The Braulio Carrillo National Park is a world of clouds and rainforests to the East of San Jose, Costa Rica. The entire park is a vast expanse of lush, green rainforest that can be accessed by a highway.
The immense beauty of the Braulio Carrillo National Park can be admired sitting in the vehicle. The highway is one of the most traveled ones of Costa Rica but if you leave your vehicle and wander for about a hundred yards on either side, you reach a completely new and virgin world of greenery.
To reach the Braulio Carrillo National Park, you need to take Calle 3 to reach Guapiles Highway that is headed North East. There are many ranger stations on both sides of the highway and the main one is called Zurqui. You can also take the train to Puesto Carrillo station, 25 miles from San Jose or Puesto Barva station to the west of the Costa Rican capital.
There are no accommodation arrangements at the Braulio Carrillo National Park. However, you can stay at San Jose and take daily trips to the Braulio Carrillo National Park.
The main attractions at the Braulio Carrillo National Park are the hiking trails. You can take the path to the place where water plunges down 10,000 feet from Barva to La Selva. When you climb up the trails, you get amazed by the difference in flora and fauna that change at differing altitudes. You can actually hike for the entire day and reach the beach of Cahuita at sunset.
Another attraction is the Aerial Tram that is located on the Eastern side of the Braulio Carrillo National Park. You get to travel in an open gondola and take a two level tour of the rainforest that takes you over a valley and climbs up a mountain. This tour is a guided one and the guides are adequately equipped to counter any emergencies.
If you don’t have too much time on you, you can go for a day trip of the Braulio Carrillo National Park from San Jose. It costs about USD 50 per person.
