Chirripo (Parque Nacional) National Park protects 50,150 hectares of high-elevation terrain surrounding Cerro Chirripo (3,819 meters), Central America's highest peak. This Costa Rica national park is contiguous with La Amistad International Peace Park to the south; together they form the Amistad-Talamanca Regional Conservation Unit. Much of the area remains terra incognito--a boon for flora and fauna, which thrive here relatively unmolested by humans. One remote section of the park is called Savannah of the Lions, after its large population of pumas. Tapirs and jaguars are both common, though rarely seen. And the mountain forests protect several hundred bird species.

Cloud forest, above 2,500 meters, covers almost half the park, which features three distinct life zones; the park is topped off by subalpine rainy páramo, marked by contorted dwarf trees and marshy grasses that dry out on the Pacific slopes January-May (presenting perfect conditions for raging fires fanned by high winds). Much of this area still bears the scars of a huge fire that raged across 2,000 hectares in April 1992, causing such devastation that the park was closed for four months. The region is still trying to recover from this and even worse fires in 1976 and 1985.

Cerro Chirripo was held sacred by pre-Columbian peoples. Tribal leaders and shamans performed rituals atop the lofty shrine; lesser mortals who ventured up Chirripó were killed. Magnetic fields are said to swing wildly at the top, particularly near Los Crestones, huge boulders thought to have been the most sacred of indigenous sites.

Just as Hillary climbed Everest "because it was there," so Chirripo lures the intrepid who seek the satisfaction of reaching the summit (the first recorded climb was made by a priest, Father Agustín Blessing, in 1904). Many Ticos choose to hike the mountain during the week preceding Easter, when the weather is usually dry. Avoid holidays, when the huts may be full. The hike is no Sunday picnic but requires no technical expertise. The trails are well marked, and basic mountain huts are close to the summit. You must stay overnight in San Gerardo de Rivas, where you begin your hike early the next day.

Excessive wear and tear on the trails led the National Parks Service to begin phasing in new regulations in 1993. Only 60 visitors are allowed within the park at any one time (you may be told there's a waiting list; experienced hikers recommend showing up anyway as there are usually lots of no-shows). 

Explorecostarica.com's Steve & Sylvie took the challenge in Jan 2001. We survived... but that's another story.. check back for details.

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