Chirripó National Park
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
🐦 Highland Hummingbird HavenChirripó protects Costa Rica's highest peak — Cerro Chirripó at 3,820 m (12,530 ft) — and the country's only páramo ecosystem, an alpine tundra of shrubs and grasses found nowhere else in Central America at this latitude. The park shelters the largest population of Baird's tapir in the country, along with pumas, jaguars, and over 400 bird species including the Resplendent Quetzal, Fiery-throated Hummingbird, and the endemic Volcano Junco.
9.540° N 83.493° W
Wildlife
⭐ Iconic Species
★ 
Resplendent Quetzal
Pharomachrus mocinno
★ 
Scarlet-rumped Tanager
Ramphocelus passerinii
★ 
Violet Sabrewing
Campylopterus hemileucurus
★ 
Central American White-faced Capuchin
Cebus imitator
📊 Most Spotted
Rufous-tailed Hummingbird
Amazilia tzacatl
Silver-throated Tanager
Tangara icterocephala
Golden-hooded Tanager
Stilpnia larvata
Blue-gray Tanager
Thraupis episcopus
Clay-colored Thrush
Turdus grayi
Palm Tanager
Thraupis palmarum
Buff-throated Saltator
Saltator maximus
Great Kiskadee
Pitangus sulphuratus
Speckled Tanager
Ixothraupis guttata
Bananaquit
Coereba flaveola
Emerald Swift
Sceloporus malachiticus
Gray-headed Chachalaca
Ortalis cinereiceps
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
White-nosed Coati
Nasua narica
Red-tailed Squirrel
Sciurus granatensis
Variegated Squirrel
Sciurus variegatoides
Central American Agouti
Dasyprocta punctata
Central American Spider Monkey
Ateles geoffroyi
Baird's Tapir
Tapirella bairdii
Sumichrast's Vesper Rat
Nyctomys sumichrasti
Spotted Paca
Cuniculus paca
Gabb's Cottontail
Sylvilagus gabbi
Greater Broad-nosed Bat
Platyrrhinus vittatus
Mexican Hairy Dwarf Porcupine
Sphiggurus mexicanus
Mexican Deer Mouse
Peromyscus mexicanus
⭐ Iconic Species
★ Resplendent Quetzal
Pharomachrus mocinno
★ Scarlet-rumped Tanager
Ramphocelus passerinii
★ Violet Sabrewing
Campylopterus hemileucurus
📊 Most Spotted
Rufous-tailed Hummingbird
Amazilia tzacatl
Silver-throated Tanager
Tangara icterocephala
Golden-hooded Tanager
Stilpnia larvata
Blue-gray Tanager
Thraupis episcopus
Clay-colored Thrush
Turdus grayi
Palm Tanager
Thraupis palmarum
Buff-throated Saltator
Saltator maximus
Great Kiskadee
Pitangus sulphuratus
Speckled Tanager
Ixothraupis guttata
Bananaquit
Coereba flaveola
Gray-headed Chachalaca
Ortalis cinereiceps
Snowy-bellied Hummingbird
Saucerottia edward
📊 Most Spotted
Emerald Swift
Sceloporus malachiticus
Many-scaled Anole
Anolis polylepis
Side-striped palm pit viper
Bothriechis lateralis
Humble Anole
Anolis humilis
Slender Anole
Anolis woodi
South American Milksnake
Lampropeltis micropholis
Costa Rica Montane Pitviper
Cerrophidion sasai
Black-tailed Worm Snake
Geophis talamancae
Blotched Palm-pitviper
Bothriechis supraciliaris
Fire-bellied Snake
Erythrolamprus epinephalus
Montane Alligator Lizard
Abronia monticola
Black-speckled Palm Pit Viper
Bothriechis nigroviridis
📊 Most Spotted
Emerald Glass Frog
Espadarana prosoblepon
Warszewitsch's Frog
Lithobates warszewitschii
Isla Bonita Robber Frog
Craugastor crassidigitus
Fitzinger's Robber Frog
Craugastor fitzingeri
Pygmy Rain Frog
Pristimantis ridens
Masked Tree Frog
Smilisca phaeota
Giant Marine Toad
Rhinella horribilis
Pugnosed Tree Frog
Smilisca sila
Golden-groined Robber Frog
Pristimantis cruentus
Varagua Caecilian
Gymnopis multiplicata
Cerro Utyum Robber Frog
Craugastor podiciferus
Savage's Worm Salamander
Oedipina savagei
Recent sightings in Chirripó National Park
LIVEiNaturalistAnimal Events
3Migrant Raptor Passage
Broad-winged Hawks stream overhead in great spiraling kettles, riding thermals along the mountain spine on their long migration. Hundreds can wheel together in a single swirling column before peeling off to glide south.
1Resplendent Quetzal Breeding Season
During the breeding season the male Resplendent Quetzal grows tail streamers nearly a meter long, flashing emerald and crimson as it courts and defends a nest hollowed into a rotting highland tree. Collared Trogons breed alongside it, their steady calls threading through the same cloud forest canopy.
2Highland Hummingbird Peak
When the highland shrubs and epiphytes bloom, hummingbirds swarm the flowers in a shimmering rush of activity. The Violet Sabrewing, one of Costa Rica's largest hummingbirds, hovers in deep purple iridescence while the bold Rufous-tailed Hummingbird darts and squabbles over every nectar-rich perch.
Sighting Calendar
Average chance of spotting the park's most-spotted species, month by month
- 1Resplendent Quetzal Breeding Season
- 2Highland Hummingbird Peak
- 3Migrant Raptor Passage
Sighting Zones
Warmer areas are where all species together are recorded most often.
Essentials
Climate
Quick answers
What animals can you see in Chirripó National Park?
The most likely sightings are Scarlet-rumped Tanager (seen by about 70% of wildlife watchers), Rufous-tailed Hummingbird (seen by about 60% of wildlife watchers), Silver-throated Tanager (seen by about 60% of wildlife watchers), Golden-hooded Tanager (seen by about 60% of wildlife watchers), Blue-gray Tanager (seen by about 60% of wildlife watchers) — among 1082 recorded vertebrate species, based on citizen-science data from GBIF.
When is the best time to visit Chirripó National Park for wildlife?
June 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 Resplendent Quetzal in Chirripó National Park?
It's possible but not guaranteed: under 5% of wildlife watchers report a Resplendent Quetzal sighting in Chirripó National Park, based on 180 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. Sightings take luck and time in the field.
Can you see Scarlet-rumped Tanager in Chirripó National Park?
Yes — about 70% of wildlife watchers report a Scarlet-rumped Tanager sighting in Chirripó National Park, based on 1,636 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
Can you see Violet Sabrewing in Chirripó National Park?
Yes — about 30% of wildlife watchers report a Violet Sabrewing sighting in Chirripó National Park, based on 738 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data.
Can you see Central American White-faced Capuchin in Chirripó National Park?
It's possible but not guaranteed: about 10% of wildlife watchers report a Central American White-faced Capuchin sighting in Chirripó National Park, based on 19 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data. Sightings take luck and time in the field.
Where Wildlife Score
How good is this park for seeing wildlife?Biodiversity
Very goodHow rich is the wildlife?
Sighting
GoodHow likely to see animals?
Experience
GoodHow easy and pleasant is the visit?
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