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Lomas Barbudal Nature Preserve, North Guanacaste Vacations and Luxury Travel Packages
The Palo Verde National Park gives way in the north to several kilometers of farmland before the next park begins, the Lomas Barbudal Nature Preserve (Reserva Biologica). The park takes up a wide strip of land comprising 2,300 hectares. Almost 70 percent of the park is made up of deciduous forest, which its unusual name, Lomas Barbudal (Bearded Hills), aptly describes.
The months of November to March are especially dry, giving rise to types of trees adapted to the environment, among others, endangered species like mahogany, Panama redwood and rosewood. The corteza amarilla (Tababuia ochracea) is especially spectacular. These trees all begin to bloom on the same day, usually a day at the end of the dry season. Within one short week they turn the park into a colorful carpet dotted with bright yellow.
The banks of the Rio Cabuyo, which contains water all year round, are covered with lush forest sheltering more than 200 different types of birds, including the endangered king vulture. Howler and capuchin monkeys, as well as white-tailed deer and peccaries also come to the river to drink, giving visitors a chance to catch a glimpse of these exotic creatures.
Sitting on the shore, the observer is sure to note that this paradise on earth also contains many smaller creatures. There are 250 kinds of bees alone in the park. Their buzzing, as they go from flower to flower in search of nectar, fills the air. In addition, there are many types of butterflies and moths.
The African killer bee has also been spotted at Lomas Barbudal in the last several years. The bee has caused concern and fear throughout Central America since its escape from a Brazilian research laboratory in the mid 1980s.
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