 Continuing our Costa Rica tour in Guanacaste, the Santa Rosa National Park is part of the Rincon de la Vieja National Park, and it stands out for its value in Costa Rica history. Located 22 miles north from Liberia, it is home to the Casona de Santa Rosa, an old house taken as headquarters by american invaders in 1856, where a battle between them and then-existing costarican army had place, known as the Batalla de Santa Rosa (Battle of Santa Rosa). The house is now a museum, celebrating the battle and the victory of the costarican army over the filibusters, as the invaders coming from Nicaragua were known.
Santa Rosa is another one of the huge Costa Rica national parks, covering the Santa Elena Peninsula, and an entry point to the famous “Roca Bruja” (Witch Rock), a legendary surfing spot known around the world, which I will visit in the next weeks. The park is mostly protected dry forest, with the dry season peak months being between January and April. During the rainy season, there’s a lot of green all over the place.
There’s a variety of views of the park depending on the zone and the season: swamp mangroves, ever-green forests, savannas, sinuous trails, amazing beaches like Playa Naranjo and great waterfalls. We even saw an old, abandoned CIA training camp used during the 70’s. There are more species of animals than we could count, including birds, deers and reptiles. Costa Rica birding tours are offered here. The trails range from 0.5 to 4.5 miles, taking anywhere from 20 to 90 minutes to complete. They are perfect for a Costa Rica eco tour and watching the mangrove, reefs and archeological landmarks spread across the park.
Santa Rosa has spots conditioned for camping, so if you feel really adventurous -as we did-, you can bring your tent and spend the night out there in the open. One camping field is near the Casona, and the other two are located in the opposite side, in front of the ocean, in Nancite beach and Naranjo beach. Definitely, it’s an adventure vacations in Costa Rica that you will enjoy.
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