La Amistad International Park

Thank you for your support and interest in the La Amistad International  Park in Costa Rica! If you would like to arrange a trip to the park it would be our pleasure to assist. Please email us at: biolleybuzz@gmail.com

A short hike into the park: Gigantes del Bosque

La Amistad International Park also known as the “friendship park”  in Costa Rica and Panama from the Caribbean Sea to the east and  to the peaks of the Talamanca mountain range that rise above the east and flow to the west facing the Coastal Mountain range of  the Pacific Ocean. La Amistad has 479,209 acres of Costa Rican territory of which  much of which has yet to be explored.

The La Amistad International Park is surrounded with the indigenous residents and farmers. These indigenous farmers survive by producing coffee beans and beef. The balance that must continue to take place between these people and the park is a delicate balance indeed. It is important that these farmers continue to respect the park and practice organic methods of growing coffee and raising cattle. There needs to be a continuation of support for the park to stop poaching, squatting and general disregard for the park. The natural wonder that is the farmer’s backyard is a part of the farmer’s ecosystem. The park provides fresh water and mild temperatures to the farmers. The largest protected region in Costa Rica, La Amistad International Park has more virgin forest than all of the other Costa Rican parks combined, and is estimated that over two-thirds of all species found in Costa Rica live here.

Poached Jaguar

Squatters clear the land to graze their cattle.

Logging in the park.

Promise for curing disease

Insects and plants species are being discovered at an astounding rate. This is another reason why it so important to support the protection of this park. Not only do they hold promise for curing disease by finding new plant species but also, they supply over 40% of the world’s oxygen.

In 2006 the UK’s Darwin Initiative funded a three-year joint project organized by the Natural History Museum, London, INBio (Costa Rica) and ANAM (Panama). Over 7,500 plants, 17,000 beetle and 380 herpetological collections were made and deposited in the national collections of Costa Rica and Panama. These expeditions lead to the discovery of 12 plant species, one dung beetle species, fifteen amphibian and three reptile species new to science.

Blue Morpho butterflies can be found all over Costa Rica and they are very prevalent in the La Amistad Interational Park. Here is a photo of Blue Morpho butterflies.

Exploring the La Amistad International Park

Much of the park has never been explored, and it not advised to venture very far beyond its boundaries without an experienced guide. La Amistad International Park is unequal to other parks it’s size and is a haven for over 4% of all species on Earth! Being one of eight Neotropical zone in the world you will find all six species of neotropical cats – Jaguar, Jaguarundi, Ocelot, Puma, Oncilla Margay, Baird’s tapirs, giant anteaters, as well as monkeys, coatis, over 600 bird species, 115 species of fish, and almost 300 reptile and amphibian species. There are over 130 orchid species, 500 Tree species including sweet cedar, small cypress, silk cotton, black oak, white oak, dwarf Madrono and Batamba as well as Glacial lakes and alpine grasslands.

A World Heritage Site

La Amistad International park is one of the biological reserves of great ecological value and led UNESCO to declare this area a world heritage site in 1983.

Petroglyphs

Strange stones can be found on our farm and in the park and are evidence of a pre-Colombian civilization.   We have several boulders on our farm as well and a few of them have drawings/petroglyphs!

Weather

The driest months are February and March. The northern winds and the sunshine make for a wonderful time to see the park. The Park itself is so immense that the weather fluctuates and makes it difficult to make predictions. So it is best to dress for warm weather in the day and cooler weather at night in the Biolley area.

Tourism

Tourism is an important part of the park. It provides extra income for the indigenous people in Biolley and  teaches them to be  more adept to preserving the natural resources of the park by supporting the biosphere. Tourism gives them incentive to live in harmony with the park and the people of Biolley are eager to meet international tourists to share their part of the world with you. Once you reach the station at Altamira, the views are absolutely gorgeous! From there you will take anyone of the trails that will lead you into the park. If you are a birder, this part of the park boasts an incredible diversity of birds to be seen! If you wish to camp primitive sites are available at several designated locations within the park. While hiking it is possible to see amazing wildlife such as white-faced monkeys, squirrel monkeys, other land animals, and various birds in the park.

La Amistad International Park Access Point in Biolley

There are no paved roads into the park. Access is generally by horse, foot or a good 4X4 vehicle from any one of the four entrance stations including the Altamira station. Tours of the Park are available and it is advised you hire a guide for this rugged hike. We can arrange this for you. It is important to consider a guide, as many of the trails are unmarked.

On the Pacific side of the Talamanca Cordillera (4WD is highly recommended ). Estación Altimira is the park headquarters, and is located 12 miles (20 km) north of Guácimo or also known as Las Tablas. It is the main entrance to the park in the southern zone. Altamira is in Biolley where our farm is located.

Flowers of Costa Rica and the La Amistad International Park

If You Are Driving

We provide explicit instructions to reach our farm. If you have arranged a trip to the park and a visit or stay on our farm with us (you can do this by simply leaving a comment on the site.  We will contact you shortly thereafter.), please use the map we have provided here. We provide visuals for landmarks from either coming from the north on Hwy 2. (Pan American Hwy.) from San Isidro or from Hwy. 36 then Hwy 2. from the coast (in Costa Rica)on this link. If you need directions from elsewhere such as Panama, please leave us a comment with your email address and we will provide you with those directions. There are two border crossings in Panama.

Please see our link: Where is Biolley?

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