National Park General Information   Size: 552 hectares. Distance from San José : 321 kilometers from San José Trails: Along the Beach. Dry Season: January through March.

Las Baulas Marine National Park

Four hundred and forty hectares of this park consist of a mangrove swamp at Tamarindo. There are six known species of mangrove that grow on this pacific coast, where an abundance of black mangrove can be found, suggesting concentrations of salt in the soil of Tamarindo swamp.

Playa Grande is a very important nesting beach for the leatherback turtle (Baula is the Spanish name for this species). This is the world's largest and most wide-ranging sea turtle, nesting in beaches from Surinam to Malaysia and some individuals have been found as far north as Iceland and Scandinavia . Leatherbacks arrive at Tamarindo in early October and nest until March, with the peak of activity occurring during November and December.

Pottery has been found at the archeological sites of Matapalo and Herta Aguacate, adjacent to the park. The artifacts found are mainly bowls of different sizes that are decorated with blackish coffee colored engobe, and complicated geometrical designs. The park is located on the Nicoya peninsula, near the town of Salinas , heading on Highway 21 to Filadelphia (26 kilometers), then 25 kilometers to Huacas and finally 8 more to Matapalo on a dirt road.

Another newcomer to the list of Costa Rican national parks, Las Baulas was declared to protect two important nesting beaches for the giant leatherback sea turtle, as well as offshore areas where these large marine reptiles spend their days during the breeding season.

Leatherbacks, known as baulas in Costa Rica , are the largest of the world's seven species of sea turtles, averaging 350 kg . and more than a meter and a half in length. Watching one of these great ancient beasts come ashore at night to continue the age-old tradition of nesting in tropical sands is a very moving experience for most people, although others find the two-hour process a bit more than their patience and interest levels can tolerate.

In Costa Rica , this species can be found nesting at a number of beaches on both coasts, however, two of the more heavily used beaches are Playa Grande ( Big Beach ) and Playa Langosta ( Lobster Beach ), to the north and south, respectively, of Tamarindo Beach . Together, the aforementioned two beaches make up Las Baulas Marine National Park.

The nesting season at Las Baulas extends from October through February. When away from their breeding sites, leatherbacks range widely throughout the world's oceans searching for their principal food, jellyfish.

Admission policy: All visitors on the beach at night must be accompanied by a certified local guide (available at the entrance to the beach during the nesting season).

To get there: From the intersection on the Inter-American Highway at Liberia , drive west towards the Pacific coast. At the town of Belén , take a right turn and continue on paved road for 21 kilometers until reaching the community of Huacas. Follow a gravel road eight kilometers further through the town of Matapalo and on to Salinas , where you enter the national park at Playa Grande.

Fishing: Located in the most developed part of the country for deep-sea fishing, a dozen or more operators between Playa del Coco and Tamarindo offer charter boat service with the target species being Blue Marlin, Black Marlin, and Pacific Sailfish. Between the three species, there's usually action all year long. Other fish that help pick up the slack if the billfish aren't biting are Dorado (Mahi-mahi), Wahoo, and Roosterfish.

Climate: Hot during the daytime, evenings are usually a very pleasant temperature, although when the winds pick up from December through February, a jacket or sweater might be wanted while out looking for turtles. The rainy season lasts from May to November.