Paramo Wildlife Refuge Costa Rica

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Paramo Wildlife Refuge Costa Rica: created on December 7th, 1999 to protect tropical forest areas and part of the moors in the high elevations of the Talamanca Mountains in Costa Rica.  It is located within the Los Santos Forest Reserve in San José province, near the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica.

The rainfall ranges between 2000 and 3000mm per year, with a temperature ranges between 12°C and 28°C. Because of its location in the area of Los Santos its biodiversity is very similar that the one you can find in Cerro Las Vueltas Biological Reserve and Los Quetzales National Park (Former Los Santos Forest Reserve), with  tropical wet forest, transition to montane, rainy montane and lower rainy montane. Plant species found in the area are: oaks, Post Oak, Guettarda comata, Ruscus aculeatus, magnolia, Vantanea babourii, Alder, Hirtella racemosa, Mexican Elm, Inga alba, Ladenbergi brenesii, Prunus cornifolia, Palm hearts, Sapium glandulosum,  Tree ferns, Clusia major (Copey, Autograph Tree, Pitch-apple), Mosquitoxylum jamaicense, Weinmannia, Cojoba arborea, Humiriastrum diguense, Poor man umbrella, Brunellia, “Arrayancillo” and Clethra costaricensis.

The fauna is rich and varied, where tapirs, peccaries, squirrels, goats, coaties, coyotes, porcupines, armadillos, partridges, raccoons, weasels, jaguarundies, margays, foxes, pigeons  been observed. There are also a lot of snakes like the the Side-striped Palm-pitviper, the Fer-de-lance and the Costa Rican Coralsnake.

Other nearby Costa Rica National Parks includes the Cerro Las Vueltas Biological Reserve and Los Quetzales National Park (Former Los Santos Forest Reserve), Tapanti National Park and Chirripo National Park. There are no public park facilities at this biological reserve.

Getting to Paramo Wildlife Refuge:

Take the road from San Jose to Cartago, on the Interamerican Highway, and take the exit for the Cerro de la Muerte until you reach km. 51, El Empalme, turn right to Santa Maria de Dota.

By bus

Take a bus from the route San Jose – Los Santos (Santa Maria de Dota, San Marcos de Tarrazu y San Pablo de Leon Cortes), which takes about 2 hours (Tranasportes Los Santos, 2546-7248 / 2227-3597). From here you can take taxi to Paramo National Wildlife Refuge.

Location: within the Los Santos Forest Reserve, in San José province.
Santa Maria de Dota GPS coordinates: 9.653131,-83.969856 (9°39’11.27″N, 83°58’11.48″W)
Size: 802ha (1,405 acres)
Central Pacific Conservation Area (ACOPAC) Telephone: +506 2416-7878
INFOTUR Tourist Information: 1192

Address map: Haga clic aquí para ver la dirección desde el Aeropuerto Internacional Juan Santamaría, Alajuela, Costa Rica a Empalme, Cartago, Costa Rica en Google Maps