Guayabo, Pajaro and Negritos Island Biological Reserves

 
Location: Puntarenas Province, 118 km (73 mi.) from San Jose via Puntarenas; 13 km northwest of Puntarenas

See North Pacific Tourism Region

Size: Guayabo Island: 15 acres, Pajaros Island: 10 acres and Negritos Islands: 350 acres

Date of Creation: December 1982 (May 1976 – Pajaros Island)

Part of: Tempisque Area

About :

These three independent reserves consist of a total of four small islands: Guayabo Island, two Negritos Islands and Pajaros Island. They are easily accessible from points in the Gulf of Nicoya, the closest of them (Pajaros) only 500 meters off shore. All are extremely important for nesting pelagic birds and offer some of the only nesting sites for birds like the brown pelican, boobie, laughing gull and frigate bird.

Guayabo Island, 50 meters (164 feet) high, is covered with shrubs and thorny plants such as guaco, a welcome nesting-site material used by the grateful island bird community. It is the largest nesting site of the brown pelican in all of Costa Rica and is an over wintering spot for the peregrine falcon. Also here are wild fig (scarce and stunted due to the poor soil and strong winds) and coyol and viscoyol palms.

Pajaro Island's vegetation is broken stubble, meagerly repaired by a few patches of grass, shrubs and figs (Costa Rica's national tree).

Negritos Islands boast a semi-deciduous vegetation collection, made lovely by a species of white flower, called "Pochote" and "Indio Desnudo".

Activities:

Camping not permitted. No hiking is available except around Guayabo at low tide. It is acessed only by permit from the National Park Service.

Facilities:

There are no public facilities on any of the islands.

Flora and fauna:

Flora: some deciduous forest only.

Fauna: Fiddler and sally light-foot crabs, magnificent frigate bird, laughing gull and brown booby (one of the most common species of seabird in the tropics).

During certain seasons, bird populations swell as migratory seabirds visit the islands on their way north or south. Some 200 to 300 brown pelicans nest on the islands here, one of the largest populations in the world.

Back to Top

Nearby Parks:

San Lucas Island Wildlife Refuge

Contact Info:

ACT: Tempisque Conservation Area

Back to Top