Chirripó National Park, National park in Limón Province, Costa Rica.
Chirripó National Park is a protected area in the Talamanca mountain range in southern Costa Rica, covering dense cloud forests, high-altitude wetlands, and rocky summit zones. The vegetation shifts noticeably with elevation, moving from thick forest in the lower sections to open, wind-swept terrain near the peaks.
The park was established in 1975 after logging activity had increased in the region and the mountain forests were at risk. Years later, the surrounding area became part of the La Amistad Biosphere Reserve, which crosses into Panama.
The Crestones Base Lodge on the high plateau is the only place to sleep inside the park and is run by local communities near the trailhead. Staying there gives visitors a direct sense of how mountain life here differs from the rest of the country.
Access to the park requires an advance reservation since the number of visitors allowed each day is limited. Most people start the hike from the town of San Gerardo de Rivas, where lodging, food, and gear rental are available nearby.
The summit plateau holds a group of small lakes known as Los Lagos, which sit in an otherwise bare and rocky landscape. On the coldest nights, the water in some of these lakes freezes, which rarely happens in a tropical country.
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