Barra Honda National Park

Size: 2,295 hectares
Distance from San José: 335 kilometers
Dry season: January through March

Barra Honda National Park was created in 1971 primarily to protect its famous cave system. Although most of the park has been cut over in the past, wildlife is fairly abundant and increasing with protection. A good trail system takes the visitor to the caves, unusual limestone formations, and a spectacular lookout.

Barra Honda Peak, which rises almost 300 meters high, is composed of reef-type limestone, that is, ancient coral reefs that emerged as a result of a geological upheaval caused by faulting. This peak which dates back to 60 million years is especially striking because of its steep, jagged sides, especially on its southern flank, and because it is almost completely flat-toped. The surface of the summit is pitted and pockmarked everywhere one walks. Some of the holes are no longer than about 10 cms. In diameter while others measure several meters across. In some cases there are large craters left from cave-ins. Deeply eroded and razor-sharp rocks just out in whimsical shapes over almost the entire summit and especially on the southern rim.

An extensive network of independent caves has been found on the park, 20 of almost 40 have been explored to date. The depths of the caves vary considerably, with the deepest, Santa Ana, descending 240 meters underground. The most spectacular caves are Terciopelo, La Trampa and Santa Ana where a profusion of stalactites, columns, pearls, chalk flowers and needles, helictites, popcorn, mushrooms, sharks's teeth and other formations can be seen. Terciopelo is the cave with the greatest number of formations and the most beautiful ones. One such formation is called The Organ which produces different melodic tones when gently tapped. Trampa Cave has the largest steepest vertical descent of all the caves: from the entrance at its mouth to the first ledge, there is a sheer drop of 52 meters. This cave also has the largest chambers of any discovered so far. One is made of pure white calcite which gives it a dazzling effect. Stink-Pot Hole, which owes its name to the stench of bat guano deposits, is the only cave with a large population of these mammals. In Nicoa Cave, believed to be an ancient cenote, a large number of human remains were discovered in 1970 and some time later, pre-Columbian artifacts and adornments. This cave also has several gigantic stalactites that have collapsed from the roof and now sprawl on the floor.

Barra Honda caverns are renowned for their pristine condition. The reason they have managed to retain all of their geological and biological features is that they all have vertical entrance shafts requiring special equipment to get into them. One cave, La Trampa, has a vertical drop of 52 meters from the entrance to the first ramp. One might think that the technical nature of gaining entrance to the caves makes them inaccessible to those not in possession of the necessary equipment and knowledge, but it's not the case.

The park service personnel can take you into La Terciopelo cave, which contains some of the most impressive formations of all the system. The descent is by cable ladder, and the rangers tie a rope around you and set up a two-person belay around a tree in case of a slip. They then come down after you and will guide you around the cavern. You need to set this up well in advance with the parks people, a week at least.

To explore other caves in the park on your own, get permission from the park supervisor through writing him in care of Parque Nacional Barra Honda, Quebrada Honda, Costa Rica. You need to be well experienced in the use of rappelling and ascending devices, and have at least one experienced caver in your party.

The vegetation in the park is mainly deciduous. Some of the most common tree species are: the wild plum, gonzalo alves, tempisque, monkey's comb, lemonwood, gumbo-limbo, wild cotton, quamwood and pond apple. A considerable amount of wildlife is found inside the caves. Besides several species of bats, there are blind salamanders and fish, and many species of arthropods, some of which are probably yet to be discovered and described by zoologists.

Animals and birds found here: white-faced capuchin monkey, coyote, common long-nosed armadillo, white-tailed deer, common racoon, white-nosed coati, southern opposum, Amazonian skunk, magpie jay, orange-fronted parakeet and the turkey vulture.