The Braulio Carrillo National Park was established on April 15, 1978. It is the largest park in the central zone of Costa Rica, and measures 117,757.12 acres. Many of the streams that provide water to the Central Valley originate inside the park. For this reason, it plays a major role in the protection of hydraulic resources.
The park's name comes from the third head of state of Costa Rica: Braulio Carrillo, who governed from 1837 to 1842. He promoted coffee as a major crop, and came up with the idea of connecting the Central Valley with the Caribbean region. His goal was to make transport of the crop to European markets easier.
In 1977, construction of the current San Jose-Guapiles highway began. Thanks to lobbying by environmental groups the area was declared a National Park, primarily to avoid settlement in the area of steep slopes, high mountains, and heavy forests.
Most of the park is primary forest. In contains about 6,000 species of plants, half the total for the entire country. The fauna includes more than 500 species, including resident and migratory birds.
Ecotourism and Nature 
