Cahuita National Park
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
🦥 Poison Dart Frogs & SlothsCahuita protects Costa Rica's most important coral reef — 600 hectares of living reef with over 35 coral species and 123 fish species — alongside a stunning coastal trail through tropical rainforest. The park is a Caribbean wildlife hotspot where white-faced capuchins, howler monkeys, sloths, and raccoons are encountered at remarkably close range along the beach trail. One of the few parks with voluntary donation entry.
9.815° N 82.704° W
Wildlife
⭐ Iconic Species
★ 
Central American White-faced Capuchin
Cebus imitator
★ 
Hoffmann's Two-toed Sloth
Choloepus hoffmanni
★ 
Basiisk Verde
Basiliscus plumifrons
★ 
Strawberry Poison-dart Frog
Oophaga pumilio
📊 Most Spotted
Common Raccoon
Procyon lotor
Western Slaty-Antshrike
Thamnophilus atrinucha
Great Kiskadee
Pitangus sulphuratus
Mantled Howler Monkey
Alouatta palliata
Black Vulture
Coragyps atratus
Lesser Greenlet
Hylophilus decurtatus
Olive-backed Euphonia
Euphonia gouldi
Chestnut-backed Antbird
Myrmeciza exsul
Four-lined Ameiva
Holcosus quadrilineatus
Middle American Ameiva
Holcosus festivus
White-throated Gecko
Gonatodes albogularis
Montezuma Oropendola
Psarocolius montezuma
⭐ Iconic Species
★ Central American White-faced Capuchin
Cebus imitator
★ Hoffmann's Two-toed Sloth
Choloepus hoffmanni
📊 Most Spotted
Common Raccoon
Procyon lotor
Mantled Howler Monkey
Alouatta palliata
Brown-throated Sloth
Bradypus variegatus
White-nosed Coati
Nasua narica
Red-tailed Squirrel
Sciurus granatensis
Proboscis Bat
Rhynchonycteris naso
Central American Agouti
Dasyprocta punctata
Northern Tamandua
Tamandua mexicana
Central American Spider Monkey
Ateles geoffroyi
Common Opossum
Didelphis marsupialis
Tayra
Eira barbara
Northern Silky Anteater
Cyclopes dorsalis
📊 Most Spotted
Western Slaty-Antshrike
Thamnophilus atrinucha
Great Kiskadee
Pitangus sulphuratus
Black Vulture
Coragyps atratus
Lesser Greenlet
Hylophilus decurtatus
Olive-backed Euphonia
Euphonia gouldi
Chestnut-backed Antbird
Myrmeciza exsul
Montezuma Oropendola
Psarocolius montezuma
Bay Wren
Cantorchilus nigricapillus
Turkey Vulture
Cathartes aura
Keel-billed Toucan
Ramphastos sulfuratus
Short-billed Pigeon
Patagioenas nigrirostris
Black-cheeked Woodpecker
Melanerpes pucherani
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
Four-lined Ameiva
Holcosus quadrilineatus
Middle American Ameiva
Holcosus festivus
White-throated Gecko
Gonatodes albogularis
Green Iguana
Iguana iguana
Brown Basilisk
Basiliscus vittatus
Border Anole
Anolis limifrons
Köhler’s Vine Snake
Oxybelis koehleri
Black River Turtle
Rhinoclemmys funerea
Crested Anole
Anolis cristatellus
Helmeted Iguana
Corytophanes cristatus
Rainforest Hog-nosed Viper
Porthidium nasutum
Mourning Gecko
Lepidodactylus lugubris
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
Red-eyed Treefrog
Agalychnis callidryas
Green and Black Dart-poison Frog
Dendrobates auratus
Masked Tree Frog
Smilisca phaeota
Sylvia's Tree Frog
Cruziohyla sylviae
Sipurio Snouted Treefrog
Scinax elaeochroa
Giant Marine Toad
Rhinella horribilis
Harlequin Treefrog
Dendropsophus ebraccatus
Savage's Thin-toed Frog
Leptodactylus savagei
Red-webbed Tree Frog
Boana rufitela
Vaillant's Frog
Lithobates vaillanti
Tink Frog
Diasporus diastema
Boulenger's Snouted Tree Frog
Scinax boulengeri
Recent sightings in Cahuita National Park
LIVEiNaturalistAnimal Events
1Poison Dart Frog Season
Strawberry 'blue jeans' and green-and-black poison dart frogs call across the wet leaf litter.
2Migrant Bird Season
Chestnut-sided warblers, summer tanagers and northern waterthrushes join the resident forest flocks.
Sighting Calendar
Average chance of spotting the park's most-spotted species, month by month
- 1Poison Dart Frog Season
- 2Migrant Bird Season
Sighting Zones
Warmer areas are where all species together are recorded most often.
Essentials
Climate
What visitors saw
Cahuita National Park animals: howler monkey, yellow eyelash pit viper, green eyelash pit viper, anole, 2-fingered sloth I don’t really know which other national park in Costa Rica where you can see so much wildlife in a short distance except Manuel Antonio National Park and Corcovado National Park!
We also spotted plenty of raccoons and an agouti moving through the undergrowth.
I overheard a guide telling his group that he had seen a crocodile in the ocean the day before.
A sloth was in the top of the trees, I just saw it with the help of a guide, otherwise no chance, it was too far away.
Quick answers
What animals can you see in Cahuita National Park?
The most likely sightings are Central American White-faced Capuchin (seen by about 80% of wildlife watchers), Common Raccoon (seen by about 70% of wildlife watchers), Hoffmann's Two-toed Sloth (seen by about 70% of wildlife watchers), Basiisk Verde (seen by about 60% of wildlife watchers), Western Slaty-Antshrike (seen by about 60% of wildlife watchers) — among 975 recorded vertebrate species, based on citizen-science data from GBIF.
When is the best time to visit Cahuita National Park for wildlife?
March has the highest combined sighting rate for the park's top species in our month-by-month GBIF data. The full sighting calendar on this page shows each species' best months.
Can you see Central American White-faced Capuchin in Cahuita National Park?
Yes — about 80% of wildlife watchers report a Central American White-faced Capuchin sighting in Cahuita National Park, based on 315 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
Can you see Hoffmann's Two-toed Sloth in Cahuita National Park?
Yes — about 70% of wildlife watchers report a Hoffmann's Two-toed Sloth sighting in Cahuita National Park, based on 211 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
Can you see Basiisk Verde in Cahuita National Park?
Yes — about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Basiisk Verde sighting in Cahuita National Park, based on 193 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
Can you see Strawberry Poison-dart Frog in Cahuita National Park?
Yes — about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Strawberry Poison-dart Frog sighting in Cahuita National Park, based on 20 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
Where Wildlife Score
How good is this park for seeing wildlife?Biodiversity
Very goodHow rich is the wildlife?
Sighting
Very goodHow likely to see animals?
Experience
GoodHow easy and pleasant is the visit?
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