Piedras Blancas National Park
Country: Costa Rica

This park, formerly called Esquinas National Park or Corcovado Section II, was established in 1991 as an extension of the famous Corcovado. In the east the park borders the Golfito Forest Reserve and connects in the West with the Corcovado National Park by the forest corridor of Rincon who unfortunately is highly threatened by illegal logging.

The Piedras Blancas National Park covers 30'000 acres of undisturbed humid tropical primary rainforest and 5'000 acres of secondary forests, pasture land and rivers consisting primarily of hills of varied steepness, over one hundred stream valleys, a river plateau and coastal cliffs and beaches. A scientific study by Austrian biologists revealed that the diversification of tree species counted on different areas of 10'000 sq.m each exceeds the variety of trees found in the Corcovado who makes this area even more important to conserve.

Geologically the area consists mainly of a base of pillow basalts, 50 to 60 million years old, covered by different types of conglomerates dated an average of 1 to 2 million years old. The streams carry auriferous sands, fortunately with relatively low yields, thus gold mining has been only artisanal and it has not inflicted serious damage to either the streams or the surrounding forest. A common feature of the area is the abundance of ground water, sometimes found as shallow as 5 or 6 feet.

The seasons are not clearly defined, although most of the rain (100" to 150") falls during the rainy season (April to November). The average yearly temperature is around 80F (29º), with min. and max. oscillating between 70F and 90F. The humidity remains at relatively high levels, permitting the growth of a large variety of ferns.

Private scientific projects have chosen the remote area of the Piedras Blancas National Park for:

Scientific researches revealed that the flora, among the richest on the planet, encompassing several thousand different species of plants and hundreds of trees, some very rare and in danger of extinction, is very similar to the Corcovado. Some of the trees identified are: ceiba, nazareno, manú, fruta dorada, cristóbal, cedro macho, higuerón, mayo colorado, cerillo, maria, níspero, panamá, tostao, botarrama, camíbar, guabo, lechoso, guayabón, espavel, pochote, etc.

The fauna is composed by approximately 140 species of mammals, 350 species of birds, over 100 amphibians (including the endemic Golfo Dulce Dart Frog) and reptiles as well as several thousands of insects.
The Piedras Blancas National Park is not officially open to the public but there are various Eco-Lodges, engaged in conservation, bordering the park who offer guided tours in small groups into the park and create most needed jobs and income for the local population.

We thank Esther Greter for this information and also Golfo Dulce Lodge. We invite you to visit their website: www.golfodulcelodge.com