 Location
The Juán Castro Blanco Park is located in the Alajuela
Province. It lies on the Chocosuela mountain chain, lying at the
western end of Central Volcanic Cordillera. It also supports the
wet forest and cloud forests. The Juán Castro Blanco National
Park was created as recently as the year 1995. The aim of the park
was to protect the strips of forestlands. The Juán Castro
Blanco National Park is also responsible for protecting the water
resources, which are responsible for generating hydro-electricity
as well maintaining the supply and cleanliness of major rivers like
the Toro, Aguas Zarcas, Guayabo and Platanar. These major rivers
originate from this natural reserve.
Animal Species
Juán Castro Blanco National Park abounds in flora and fauna.
There are 30 mammals, 44 species of amphibians, 32 reptiles and 107
birds. You can find here mammals like goats, monkeys, armadillos,
dantas and the Tepescuintle. One can spot here birds like bat
falcons, the peacock, the black turkey, white hawks, and the
Chachalaca. The Juán Castro Blanco National Park also houses
some endangered species like quetzal, curassow, red brocket deer,
and black guan in the vast expanse of this park spreading to over
14,258 hectares. The park also has some 22 species of bats. The
place also abounds in beetle species with around a 35 of them
spotted here, 51 aquatic insects and 274 moths and butterflies.
Fauna
Juán Castro Blanco National Park houses five ecosystems.
Depending upon the slope of the mountains the ecosystems differ.
The highest ranges are covered with vegetation like oak trees and
quizarra, a characteristic of the cold climes. If you want to
discover the bounty of nature you could also choose to hike,
although the hiking trails aren't marked. The geography of the
place is volcanic. The region has Platanar volcano, measuring 2,183
meters, the active volcano and then there is the inactive Cerro
Viejo (2122 meters). There are forests atop these volcanic regions,
which the park intends to protect. There are certain patches of
regeneration forests. The forest species includes magnolias, the
yos, small cedar and the white cypresses.
 Nearby
Attractions
The main attractions in the nearby area are the village of Bajos
del Toro, a beautiful and quaint village situated on Río Toro.
The beauty of it lies in walking the trail to this village. You can
also go to Bosque de Paz Rain Forest Biological Reserve lying in
the valley of Bajos del Toro,at the foot of Juán Castro Blanco
National Park. This Reserve scores high with lovers of birds. It
also has several hiking trails. The reserve has botanical,
hummingbird gardens and an exotic flora and fauna.
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