Cabo Blanco.
Hours: Wednesday to Sunday, 8:00–16:00.
Fee: US$12 non-resident adult, US$5 child 2–12. ₡1,600 resident adult, ₡500 resident child.
Reserve office: +506 2642 0093
Reserve office: +506 2642 0096
Checked with official sources, as of 30 Oct 2026.
Tropical forest that has grown back since 1963, cliffs, white-sand beaches and tide pools. Seabirds nest on Isla Cabo Blanco.
Take the ferry from Puntarenas to Paquera and drive to Montezuma. Follow the coast to Cabuya, then the signs to the reserve's Cabuya entrance.
Wednesday to Sunday, 8:00–16:00. It is closed on Monday and Tuesday.
US$12 per non-resident adult and US$5 per child 2–12. Residents pay ₡1,600 per adult and ₡500 per child.
Olof (Nicolás) Wessberg from Sweden and Karen Mogensen from Denmark pushed for it. Executive Decree No. 10 created it on 21 October 1963.
The trail to the tip takes most of the day and the gate closes at 16:00, so start early and carry water.
The old prison island off Puntarenas. A boat, a guided walk through the cells, and back.
Macaws and a flat accessible trail, 20 minutes before Jacó. Book the ticket online.
Caves under the dry hills near Nicoya. You go down on a rope with a guide, in the morning.
A quiet river park south of Puriscal. Twelve kilometers there and back, with swimming holes.
Hill forest inland from Tamarindo, above Santa Cruz. A 4x4 and a river crossing.
Wetlands on the Tempisque, full of birds from September to March. Gravel from Bagaces.
