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vast, often inaccessible area of La Amistad, Costa Rica's largest
wilderness area of 193,929 hectares. It is known as an international
park because it continues across the border into Panama, where
is managed separately. This park is considered one of the world's
largest unaltered tropical forests. In 1982 the park and the area
around it was declared a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO, and then
named a World Heritage Site.
La Amistad's great biodiversity (seven life habitats and six transitional
zones) comes from an immense variation in altitude, climate and
topography. Vegetation changes from very moist forests and rainforests
to cloud forests and paramo (high, exposed land with stunted trees)
as the territory climbs from 150m on the Caribbean side and 850m
on the Pacific side to the highest points at Cerro Kamuk (3549m)
and Cerro Durika (3280m).
La Amistad
International Park has the nation's largest populations of Baird's
tapirs, as well as giant anteaters, all six species of neotropical
cats -jaguar, puma (or mountain lion), margay, ocelot, tiger cat
(or oncilla) and jaguarondi- and many other more common mammals.
Within the biosphere reserve as a whole, over 500 bird species
have been listed sighted (more than half of the total in Costa
Rica) and 49 of these species exist only within the Reserve. In
addition, 115 species of reptiles and amphibians have been listed
and more are being added regularly. The number of insect species
is innumerable.
40 km northwest of San Vito. South of Costa Rica
Opening
hours: Daily, from 8:00 to 16:00
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