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Insight Costa Rica
In the Pura Vida Hotel
Alajuela, Costa Rica
Tel: 011-506-2430-2929
Fax: 011-506-2430-2630
Cell: 011-506-8878-3899
EMAIL us at:
InsightCostaRica
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An Insight into Cabo Blanco Nature Reserve.
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| "Cabo Blanco - the beach" |
If you are on the Nicoya peninsula
visiting Montezuma, Malpais or Santa Theresa Cabo Blanco MUST be on your list.
This unique park was a vision of Karen and Olof Wessberg who arrived in Costa Rica in
1955.
Olof's appeal to various conservation agencies included the following,
"only in one spot is there today some of the wildlife that was formerly everywhere
in the northwest . . . Here live the puma and manigordo (ocelot), deer, peccary,
tepiscuintle, pizote, kinkajou, chulumuco (tayra), kongo (howler monkey),
carablanca (capuchin monkey) and miriki (spider monkey). The jaguar and
the tapir are already extinct . . . When we settled here six years ago the
mountain was always green. Today it has great brown patches and in March a
nd April it is shrouded in smoke and fire. Two more years and the mountain
will be dead. Who is goling to save it?"
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| "Cabo Blanco - the park" |
Years later through the work of
Olof Wessberg (later murdered in the Osa while trying to get Corcovado protected)
and others such as the legendary Boza and Ugalde (credited with much of the
inspiraion for the National parks system) Cabo Blanco was designated a
national park and is now perhaps the least visited and most protected of
the parks of Costa Rica. This is a near pristine forest well worth the trip.
There is more about the park and surrounding area here: http://www.caboblancopark.com/freetime.htm
- also the location of these photos.
For more on the founding of this remarkable park check out:
"The Quetzal and the Macaw" - the story of the founding of the Narional
Parks of Costa Rica. This is an inspiring tale of possibilities for other developing
countries. "Balancing political enlightenment with environmental concerns"
maybe one synopsis that describes the efforts of many people to make the parks
system a reality. In 1969 not a single acre was under protection from the
government - now over a quarter of the country is protected. This book is
out of print but email us for a source which has some used ones.
If you'd like to visit Cabo Blanco email us at:
InsightCostaRica for information or ideas?
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