UNESCO World Heritage in Costa Rica

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The beaches in Costa Rica are beautiful and invite you to relax. But you will not only find the pure joy of life, which is very contagious in the country, but also four UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Three World Natural Heritage Sites and one World Cultural Heritage Site. What they are and where to find them, you will learn here in the article.

Reserves Talamanca Area - La Amistad / National Park La Amistad

The transboundary UNESCO World Heritage Site stretches along the border between Panama and Costa Rica and was added to the list in 1983. Within the national park there are different climatic zones due to the geographical differences between the tropical rainforest and the mountain range. Due to the multiple climatic zones, the park is home to an impressive variety of plant and animal species. Endangered, rare and endangered species such as the Ornate Spider Monkey also find protection here.

Coconut Island National Park

Cocos Island is the only island in the tropical eastern Pacific with tropical rainforest. The remaining approximately 200,000 hectares protect not only diverse marine ecosystems, mainly pelagic, but also the most diverse coral reefs of the entire eastern tropical Pacific. Thanks to its remote location (550 kilometers from the coast of Costa Rica) and conservation efforts, the biologically diverse island represents one of the best preserved tropical marine waters known as a prime diving destination. In 1997, the island became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Guanacaste Protected Area

The Guanacaste Protected Area includes the Santa Rosa, Guanacaste and Rincón de la Vieja National Parks. Since 1999, the protected area has been part of the UNESCO Natural Heritage. The area hosts important habitats for the conservation of biodiversity. Endangered or rare animal and plant species also find a home here.

Guanacaste National Park is a green and humid rainforest in the rainy season, which turns into a tropical dry forest in the dry season. The tropical dry forests are rare in the world.

Santa Rosa National Park is home to animals like jaguars, vampire bats and more.

The Rincón de la Vieja National Park impresses with the active volcano of the same name, bubbling mud pools and boiling hot geysers.

Unesco World Heritage Site, Costa Rica

Pre-Columbian settlements and stone balls of the Diquis

To date, the Pre-Columbian Settlements and Stone Balls of the Diquís are Costa Rica's only UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2014. The property includes four archaeological sites in the Diquís Delta in southern Costa Rica that are considered unique examples of the complex social, economic and political systems of the period from 500 to 1500 AD. They also contain a collection of stone balls of various sizes. The meaning, use and manufacture of these stones are largely a mystery.

If you want to experience nature in Costa Rica and have a unique adventure, then check out our Costa Rica Round Trip over. Explore the South American country in an authentic and sustainable way, get to know the nature and landscapes, culture and religions, animals and people up close. Let yourself be carried away by the joy of life of the inhabitants and experience the country off the beaten track with your small travel group.

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