tapanti national park

Some very nice hikes here that are fairly easy (the incline on the way up can be challenging for some). Beautiful waterfall across the river - some swimming areas are available. It was wonderfully quiet when we were there on a Saturday morning.

It was a bit of a drive to get to Tapanti from where we were staying but it was well worth it. The rain held off just long enough for us to see a marvellous selection of birds just by walking along the road. We walked partly around one trail but then the rain started again. Our guide mentioned that there are many more trails but this rainy day was not the day to walk them. I'm hoping to be able to return some day to do more of the park. There is a little museum at the entry which all of us enjoyed.

The trails are not difficult, the place has a small museum on the entrance. The trail to the waterfall is really nice (difficult to see the waterfall), the park was BBQ facilities, parking space. If you like to explore the nature or tree diversity, this is the place for you!. Remember: bring a rain coat

I rented a bike in Orosi and rode up to Tapanti National Park. The ride up took about 1.5 hours (distance is 11 km one way) on a poor bike. It is a beautiful ride, during the week there is not much traffic. On the weekends, it might not be so pleasant.Once in the park it is 4.5 km from one end to another. There are several short hikes in the park. A walk down to the river is enjoyable, lots of birds, tree ferns and other cloud forest vegetation.Entry fee to the park is $10 for non-Costa Ricans.

This is one of the hardest and largest trails in Tapanti. It's a 2,5 kms semicircular and thickly forested nature trail. It climbs steeply up and down, it's also very muddy and there are many fallen trees along the way. You'll need at least 2h to finish it.

I'm going back there at my earliest opportunity but next time I'm going early in the AM when it's more likely to be clear and less likely to be raining. Next time I'm bringing a rain jacket. I cut my hike short because of the rain, which was too bad because this is a beautiful place. Living in Minnesota, I do not have many chances to hike in a tropical old-growth rain forest. Of all the things I saw and did in Costa Rica during my three weeks there, this was my favorite.- Marcos

Our hotel arranged (Orosi Lodge) arranged a cab driver to leave us there and go back to pick us up 3h later. We paid him $40 for both rides.We arrived in the early side, the park was just opening and we didn't see many other tourists there. We did the trek to the lookout point which is easy. Going up is harder but still OK. The other trail, the Sendero Natural Arboles Caidos was much harder. It's very muddy and hilly. It took us more than 2h to finish it.

Unlike many other protected areas in Costa Rica, Tapanti is not congested with tourists. This can provide a worthwhile experience in hiking, bird watching, animal spotting, tree diversity, epiphytes, etc. The park is large and unspoiled. The trails are adequate not contained in an extensive, unwieldy system. The lack of distance hiking encourages slowing down and soaking up the natural, luscious setting. It is a good idea to go with a guide, e.g. Peregrines Tours based in Turrialba.

This luscious green park has fun and challenging trails for those who want to breathe some fresh air and do some exercise. One of our favorite weekend outings is doing some trails in the morning to work up an appetite and then taking either a picnic lunch or bringing some coal and meat to use their BBQ facilities by the river. The picnic area is right on the side of the beautiful river and it's great for a relaxing afternoon after a couple of challenging trail walks.

Don't go to Tapanti on weekends during the dry season if you can help it. It gets full of noisy parties and feels like a glorified picnic area. However, if you can make it on a monday or tuesday not a soul will be there and you will love it. The trails are not super extensive but do show you just enough of the environment to really get a feel for the importance of protecting the area. Plenty of opportunity to see wildlife and soak in the epic aliveness of every square inch of the park.

Beautiful green jungle with moss everywhere and epiphytes on all the trees. Really cool park, trails to walk for the day long. Nice waterfall overlook to see. Wear raingear, it's worth it.

I visited this unspoiled tropical oasis in late September[2013] with Tico naturalist Carlos Betancourt Suarez to view the abundant birds but soon after our arrival and only about 15 minutes into our trail hike we got caught in a rainfall or downpour that would not end. Actually, the rain did finally end after about one and a half hours but we were soaked and cold so we left for the day. I was told that this park has hundreds of bird species but we were only able to see 2 or 3 Colibris[hummingbirds]. A visit is best in the months of December thru March.

Unfortunately, when we visited the park, so did a zillion other people. If you can go when it's not expected to be busy (not a holiday) you would probably stand a chance of seeing wildlife. We had a very nice and steep hike down to the river, which reminds me of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Beautiful foliage, ferns, and trees are everywhere. It is worth a visit, and who cares if people picnic there? It's their country, not ours.

pros: - beautiful scenery- length of the walks suitable for childrencons:- the whole park is a huge picnic area that attracts a lot of very friendly but noisy ticos.- only three short trails, one of which was closed, and an overlook of a waterfall at the end of the park- really hard to see interesting wildlife without a guide even in good weather walking slow and silently and looking in every crack and turning around every leaf (we were hiking about 9 am on a sunny day)- terrible map of the park (photocopied) where we couldn't decipher some of the signs- no visitor center, nothing to learn about the park and its flora and fauna- way overprized (10$ per person) for what you get- the gravel road to the park is in bad shape with lots of holes, 4x4 recommended- no working light in bathrooms, toilet paper completey soaked by the moisture in the airOur recommendation: Getting there by sunrise is supposed to let you see a lot of birds. Or go there with a guide who can tell you something about the park and point out some animals.

Tapanti National Park is a wonderful place to spend a day. The scenery is stunning and the trails and facilities are very well maintained. While only a small portion of the park is actually accessible to tourists it is very well worth the trip. The best part is that it is rarely crowded except for weekends in the high season. Swimming in the rapids of the Rio Grande de Orosi is a blast but the temperature of the mountain water is let’s say “refreshing” The water is so crystal clear that you can actually see trout swimming from the bank. There are some nice picnic areas and even barbeque pits if you would like to prepare a hot meal. There are also hikes to waterfalls and scenic lookouts. Birders will be in heaven here, but go early because they don’t call it a rainforest for nothing.