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Curu Wildlife Refuge

Curu, in the Nicoya penininsula, is one of those places on earth where you can be certain to see enough wildlife to satisfy your need and curiosity, it’s a real little paradise of eco-tourism. It was established in 1933 by Frederico Schutt the family still owns it today. In order to protect this little heaven, they turned to the government for help and the place became a protected forest in 1981, and in 1983 it became the Curu National Wildlife Refuge. It is very easy to get to, some 6 km after Paquera or 16kms before Tambor.

Despite its small size, this lovely refuge offers everything any traveler can dream of seeing in this country, with its amazing marine and terrestrial marine biodiversity. Out of its 1496 hectares, only 75 hectares is protected and forms the actual refuge, the rest is used for sustainable agriculture, although what is called low-impact agriculture can be seen in the zone itself. There is a large beach area of some 200meters as well as mangroves estuaries and rivers.

The refuge is home to raccoons, coyotes, pacas, opossums, as well as various types of monkeys, the howler and the capuchin being the most common, coatis, peccari, anteaters, and otters. Even more exciting but not so easy to see, there are ocelots, pumas and margay cats! This small reserve has it all!

It is relatively easy to spot the boa constrictor, if you are quiet enough, as these animals usually hide when they hear humans approaching…Birds are of course numerous, as always in Costa Rica, up to 232 species have been counted so far, remarkable considering the size of the place; you may see a broad-winged hawk, a laughing falcon, and lots of cattle egrets, these beautiful white birds that are always following the cows…The red macaws have been successfully reintroduced in the area and are doing pretty well.

After following one of the trails, you will suddenly see a large cage! Do not be alarmed; this cage itself is like a refuge for the sick or very old animals that would not survive otherwise.

On the beach another wonderful surprise awaits you; sea turtles, like the green turtle, the ridley and the hawksbill, come frequently to lay their eggs. In order to help increase marine life, experts built some artificial reefs, and it seems to be a real success. Swimming is delicious in the bay, so a swimsuit and a mask for snorkeling are a must during your visit!

The mangrove of course is home to many species of plants and animals, as is usually the case, and this small reserve encompasses the five species of mangrove found in this country, amazingly so.

As you go up in the hills, you will find what is left of some primary forest, but they are inaccessible to the tourists. Curu, however, has a multitude of trails to choose from, and they range from very easy to very difficult, in fact some of them can only be done in the dry season. The Laguna, the Toledo, the Finca, the Monos and the Ceiba are some of the easiest ones to do. Most trails represent a specific habitat, like a theme, and the whole place is almost like life-size museum!