Diriá National Park, National park in Guanacaste Province, Costa Rica
Diriá National Park covers roughly 28 square kilometers in the central highlands of the Nicoya Peninsula, featuring deep valleys and steep hillsides. The landscape consists of tropical forest covering different elevation zones.
The park was established as a forest refuge in 1991 and gained national park status in 2004. This designation protected essential water basins in Guanacaste Province.
The region was an important timber extraction area during Spanish colonial times, with mahogany and other valuable woods harvested along the San Juan River.
The visitor center is located at the ranger station entrance, where you can get information about trails and current conditions. Good hiking shoes and water are essential, as the paths have steep sections and humidity is high.
The protected area contains more than 380 tree species, including specialized plants like the Pitcairnia bromeliad and Stenocereus cactus found only on the Nicoya Peninsula. These rare plants thrive across the park's varying elevation zones.
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