 Location
Braulio Carrillo National Park is situated north-east from the
Central Valley, above the Central Volcanic Mountain range, between
the solids of Poás and Irazú volcanoes, and also includes
the Barva and Cacho Negro volcanoes.
The park has three entrances, two of which are located on the
San José along Guápiles highway. Two trails exist at the
parks first entrance or Zurqui, and are called "Los Niños" and
"Los Guarumos" respectively. At the second entrance off the highway
is the Quebrada Gonzáles entrance having three trails namely
"Las Palmas", "Botarrama" and "El Ceibo", that lay open to public.
The park's third entrance is situated alongside Volcán Barva,
with the Barva and Copey lakes being the star attractions.
Climate
Braulio Carrillo National Park is always covered with clouds and
mist. The park and its surroundings witness fluctuations in
rainfall ranging between 2,500 millimeters to 8000 millimeters a
year. The temperature usually varies in the range of 9 degree
Celsius to 25 degree Celsius. The topography and high precipitation
rising up to 4.500 millimeters is a source to torrential
waterfalls.
Topography
The terrain of Braulio Carrillo National Park constitutes rugged
mountains, rushing rivers, dormant volcanoes, deep canyons and
rainforests. It is located on a wavering and uneven topography
zone. The park is a sanctuary to dormant volcanoes like The Cacho
Negro (very visible due its conifer shape) and the Barva.
Flora and Fauna
Braulio Carrillo National Park has a rich collection of rare
species of Flora and Fauna. The park is a sanctuary to 135 mammal
species, including 73 species of bats, 5 species of cats and three
monkey species. Besides this, the other categories of mammals
include tapir, paca, sloth, peccary, and white-tailed deer.
Tourists would certainly love to see over 347 species of birds
which also include quetzal, Great Green Macaw, Toucan, Umbrella
bird, besides other species of hummingbirds. Several types of frogs
and toads are frequently seen throughout the park, in addition to
bushmaster, which is also the largest venomous snake in the
continent.
 The park
also has a rich collection of giant waterfalls that meander their
way through the ravines and come out of the mountain slopes,
sheltered with evergreen rainforest thick with ferns, palms,
epiphytes and carrizales. Further, typical vegetation in the
lowlands constitutes olive, alcanfor, mayo and copal. The
vegetation belt of the highlands includes over 6000 species, are
oak, mountain cypress, small cedar and magnolia, respectively.
The ideal time to visit Braulio Carrillo National Park and the
rainy highlands is March and April, when it is a sunny.
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