Piedras Blancas National Park

Protected land area: 14,150 ha.
Marine Area: 1,200 ha.
Hours: 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Piedras Blancas National Park

Piedras Blancas National Park is located in the Osa Peninsula Conservation Area. Along with Corcovado National Park and Golfo Dulce Forest Preserve, Piedras Blancas forms an important biological corridor that protects the great diversity of plant and wildlife species inhabiting Golfo Dulce.

Piedras Blancas used to operate as part of the Corcovado National Park and was called the Esquinas Sector from 1991 before becoming a separate park in 1999.  It's rugged mountains and river basins from the Rio Esquinas and the Rio Piedras Blancas provide a dense evergreen forest that is home to many rare tropical trees, birds, mammals and reptiles. This region is a true rainforest, receiving up to 200 inches of rain annually.

The park is home to Baird's tapirs, ocelots, pumas, giant anteaters and harpy eagles. Other protected species include: howler, spider, squirrel, and white-faced capuchin monkeys, great tinamou, silky anteater, poison dart frog, glass frog, bushmaster snake, and leatherback, olive ridley, and green turtles.

Different private scientific projects have chosen Piedras Blancas National Park's remote areas for the reintroduction of the highly endangered scarlet macaw to establish a third self-sustaining population. Also confiscated ocelots and margays, formerly held as pets in private households, have been released in this area.