Rain Forest Travel: Puntarenas

Destinations

Puntarenas

The southwest part of Costa Rica was the last part of the country to be settled - a road wasn't built in the region until the 1950's. As a result, much of this area is still pristine wilderness.

	Carara Biological Reserve (Reserva Biológica Carara). 51 miles southwest of San Jos‚. A transition zone between the drier north and more humid south - as a result it contains a great diversity of flora and fauna. The wildlife is easier to see here than in many other parks.
	Dominical. A coastal town 50 minutes southwest of San Isidro. The highlight here is Nauyaca Waterfalls (Cataratas de Nauyaca), a spectacular double waterfall. You can also visit the pozo Azul, a smaller waterfall about 3 miles south of Dominical. Take an inner tube trip on the Bar£ River, south of Dominical.

OSA PENINSULA

An eight-hour drive from San Jose, this is a backpacker's paradise. One-third of this peninsula is covered by the Corcovado National Park.

	Corcovado National Park. Located on the Osa Peninsula, this national park is one of the largest and wildest protected areas in the country. There are no roads in the park.
	Caño Island. 12 miles west of the Osa Peninsula, this island is uninhabited and covers about one square mile. Most of the reserve here is evergreen forest containing fig, locust, and rubber trees. The attraction of the island is the surrounding ocean, which has superb conditions for scuba diving and snorkeling.