Page 75 - NORTHERN GUANACASTE TOURIST GUIDE

Flora & fauna
Barbudal has several plant communities including the wooded savanna, evergreen forest, riparian forest found along waterways and the area’s largest biome, the dry tropical forest. The dry forest is largely populated with deciduous trees, which lose their leaves during the dry season. The most common species here are pochote, indio desnudo, jobo, corteza amarilla, ronrón, laurel, canilla de mula and malacahuite.
The reserve protects several endangered tree species, such as mahogany (Swietenia macrophylla), secoya (Platymiscium pleiostachyum), pochote (Bombacopsis quinata), ronrón (Astronium graveolens), cocobolo (Dalbergia retusa), and cristobál or ñambar (Platymiscium parviflorum), as well as the nance (Byrsonima crassifolia) whose flowers offer an oily resin that bees of the genus Centris use as mortar when building tunnels. The reserve also provides habitat for the splendid golden trumpet tree or corteza amarilla (Tabebuia ochracea), known for the small yellow flowers that cover its bare branches after the first rains.
Mammals are not abundant. However, you can see howler and white-faced capuchins (Alouatta paliar and Cebus capucinus), squirrels (Sciurus variegatoides), numbat (Myrmecobius fasciatus), white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), raccoons (Procyon lotor), tayras (Eira barbara), agoutis (Dasyprocta punctata), armadillos (Dasypus novemcinctus), coatis (Nasua narica), the fisherman bat (Noctilio leporinus) and a large number of reptiles and fish.
How do you get there?
From San José:
By car: Take the Carretera
Interamericana north to
Bagaces. Then turn southeast near km 221 (10 km northwest of Bagaces, 14 km southeast of Liberia) and continue for approximately 12 km to the park entrance. The turnoff for the entrance to the Lomas Barbudal Biological Reserve is signposted (4WD or 4×4 recommended). The Casa de Patrimonio visitor center is 7 km to the south. Consider parking at the top and walking to the visitor center if the road conditions are unfavorable.
You can also take the new Caldera Highway (route 27) to Puntarenas and then follow the same directions along the Carretera Interamericana to the reserve.
There is also a very rough road that leaves from the northwest side of the entrance to Palo Verde National Park. Consult park rangers for current conditions and regulations before embarking on this route.
From Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport (LIR), drive south along the Interamericana Norte for 14 km from Liberia to Bagaces. Then turn southeast and continue for about 12 km to the park entrance. The turnoff for the entrance to the Lomas Barbudal Biological Reserve is signposted (4WD or 4×4 recommended). The Casa de Patrimonio visitor center is 7 km to the south.
By bus:
Liberia route (which takes about 4 hours), which stops in Bagaces, Pulmitán and Liberia (2222-1650). From there you can either drive or take a cab to the Lomas de Barbuda Biological Reserve, which can take approximately 15 minutes.
By plane:
You can also take a flight between Juan Santamaría
International Airport to Daniel Oduber Quirós International Airport, with daily departures on Sansa or Aerobell Airlines. From there you can either drive or take a bus or cab to the Lomas de Barbuda Biological Reserve, which can take approximately 40 minutes.
You can take a bus that travels on the San José-
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