La Cangreja National Park (officially Parque Nacional La Cangreja) is a good sized park that provides critical bird habitat in the Central Valley of Costa Rica. It is a mountainous area with forests and rain forest and is a good place for hiking and birdwatching.
The park covers an area of more than 1860 hectares.
La Cangreja was established as a national park by presidential decree in 2002.
The park gets its name from its highest peak, Cerro la Cangreja, which people who enjoy mind-expanding substances think resembles a crab. The mountain dominates the park's landscaape with a height of 1,305 meters. More colorful local lore holds that the region was once dominated by a huge crab that refused to let people pass. One day a mighty warrior fiercely battled the crab, cutting off one of its legs. When the crab saw that he was doomed, he turned himself into stone, becoming the mountain.
The park was established primarily to provide habitat for birds, especially the large number of migratory species passing through in the fall and spring months.
The park has more than 1,000 plant species including 44 that are endemic to the park. The most unusual of these plants is a rare tree (Plinia puriscalensis) that bears fruit attached to its trunk. This tree is found nowhere else on earth.
Animals living in the park include white-faced monkeys, coatis, agoutis, several species of snakes, and almost 80 species of birds who permanently live in the park and more than 100 migratory birds.
The climate is generally temperate with average temperatures of 20 to 24 °C. Average rainfall in the park is over 3500 mm per year.
The nearest town to La Cangreja National Park is Santa Rosa'. From San Jose, the Route 28 bus goes to Santa Rosa. The trip will take about 3 hours and cost about C2600 (US$5).
The park is about 75 km southwest from San Jose via secondary highway 239. The trip will take about 2 hours. A 4WD truck is recommended, especially during the rainy season.
