The national parks of Costa Rica

Fact: there are a shitload of national parks in Costa Rica. Here is our national park round up to help you out should you want to visit any:

Parque Nacional Volcan Arenal 
Park is under an active volcano. We saw monkeys, tree dwelling eyelash vipers, wild turkeys, and agoutis (Costa Rica's second largest rodent- about the size of a small dog. See middle picture, below.). The small trail system doesn't really justify the $15 pp entry fee.

Parque Nacional Rincon de la Vieja 
A large national park with beautiful waterfalls for swimming and general horseplay, a large trail system through different landscapes, and geothermal activity. Definitely worth visiting.

Parque Nacional Cahuita 
Our favourite national park that we visited. Three hours return trip alongside perfect beaches and a marine reserve. There are lots of capuchin monkeys, sloths, vipers, non-nocturnal crab hunting racoons, and much more. Probably worth paying to get a boat out to snorkel the reef if you ever visit.