Los Quetzales National Park in San Jose

Wonderful place, great food. Restful environment. The surrounding mountains are dreamlike!!!!

Wonderful and peaceful place ! But you need a 4x4 car to get there to be sure you dont get stuck if rain hard... just an advice.

Visited this park supposedly during mating season and saw no quetzals whatsoever. Someone then suggested we look at "Fantasias del Bosque and ask for Luis Tencio" and we finally had some luck. As explained to us, there is very little chance of seeing quetzals at this park as there are no "Aguacatillo trees" (Aguacatillo is what the quetzals eat), therefore they dont frequent the area. Save some time and rather join a real tour with a local guide to see what you came for.

It was a lot of money for very little to nothing to see.No reward at the end of the path, just a standard forest walk, that you can do anywhere else in the world for free... dont waste time or money.

Worst national park I have ever visited. $11 (for non CR residentsfor 2 trails to nowhere. Literally, trails through thicket, with no chance of seeing wildlife. If you want to see Quetzales, bypass this joke and get on a tour in the valley. I do not know why anyone would rate this above 1 star, if they have been anywhere else in their lives.

We went here to see Quetzals but didnt actually see any. I dont think the tour groups did either. We were first to arrive, which is important because weather can change in an instant. Although we saw no quetzals, this place should still be on your list. These forests are primordial, with lots of old growth trees and beautiful flora. Even handicapped or elderly people can enjoy these trails because they are easy to navigate and the main trail is paved. There is some up and down though. We did see lots of other birds. Pics attached

We managed to see one quetzal but no other birds. The hiking is very good and cool air was refreshing.

In 4 weeks in Costa Rica, and having visited 7 national parks, this was the only one I found really disappointing. There isnt a lot online about what to expect, so:Entrance is 11 USD for foreigners. For the price you get a 2 min explanation, 2,5 km of one-way trails, and thats it. There were no guides to hire when we arrived on a Friday mid-morning, which is a huge shame, as like everyone else we were hoping to see the quetzal, and of course failed to spotone without the help of an experienced guide.The first trail starts at the parking lot of the visitors center, it is short, 500m one way, and the path is paved with concrete (or metal steps). Not wheelchair or reduced mobility accessible. Even though its well maintained, its not an "easy" walk, theres significant ups and downs, especially considering youre at 3000 m elevation. Not much to see.The second trail is about 2 km long. Its one way as well and at its end you have to backtrack, its not a loop. It climbs significantly up and then down and up again. The trail is basically a wide dirt road. Dont expect Monteverde-style paths and side trails. Forest on both sides is dense and its basically impossible to see any wildlife, especially without a guide (as there were none to be had).There are no viewpoints on either of the trails, no bodies of water, not a single information board. Infrastructure, wildlife and information were all disappointing.Also be aware that even if youre physically fit, climbing the longer trail without acclimating to the altitude might be made significantly more difficult by altitude sickness.

Amazing place hidden among the mountains

11$ entrance fee for 2 hiking trails, one of them 500m and the other one 2km which you can "explore" on your own.Really not good value for your money.

A wonderful place to watch and photograph birds and with some luck even tapirs! A must visit if you are in the area. Plan on arriving early as most birds are active in the morning. Expect low temperatures, somewhere around 15-20 Celsius. Not a good idea to visit in the pm as it rains hard making it difficult to explore.

Meh... The park offers only 2 trails : one is 500 meters each way, pretty cool if you havent seen a forest in Cosa Rica before but I havent been able to see the special bird :(The other one (2km each wayis nothing but a joke, its literally walking on a unpaved road with no view, nothing.Thanks god the ranger at the station was nice, otherwise 1 star was more appropriate. For the price ($11just go somewhere else

Go see it in the spring when mating season is on. Stay at Trogon Lodge where they have tours available.An unforgettable, memorable experience!

The hike was very good. Definetly wanna be in shape for this one!

There is just one 800m long path that goes inside the cloud forest. It is nicely done but must say i expected much more for an entrance of $11. Not even single panel with information about plants and animals you can spot here nor even any leaflet. They also send us to Ojo de aqua trail which is realy bad, nothing realy to see.I would recomend great hike down in San Gerardo that starts from Savegre hotel just few km from here. There are several round trails trough the cloud forest which are truly wonderful and for free. There are even views and some information about the forest reserve. Look for Savegre trails!

Very nice place to have a walk in the middle of nature. There a new cement/metal trail which makes really easy for most people to enjoy the forest (Im afraid there are some steps that wont be friendly for a wheelchair). If you are quite you will be able to hear the sound of the forest, many birds and will enjoy the topical forest green (many mushrooms near to the trail). Remember to bring a sweater here and hope you are lucky that it doesnt rain too much.

Went rafting here, great time! Jumped in the water to cool off and it was so refreshing

Ok, need to buy your tickets ahead of time in SanJose, not sure where. They let us in anyway. Not that exciting, hotels and lodges nearby have more interesting walkways and youll see more wild life at those.

Beautiful nature..we saw footprints of puma

1k of walking trails any tipe of physical condition can so this.

Wonderful trails to walk. Plenty of opportunities for birders to spot a new find.

Beautiful, rustic. Worth the drive. Be sure you have gas/snacks, not much close by.

