Braulio Carrillo National Park: Countless cascades, foamy and intrepid rivers, and mountains wrapped by the exuberance of the forests, are just some of the natural shades of this protected area created in 1978 to preserve the existing flora and fauna, pretty much diverse thanks to the strong precipitations that wet its 47583 hectares.
The Park is located between the massifs of the Poás and Iraza Volcanoes, in the Central Volcanic Cordillera, and houses more than 135 mammal species amongst jaguars, pumas, monkeys, tepezcuintes or agoutis, and pizotes or white nosed coatis; 350 bird species with the bellbird, the guans, calandra larks, vigüirros or clay coloured robins, finches, toucans and quetzals standing out; and several endemic animals such as the Holdridge toad and the cattle killer snake, the largest venomous serpent in America.
And the burst of life extends to the entomological, abundant, restless and noisy fauna, and it is full of green with the 6 thousand plus tree and plant species growing in the Park, where oaks, cypresses, Costa Rica's Spanish cedars or ojoches, olive trees, camphor, elephant's foot trees or nazarenos, mahoganies and ceibas, amongst others, stand out.

One of the peculiarities of this beautiful Park is that the tallest and biologically richest forests are on lower grounds, whilst the trees are short and deformed, and with much less biodiversity, on the upper zones and ravines.
But travellers wont be amazed by the most variegated wildlife, but for the wonderful setting on which the Cacho Negro Volcano, with a cut clear conic shape, and the Barva Volcano, with several craters, standing at 2906 metres above sea level.

Braulio Carrillo National Park, named after Costa Rica's third president (1835-1842), is located 20 kilometres away from San José, the capital of the country.

• Cerro Dantas Wildlife Refuge: Its paths meddling along the forests allow discovering the flora and fauna biodiversity in this sanctuary of life, which occupies 57 hectares of Braulio Carrillo National Park.
  Travellers can watch bromeliads, ferns, mosses, mushrooms, guaba oaks, and cedars regarding the flora; and with a little luck on your side, birds such as black crested queens, black faced finches, quetzals and the magnificent hummingbird; besides mammals such as the tapir, the jaguar, the mountain lion, and the white faced monkey, just to cite some species.
  Flat and short (1 to 2-hour long) trails have been habilitated within this area, along with others rather steep that take 4 hours approximately.

Rainforest's Cable Car: It is a trip along the green locks of the trees, a "floating" tour over the tropical forests of a private 454-hectare reserve, close to the majestic Braulio Carrillo National Park.
The cars or gondolas of the Car Cable travel along 2600 metres of excessive greenness, which allows getting a different perspective of nature. One of the most thrilling moments of the "flight" is when the "floating baskets" reach the highest part, known as canopy, the most vital and vibrating zone of the tropical forests.
It is also possible to take walks accompanied by specialised guides besides the Car Cable tour. It is located at 35 minutes from San José.