Overview:

is a coastal protected area located on the Pacific Coast of Costa Rica, extending from Tamarindo Beach to the Matapalo Beach headlands. The park’s main attraction is its population of leatherback turtles, which nest on the beaches between October and April. Las Baulas contains a variety of ecosystems, including mangrove forest, lagoons, estuaries, coral reefs, and sandy beaches. It has a rich wildlife and plant biodiversity, and provides environmental education to thousands of visitors each year. The park is managed by the Las Baulas National Marine Park Board, and is considered an important nesting site for the conservation of leatherback turtles. You can learn history, culture, and heritage through these magnificent monuments in Costa-Rica
Prominent Features:

1. Consists of 6,653 hectares of land and sea area. 2. Incorporates four distinct habitats: rocky coasts, swamps, rain forest, and five beaches. 3. Offers a variety of aquatic activities such as scuba diving, snorkeling, sport fishing, swimming and whale watching. 4. Home to several species of endangered marine animals, especially leatherback turtles, who come to lay their eggs on the beaches here each year. 5. Includes several small islands such as Isla Bolaños, Isla Murcielagos, Isla Pantanos and Isla Boyeron 6. Provides a variety of resources for visitors such as food, restaurants and tour operators. 7. Provides educational programs and research-related activities. 8. Has a visitor center for information about the Park’s natural, historic and cultural diversity as well as tourism resources. 9. Offers a wide range of activities for visitors, including bird watching, hiking, camping, kayaking, and horseback riding. 10. Contains several archaeological sites that reflect the history of human habitation in the area. This national monument of Costa-Rica portrays the history and culture of the country.

History:

The Las Baulas National Marine Park in Guanacaste, Costa Rica was established on April 14, 1991 under Costa Rican law. The park’s goal is to protect the leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) population’s nesting grounds at Playa Grande. The term, Las Baulas, actually refers to the eggs of female leatherback sea turtles that have nested on the beach. The first recorded harvesting of leatherback sea turtle eggs on Playa Grande occurred in the 1950’s, and the magnitude of egg poaching significantly and swiftly increased in the following decades. In the late 1980s, the Costa Rican government issued a decree that allowed the near unrestricted harvesting of Leatherback Turtle eggs throughout the country. In 1989, oceanographer Dr. Wyrian Alexander Rojas joined with the non-profit organization MarViva and Conservation International to confront the decimation of the leatherback sea turtle by introducing a plan to create a national park at Playa Grande, conserve and protect the nesting grounds on the beach, restore the legal protection of turtles and eggs, and educate the local population. By 1991, the plan had been approved by the Costa Rican government and the Las Baulas National Marine Park at Playa Grande was established on April 14. It received legal and constitutional protection in 1998, and joined the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance in the same year. The park is now part of a bi-national initiative called TIRN (Turtle Island Restoration Network), and includes the Nancite Wildlife Refuge which is located 11 kilometers south of Playa Grande. Today, Las Baulas National Marine Park is a haven for Leatherback Turtles and other wildlife endemic to the region such as tropical fishes, frigate birds, sharks, and American crocodiles. Tourists can visit the park and observe the turtles nesting in their natural habitat. The park also works with the local community to raise awareness about the importance of the conservation and protection of the Leatherback Turtle. You must visit one of these historical places in Costa-Rica on your Costa-Rica tour

Interesting facts:

1. The Las Baulas National Marine Park is the first marine park in Costa Rica that was created to protect the leatherback sea turtle. 2. The park is a major nesting site for the world’s largest turtle species, the leatherbacks. It is estimated that around 95% of all eastern Pacific leatherback nesting in the world occurs in Costa Rica’s Las Baulas National Marine Park. 3. Along the 4.3 miles of coastline within the park, visitors can spot rare species of wildlife, including dolphins and endangered marine turtles. 4. The Las Baulas National Marine Park is home to various flora and fauna which includes mangrove trees, coral, mollusks, lobster, shrimp, and various species of flora and fauna both on shore and offshore. 5. The park has been declared a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Visit one of the famous monuments of Costa-Rica with your friends and family.