Costa Rica’s High Season Starts With Fewer Trails Than You’d Expect

Costa Rica’s dry season is about to bring its biggest crowds of the year, but several of the country’s most popular national parks are opening it with closed sectors, shorter trail networks or tighter visitor caps. The newest closure is at Marino Ballena National Park on the southern Pacific coast, where the Piñuela sector shut on Monday, November 9, and is expected to stay closed for about six months because its facilities have deteriorated.

At Piñuela, foot access, boat drop-offs and pickups, and the restrooms and showers are all off limits. The park’s Uvita, Colonia and Ballena sectors remain open, so visitors can still walk the famous whale-tail sandbar at Uvita at low tide. Further north, Manuel Antonio National Park has temporarily closed its Punta Catedral trail with no reopening date, and the park continues to close every Tuesday.

Poás Volcano has been open since August 28 under stricter rules introduced after a moderate eruption. The daily visitor limit has been cut to 1,064 from 2,052, helmets are mandatory, only two trails are open, and no more than 56 people at a time can stand at the crater lookout, for 20 minutes per group. At Rincón de la Vieja, the trail to the active crater remains closed, while the Las Pailas sector is open Tuesday through Sunday.

In Corcovado, the Sirena, Los Patos and El Tigre sectors were closed through October for maintenance and heavy rain, so travelers should confirm they have reopened before committing to a guided trek. Daily caps there are tight: 366 at Sirena, 120 at San Pedrillo and 80 each at the other stations. National park tickets are sold online only, which makes booking ahead essential in the holiday weeks.

Sources: The Tico Times, Deep Arrival