Limoncito Wildlife Refuge Costa Rica

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Limoncito Wildlife Refuge Costa Rica was created on April 26th, 1994 to protect migratory bird species in the lowlands, flooded forests and palm forests of the central Caribbean coastal region. It is located at the mouth of the Limoncito River, just south of the Limon port in Costa Rica.

The Limoncito Wildlife Refuge has great recreational potential, covered mainly in holillo palm (Raphia taedigera). Also, the refuge has a very beautiful beach, although it has big waves, surrounded with coconut palms (Cocos nucifera). Best access to the Limoncito beach area is by walking south from Limon, a path along the beach from Limón.

There are no public facilities at Limoncito Wildlife Refuge. Other nearby parks include Tortuguero National Park, Cahuita National Park and Gandoca-Manzanillo Wildlife Refuge.

Getting to Limoncito Wildlife Refuge:

From the Juan Santamaria International Airport drive for about 8 km in direction to San Jose. On your right hand the Hospital Mexico will appear.After the Hospital Mexico, you must take the exit to La Uruca (on the rotonda, the third exit). Turn right at the traffic lights and follow to San José (keep the middle lane as much as possible) until you get to Shell gas station at a Y-junction, keep left. Take the exit Guapiles-Limon and follow the road (nr. 32) to Limón, passing through the Zurqui bridge and the Braulio Carrillo mountains. It is likely that you will encounter fog and rain. Please drive with your lights on. After the mountains the road to Limon is practically straight with no hills.

When you reach Puerto Limon, just before you enter to the city you will see a sign (at the Texaco Station) where you turn right and go to Cahuita and Puerto Viejo and just follow the coast until you get to Limoncito Wildlife Refuge. This route requires a total of five hours from San Jose.

Please note that if you have not left San Jose by 2 pm you will be driving part of the way at night. We do not recommend this for first time travelers driving in Costa Rica. Roads do not have lines, and rain can be bad and there are potholes and people walking/cycling that you can not see very well.

By bus

Take a bus from the route San Jose – Cahuita National Park – Puerto Viejo, which takes 3.5 hours (Transportes Caribeños, 2257-8129). We recommend buying the ticket a day earlier to be sure your seat is saved.

By plane:

You can also take a flight from the Juan Santamaria Airport to the Limon, either with Sansa, TravelAir or Aerobell Airlines, both with daily flights. From here you can rent a car and drive or take taxi to Limoncito Wildlife Refuge, which is about 15 minutes.

Location: south of Limón city, Costa Rica.
Limon GPS Coordinates: 9.989639,-83.03325 (9°59’22.70″N, 83°01’59.70″W)
Size: 1,056 ha (2,790 acres)
Caribbean La Amistad Conservation Area (ACLA-C) Telephone: +(506) 2795-1446
INFOTUR Tourist Information: 1192

Address map: Click here to view directions from Juan Santamaria International Airport (SJO), Alajuela, Costa Rica TO Downtown Limon, Costa Rica at Google Maps