Carara National Park
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
🦜 Scarlet Macaw RainforestCarara National Park protects the only transitional zone on Costa Rica's Central Pacific coast, where dry forest meets humid rainforest. With 430+ bird species and the country's largest nesting population of scarlet macaws, it delivers world-class birding just 90 minutes from San José.
9.784° N 84.571° W
Wildlife
⭐ Iconic Species
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Scarlet Macaw
Ara macao
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American Crocodile
Crocodylus acutus
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Central American White-faced Capuchin
Cebus imitator
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Green and Black Dart-poison Frog
Dendrobates auratus
📊 Most Spotted
Black Spiny-tailed Iguana
Ctenosaura similis
Common Basilisk
Basiliscus basiliscus
Delicate Ameiva
Holcosus leptophrys
Chestnut-backed Antbird
Myrmeciza exsul
Black-hooded Antshrike
Thamnophilus bridgesi
Clay-colored Thrush
Turdus grayi
Rufous-backed Wren
Campylorhynchus capistratus
Turkey Vulture
Cathartes aura
Black Vulture
Coragyps atratus
Great Kiskadee
Pitangus sulphuratus
Central American Agouti
Dasyprocta punctata
Black-mandibled Toucan
Ramphastos ambiguus
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
Central American Agouti
Dasyprocta punctata
Variegated Squirrel
Sciurus variegatoides
Mantled Howler Monkey
Alouatta palliata
White-nosed Coati
Nasua narica
Northern Ghost Bat
Diclidurus albus
White-tailed Deer
Odocoileus virginianus
Northern Tamandua
Tamandua mexicana
Greater Sac-winged Bat
Saccopteryx bilineata
Proboscis Bat
Rhynchonycteris naso
Brown-throated Sloth
Bradypus variegatus
Collared Peccary
Pecari tajacu
Hoffmann's Two-toed Sloth
Choloepus hoffmanni
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
Chestnut-backed Antbird
Myrmeciza exsul
Black-hooded Antshrike
Thamnophilus bridgesi
Clay-colored Thrush
Turdus grayi
Rufous-backed Wren
Campylorhynchus capistratus
Turkey Vulture
Cathartes aura
Black Vulture
Coragyps atratus
Great Kiskadee
Pitangus sulphuratus
Black-mandibled Toucan
Ramphastos ambiguus
Orange-billed Sparrow
Arremon aurantiirostris
Hoffmann's Woodpecker
Melanerpes hoffmannii
Lesser Greenlet
Hylophilus decurtatus
Blue-gray Tanager
Thraupis episcopus
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
Black Spiny-tailed Iguana
Ctenosaura similis
Common Basilisk
Basiliscus basiliscus
Delicate Ameiva
Holcosus leptophrys
Copper Anole
Anolis cupreus
Green Iguana
Iguana iguana
White-throated Gecko
Gonatodes albogularis
Many-scaled Anole
Anolis polylepis
Helmeted Iguana
Corytophanes cristatus
Fer-de-lance
Bothrops asper
Common House Gecko
Hemidactylus frenatus
Border Anole
Anolis limifrons
Neotropical Green Anole
Anolis biporcatus
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
Giant Marine Toad
Rhinella horribilis
Harlequin Treefrog
Dendropsophus ebraccatus
Yellow Treefrog
Dendropsophus microcephalus
Red-eyed Treefrog
Agalychnis callidryas
Savage's Thin-toed Frog
Leptodactylus savagei
Fitzinger's Robber Frog
Craugastor fitzingeri
Rainforest Toad
Incilius aucoinae
Sipurio Snouted Treefrog
Scinax elaeochroa
Masked Tree Frog
Smilisca phaeota
Milk Frog
Trachycephalus macrotis
Yellow Toad
Incilius luetkenii
Drab Tree Frog
Smilisca sordida
Recent sightings in Carara National Park
LIVEiNaturalistAnimal Events
1Scarlet Macaw Nesting Season
Brilliant crimson-and-blue Scarlet Macaws pair off and claim cavities high in old-growth trees, their raucous squawks echoing through the canopy as mated couples ferry food to nestlings. Watch for the flashes of scarlet as devoted partners fly wingtip to wingtip between roost and nest.
2American Crocodile Nesting
Female American Crocodiles haul out to excavate riverbank nests and guard their clutches, a rare glimpse of maternal care in one of the largest reptiles in the Americas. The Tárcoles population gathers in impressive numbers, with hefty adults basking along the muddy banks.
3Migratory Bird Peak
Flocks of northern songbirds pour into the forest to escape the cold, splashing the understory with the gold of Yellow Warblers, the fiery orange of Baltimore Orioles, and the deep red of Summer Tanagers. Their arrival swells birdlife to its most colorful and abundant.
Sighting Calendar
Average chance of spotting the park's most-spotted species, month by month
- 1Scarlet Macaw Nesting Season
- 2American Crocodile Nesting
- 3Migratory Bird Peak
Sighting Zones
Warmer areas are where all species together are recorded most often.
Essentials
Climate
What visitors saw
After checking in we did a little birding around the gardens and found a Bare-throated Tiger-Heron nest with two large chicks in a large Rain Tree over the rooms, Scarlet-rumped Tanager, Chestnut-sided Warbler, Gray-capped Flycatcher and great scope views of a Yellow-throated Toucan.
I earlier did a post on the Helmeted Iguana and one on the Stink Bug, two of the 10 “Other Wildlife” seen at Carara this time.
Grey-headed Tanager taken by Kevin Jones an interesting Trogon, a possible hybrid (Black-headed and Violaceous) It took us a while to leave the car park because we watched a few species in the trees, Jason found a Violacious Trogon and what looked like a hybrid individual, a mix of Violaceous and Black-headed.
Quick answers
What animals can you see in Carara National Park?
The most likely sightings are Black Spiny-tailed Iguana (seen by about 80% of wildlife watchers), Scarlet Macaw (seen by about 80% of wildlife watchers), Green and Black Dart-poison Frog (seen by about 80% of wildlife watchers), Common Basilisk (seen by about 70% of wildlife watchers), Delicate Ameiva (seen by about 60% of wildlife watchers) — among 1084 recorded vertebrate species, based on citizen-science data from GBIF.
When is the best time to visit Carara National Park for wildlife?
April 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 Scarlet Macaw in Carara National Park?
Yes — about 80% of wildlife watchers report a Scarlet Macaw sighting in Carara National Park, based on 5,500 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
Can you see American Crocodile in Carara National Park?
Yes — about 20% of wildlife watchers report a American Crocodile sighting in Carara National Park, based on 28 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
Can you see Central American White-faced Capuchin in Carara National Park?
Yes — about 60% of wildlife watchers report a Central American White-faced Capuchin sighting in Carara National Park, based on 192 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
Can you see Green and Black Dart-poison Frog in Carara National Park?
Yes — about 80% of wildlife watchers report a Green and Black Dart-poison Frog sighting in Carara National Park, based on 418 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?
