| Chirripó National Park | |
| Iucn Category: | II |
| Location: | Costa Rica |
| Nearest City: | San Isidro del General |
| Coordinates: | 9.48°N -83.48°W |
| Area: | 508.49km2 |
| Established: | 19 August 1975 |
| Governing Body: | National System of Conservation Areas (SINAC) |
Chirripó National Park is a national park of Costa Rica, encompassing parts of three provinces: San José, Limón and Cartago. It was established in 1975.
It is named for its most prominent feature, Cerro Chirripó, which at 3820m (12,530feet) is the highest mountain in Costa Rica.[1]
Chirripó is the 38th most prominent peak in the world. In terms of Holdridge life zones, the park can be categorized into five ecosystems:[2] lowland tropical wet forest, premontane tropical wet forest, lower montane wet forest, montane wet forest and subalpine wet forest (páramo). Most of the park consists of both primary rain forests and primary cloud forests. Around 2740m (8,990feet) it changes to wet desert.[3]
Summiting the peak begins with a hike along a 16.5km (10.3miles) uphill trail from the town of San Gerardo de Rivas to the park ranger's refuge in the Los Crestones sector; that is followed by a 5km (03miles) walk to the peak.
The climate is dominated by two seasons: a dry season lasting from December to April and a wet season from May to November,[4]
During the dry season the upper regions are susceptible to fires. The latest recorded events have occurred in 1953, 1958, 1976, 1977, 1981 and 1992. This last event, however, affected over 20km2 of vegetation and forced the administration to close the park for four months.
The park is one of the coldest places in Costa Rica. In fact, the coldest temperature (-9C) ever documented in Costa Rica was recorded here.[5]
The Las Nubes Centre for Neotropical Conservation and Research is a facility located at the southwest corner of the park and managed by York University of Toronto through an agreement with Costa Rica's Tropical Science Center.[6]
Part of the Spanish; Castilian: Turberas de Talamanca Ramsar site, designated in February 2003, is located within this protected area and shared with Tapantí National Park, Los Quetzales National Park, Macho River Forest Reserve, Vueltas Hill Biological Reserve and Los Santos Forest Reserve.[7]