Tapantí National Park

Tapantí National Park is considered one of the wettest places in Costa Rica. Only an hour's drive from San Jose, Tapantí covers more than 117,000 acres of the Cartago area on the edge of the Talamanca range. This expansive park is surrounded by the Rio Macho Forest Reserve and home to some of the world's most exotic miniature orchids, which were only discovered in 2009. Tapantí contains part of the Orosi river, which has many smaller subsidiaries that generate hydraulic power for much of the metropolitan San Jose area through the Orosi Aqueduct. Wildlife lovers will appreciate the 260 species of birds, 45 species of mammals, and 28 species of reptiles that inhabit Tapantí.