National Parks of Costa Rica
Mal Pais
Cabo Blanco Strict Nature Reserve
Located on the southern tip of the Nicoya Peninsula just a few miles from Mal Pais or Cobuya, this refuge is a marine bird sanctuary and is one of the most beautiful park/reserves on the Pacific coast. It is a "must see" for those who would like to experience the pristine beauty of the original virgin forests of the Nicoya Peninsula, before the clear cutting took place by the cattle ranchers and fruit growers.
The woods are predominated by evergreen species. Some of the most common trees are
lancewood, bastard cedar, wild plum, gumbo-limbo, trumpet tree, dogwood, frangipani,
and the spiny cedar. One spiny cedar is a veritable natural monument growing beside
the trail to Maven Peak -it towers 50 meters and measures 3 meters in diameter at
chest height.
Among the 119 types of trees in this reserve, the dominant species in the primary
forest are spiny cedar, chicle, and espave.
The white-tailed deer, howler, spider and white-faced monkeys, porcupines, agoutis,
pacas kinkajous, coyotes, long-nosed armadillos, and margay cats are also found here.
Marine birds are very numerous, particularly brown pelicans, magnificent frigatebirds,
laughing gulls, common terns, and brown boobies.
Terrestrial birds include the long-tailed manakin, magpie jay, cattle egret, crested
caracara, elegant tragon, white-bellied chachalaca, ringed kingfisher, sulphur-winged
parakeet, and turkey vulture.
In the sea, large populations of fish, crabs, chitons, lobster, shrimp, giant chanches,
and clams are present, while many other species inhabit the intertidal zone and neighboring
shores.