Awesome park we got to hike around in, though we did not see any of the famous Quetzales. For this you will really need a guide and go early in the morning. Our hike featured plenty of birds and butterflies and was easy to challenging, depending on the trail and if it was raining or not. Great for a stop but not as developed as other parks as it is the newest National Park in Costa Rica.

The pics will not do this place justice. We were also told that this was an easy walk was not the case. This walk to the waterfall requires your full attention.

This place is just beautiful but youre lucky if you can get a quetzal near you theyre very sneaky and its hard to find them but when you see one youll see theyre beautiful creatures. The guy knows a lot for the area and sometimes you have to walk more distance has to be able to see one of the birds but overall you wont regret it.

One of CRs most amazing places. If youre into rainforest, bird watching and just connecting with nature, it is a must!

Beautiful place, if you like to walk inside the mountain, waterfalls, birds... nature itself, this is an excellent choice! Its cold so be sure to pack war clothes.

Peaceful, didnt see many animals but thats the luck of the day. I wish I had researched the waterfall up the road, I thought it was in the park but it is down the hill somewhere. Good trail, free entrance, cold because of the altitude. Saw tapier tracks in the trail.

Breathtaking views! Eerily quiet and calm. Great place to relax and meditate.

Best place to see the most beautiful bird resplendent quetzal in Costa Rica, about three hours drive from SanJose along the Talamanca mountain ranges, scenic views, nice trekking, birds will make the trip memorable

Savegre area is a good spot to see Quetzals. Nice lodges to stay at with scenic landscaping, good food. Can do a guided hike to experience the cloud forest.

Beautiful! Could be a bit cold up there. 50F and and windy at around 7200 feet elevation.

Very nice tour and very authentic! Far from crowded touristic places! Part of the price of the entrance fee is given to the farmer who owns the lands where the wuetzals are clming!

Very nice place for afternoon walk.

Beautiful because it is CR, but the actual park has only one trail, per the ranger. We walked it, it was a nice out-and-back in a closed forest. Lots of side trails that maybe guides would know? We didnt go in too far (as they are not marked, didnt want to get lost). Not sure why theres only one trail. Seems like the other reviewers talking about food and restaurants and lots of trails might actually be talking about nearby lodges? Not sure.

There is anything specially. If you love watching birds and nature. This please would be a good please for you.. If you are looking for a place with viewpoints and activities this place does not offer that.

Great place to visit the high altitude cloudy forest in Costa Rica. You may get to see the beautiful Quetzal or a Tapir, if you are really lucky. If you dont, youll still enjoy exquisite views and the lush vegetation of these mountainous regions. Take along your raincoat, hiking shoes and warm comfortable clothes for walking.

Short and beautiful walk, around 2km, not to steep.

So beautiful place! To escape and relax.

Hands down the best place I was at in Costa Rica. This place was absolutely magical. They were two hotels to stay in that I would love to go back, I think I could afford one of them the other Im not so sure. I stayed in a place that was only about $50 a night, and all honesty I wouldnt stay there again. The staff was great but the room was pretty horrible, cold, the shower was a joke and that had some serious bugs. So dont scrimp on where youre staying if youre going to stay in this Valley. But if youre going to Costa Rica and you want to see some unique Birds such as long-tailed silky flycatchers or an amazing assortment of hummingbirds come here. Obviously there is another bird that people are coming here to see, I wont even bother mentioning it. Either way this place is nothing but amazing.

Well worth a visit and a good chance of seeing the very beautiful Resplendent Quetzels as well as many other birds, including many different hummingbirds. There is a very steep winding road down to the bottom of the valley where a stream with cascades flows through the lush forest.

Very nice walk for you who likes hiking, birds are there to spot, but not massively, walk to the waterfalls is a bit long, an hour plus, in general the area is very beautiful and unique

The worst Costa Rican National Park. There is nothing to do there. And if you want to watch Quetzales you need to go somewhere else.

Beautiful place with an incredible nature!

This amazing place is located in the Cerro de la Muerte or Cerró Buena Vista very close to the Cerró Asuncion in this place the visitor have a great experience because the 360° view its awesome.His flora and fauna are forest the coníferas exist many animals in the top of the hill I recommend visited this amazing place!

Was here a couple of years ago, managed to see a nice specimen and even get some cool pictures. Our guide was knowledgeable and had a wealth of information to share.

Beautiful and not many tourists

Beautiful location and very large. We didnt see a quezale but we also didnt use a guide. Maybe hiring a guide would be worth it if you really want to see one.

Great Nacional Park in the middle of Costa Rica with a very high change to spot a quetzal. For this I recommend to book a tour. Otherwise you dont really know where to go. Its such a big area!

This is one of Costa Ricas newest national parks and is less developed than other more well-known parks in the country. The higher elevations of the park are part of the cloud forest ecosystem but in the early morning hours can be free of clouds and you can easily see the Pacific Ocean. My first day in the park I saw a Tapir run across the road and saw a quetzal near San Gerardo de Dota. The main park office is located on the right just off the road at Osa de Agua (just a few miles before reaching the turnoff to San Gerardo de Dotaif your coming from San Jose. I highly recommend this beautiful and less traveled part of Costa Rica.