Las Baulas Marine National Park
🇨🇷 Costa Rica
Guanacaste, Costa Rica 723 spp. recorded
Marino Las Baulas protects one of the most important leatherback turtle nesting sites on the Pacific coast of the Americas. From October to March, these ancient giants — weighing up to 500 kg — haul themselves onto Playa Grande under cover of darkness to lay their eggs.
10.318° N 86.019° W
🦜 Nature
381 Species sighted
30,545 Verified sightings From 2019 to 2026
Dec Best month
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
⭐ Iconic Species
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
📊 Most Spotted
🌙 Most active after dark
+ 462 more species with insufficient data
Recent sightings in Las Baulas Marine National Park
LIVEiNaturalistSighting Calendar
How many species you'd see in a day
36Jan
32Feb
35Mar
34Apr
33May
33Jun
27Jul
30Aug
30Sep
29Oct
30Nov
36Dec
Sighting Zones
Warmer areas are where all species together are recorded most often.
-
Tamarindo
Daily sight. prob.vs avg -
Playa Ventanas and Estuary
Daily sight. prob.vs avg
Black Spiny-tailed Iguana~90%+10%
Mantled Howler Monkey~80%+10%
Rose-bellied Lizard~60%+20%
Variegated Squirrel~60%-10%
Milk Frog~60%+30%
Giant Marine Toad~40%+30%
Mexican Smilisca~40%+20%
Blackbelly Racerunner~40%+20%
Great-tailed Grackle~40%-40%
American Crocodile~40%-10%
Yellow-bellied Sea Snake~40%+10%
Common House Gecko~40%≈
🏕️ Experience
Essentials
Entrance
Paid
Tourism
Low
Typical stay
1–2
daysTrails
Easy
World Heritage
No
Climate
Temp °C Rain mm
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
0.0 Good
Wallace's Line Score
How good is this park for seeing wildlife? 🦜
Biodiversity
GoodHow rich is the wildlife?
3.5
Species by taxon
🦅 Birds 457
🐒 Mammals 165
🦎 Reptiles 81
🐸 Amphibians 20
723 Total Species
828 Global average across 316 parks
26 Threatened 60 Endemic
🔭
Sighting
Very goodHow likely to see animals?
3.4
🎯
Top-12 Avg Probability
68% 📊
Coverage (175 species at ≥5% of 723 in the inventory)
24% 🔀
Taxon variety in top 12 (8 bird, 2 reptile, 2 mammal)
67% 🔭
Species per 10 outings (distinct species a visitor would meet over 10 outings — effort held equal across parks)
104 🌟
Iconic-group species (≥15%) (every species from the 19 iconic groups — monkeys, cats, toucans, macaws, sloths, crocodilians… — not just the 4 highlighted above)
10 ⭐
High-prob species (>40%)
20 🏕️
Experience
Very goodHow easy and pleasant is the visit?
3.6
Climate Mixed Medium
Entrance Paid Low
Tourism High Low
Trails Easy High
World Heritage No —
What visitors say
We saw a howler monkey, iguanas, bats, lots of birds, but no crocodiles.
I've seen weeks where three turtles come up every night, followed by four nights of absolutely nothing.
Our concierge team can arrange a private guide for Las Baulas, time the visit to the nesting season, and take care of every detail so all you have to do is show up.
Before you go
What animals can you see in Las Baulas Marine National Park?
723 species
Las Baulas Marine National Park has 723 recorded vertebrate species. The ones wildlife watchers report most often on a given day are Great Kiskadee (about 80%), Black Spiny-tailed Iguana (about 80%), Great-tailed Grackle (about 80%), Mantled Howler Monkey (about 80%) and Tropical Kingbird (about 70%). Among amphibians, the most-seen is Milk Frog (about 30%).
When is the best time to visit Las Baulas Marine National Park for wildlife?
March–July, September and December–January
In those months the park's 12 most-seen species average about 70% on a given day, against about 60% in February, August and October–November.
Can you see a Mantled Howler Monkey in Las Baulas Marine National Park?
Yes
About 80% of wildlife watchers report a Mantled Howler Monkey sighting in Las Baulas Marine National Park on a given day, based on 207 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is April–July, September and December–February (about 80%).
Can you see an American Crocodile in Las Baulas Marine National Park?
Yes
About 50% of wildlife watchers report an American Crocodile sighting in Las Baulas Marine National Park on a given day, based on 106 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is April (about 70%).
Can you see a Black Spiny-tailed Iguana in Las Baulas Marine National Park?
Yes
About 80% of wildlife watchers report a Black Spiny-tailed Iguana sighting in Las Baulas Marine National Park on a given day, based on 319 verified sightings from GBIF citizen-science data from 2019 to 2026. The best time is May–August and October (about 90%).
Where in Las Baulas Marine National Park is wildlife easiest to see?
Around Tamarindo
The richest sighting zone is around Tamarindo, followed by Playa Ventanas and Estuary, ranked by how many of the park's headline animals visitors can expect to see in each. See the zones on the map.
Is Las Baulas Marine National Park good for wildlife watching?
3.4 out of 5
On the Wallace's Line Score, Las Baulas Marine National Park rates 3.4/5: 221st of 316 parks worldwide and 31st in Central America. 24 of its species are reported by about 40% or more of wildlife watchers on a given day.
