Palo Verde National Park, Wetland sanctuary in Guanacaste Province, Costa Rica

Palo Verde National Park covers 18,418 hectares in Guanacaste Province, 30 km west of Cañas. It protects floodplains, marshes, limestone ridges and seasonal pools of the Tempisque and Bebedero river basins, with 15 topographical zones from evergreen forest to mangrove swamp.

The area became a national park in 1978 to protect critical wetland habitats in Costa Rica. This action showed the nation's commitment to conservation during a period when environmental protection was growing in importance.

Palo Verde takes its name from the green-stemmed palo verde trees of its dry forest. The land belonged to presidents Tomás Guardia and Bernardo Soto until around 1850, then passed to Jorge Wilson, whose family signed an agreement with the OTS in 1970 creating the Palo Verde Biological Station. Researchers and students still work there.

The terrain is easily accessible with paths of varying difficulty suitable for different visitors. Early morning is the best time for wildlife watching since animals are most active then.

Parajos Island, in the middle of the Tempisque River, is Costa Rica's largest nesting site for black-crowned night-herons. In the dry season, when water is scarce elsewhere in the country, birds gather in the park and its river basin; 15 topographical zones, from evergreen forest to mangrove swamp, lie within its boundaries.