One of my favorite things to do with my children is take them to Palo Verde National Park in Guanacaste.

The Palo Verde National Park is located on the banks of the Tempisque River in Guanacaste. It is one of the best wildlife and bird watching spots in Costa Rica.

The remote wetland sanctuary harbors one of Central Americas largest concentration of aquatic birds and is the most important migratory bird site of the Pacific.

Although we are visiting in dry season, towards to the end of rainy season, Palo Verde is home to at least 250,000 birds as well as monkeys, lizards, and a multitude of crocodiles.

I ventured out with my children and my friends children and we had a great time! We live in Flamingo, so our commute was just under one hour to the town of Bolson, which cuts through miles and miles of sugar cane plantations and down well maintained dirt roads once we veered off from the town of Filadelfia.

The first stop is at a small restaurant in Bolson (which we later ate lunch at) to use the restroom. (There are no bathrooms on the boat, so that is your last opportunity!).

Then we head onto the boat which is covered and seats about 20 people or so. Our guide led us to the boat ramp where we paid our park entrance fee and got on the boat. During the 1.5 hour tour, we were lucky enough to see many birds, crocodiles, and many white faced monkeys–who are obviously used to people as they boarded the boat to see hi (and walk on my head).

I was just happy he didn’t steal my sunglasses! I personally think the gentleman who fees the crocodile is crazy, and this is not the first time I’ve seen this brave performance. However, it is entertaining (and a little scary!).

On the way back, we ate a homemade casado by a local family in Bolson–one of the towns closest to the Palo Verde National park. We had a great meal of chicken in salsa, meat, salad, beans and rice as well as Tamarindo, a typical fruit drink of Costa Rica.

This is the same restaurant that you start at and where you end your trip as our tour included the lunch option although you don’t have to.

I would highly recommend this trip for anyone who wants to learn more about the Rio Tempisque and the amazing amount of nature that calls that area home.

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Andrew Makarik

to@welovecostarica.com

Andrew Makarik is the main editor of WeLoveCostaRica, a fan of this sunny country. He is also a loving husband and a has a lovely daughter. By being a devoted family man and the biggest Costa Rica fan, he wants to make more people feel at home there. WeLoveCostaRica unites people and helps them find new home or a new travel destination. This website is a friendly community where everyone can find not only information, but also new friends and travel pals. Andrew is also passionate about IT and programming, so he himself maintains a friendly atmosphere in this cozy environment of WeLoveCostaRica.com.