Chirripó National Park protects towering mountains and vast valleys filled with glacier lakes and moraines, sparkling rivers and unique habitats ranging from fern groves and oak forests to highland paramo elfin forests. The park protects the country’s tallest peak, Chirripó, rising 3,820 meters (12,533 feet) above sea level, affording a spectacular view of both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts on clear days. A great variety of interesting animals, including wild cats and other large mammals, inhabit Chirripó National Park.

Location: The park is located along the Talamanca Mountain Range, in Costa Rica’s southern zone. The park service office is located in San Gerardo de Rivas, about 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) northeast of San Isidro de El General.

Size: 50,150 hectares / 123,920.7 acres

Created: August 19, 1975

Chirripó National Park is a “Place of Eternal Waters,” as described by its indigenous name, Chirripó. Myriad crystalline rivers and streams run through the area. The interesting geological features of Chirripó, various U-shaped valleys, terraces, moraines and lakes, bear testimony to the huge glaciers that swept through this region some 25,000 to 30,000 years ago.

The upper altitudes of the park contain five areas of great scenic beauty and geological importance: the Savanna of the Lions, Valley of the Rabbits, peak of Chirripó, Valley of the Moraines and Valley of the Lakes.

The paramo elfin forest, found in the park at elevations above 3,400 meters (11,155 feet), contains altitude-stunted vegetation and small trees that reach a maximum of four meters (13 feet) in height. The most common plant here is Matamba, a miniature bamboo species. The park also shelters cold and misty cloud forests, with evergreens and encino oak trees rising up as tall as 50 meters (164 feet). Their branches host an abundance of aerial ferns, mosses, bromeliads, orchids and other epiphytes.

Among the animals found inside Chirripó National Park are the tapir, white-lipped peccary, puma, jaguar, ocelot, jaguarundi, rabbit, coyote and a variety of frogs and other small amphibians. Among the birds in the region are the resplendent quetzal, black-faced solitaire, hummingbirds, flycatchers, woodcreepers and warblers.

At the top of the steep path leading up into the park, visitors are greeted with a splendid view of the picturesque Los Crestones. At the foot of the impressive rock formation is the rustic park-run Crestones Base Camp, where travelers can spend the night and cook dinner ($12/person, travelers must bring their own food).

At the top of the steep path leading up into the park, visitors are greeted with a splendid view of the picturesque Los Crestones. At the foot of the impressive rock formation is the rustic park-run Crestones Base Camp, where travelers can spend the night and cook dinner ($12/person, travelers must bring their own blankets and food).

The peak of Chirripó is located at the end of a steep uphill climb about 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) from the base camp. Visitors are advised to stay at the base camp for several days to thoroughly explore the park’s fascinating geological features.

Sediments extracted from the bottom of Lake Chirripó, beneath the peak of the same name, contain carbon dating back about 4,000 years and demonstrate the existence of brush fires in ancient times, started either by natural causes, such as lightning, or by indigenous agricultural practices. At least seven major brush fires have swept through Chirripó in the last half of the 20th Century. Ironically, the park also shelters the region’s most important watershed areas. The upper watershed areas of the Pacific Chirripó River, an affluent of the great Térraba River, as well as the Atlantic Chirripó River, a main affluent of the Matina River, are located inside the park.

The United Nations declared Chirripó and the adjacent La Amistad International Park (shared with Panama) a Biosphere Reserve in 1982, and a World Heritage Site in 1983. Together, they shelter an estimated 60 percent of all of the vertebrate and invertebrate animals in Costa Rica.

Chirripó National Park usually fills to capacity during the drier months (and peak of the tourist season), from January to April. Advance reservations are required at (506) 771-3155. The park service recommends making reservations up to four months in advance.

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