The Operating Hours For 20+ Costa Rica National Parks, Reserves, and Refuges

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Written by Nikki Solano

Nikki is the CEO of Pura Vida! eh? Inc. (Costa Rica Discounts), and the author of the guidebooks Moon Costa Rica (2019, 2021, 2023, and 2025 editions) and Moon Best of Costa Rica (2022 edition) from Moon Travel Guides. Together with her Costa Rican husband, Ricky, she operates the Costa Rica Travel Blog, created the online community DIY Costa Rica, built the Costa Rica Destination Tool, oversees the brand-new (summer 2023) Costa Rica Travel Shop, and designed the Costa Rica Trip Planning 101 E-Course. Also, Nikki wrote the Costa Rica cover feature for Wanderlust Magazine's sustainability-focused Travel Green List issue, showcased Costa Rica destinations and experiences on Rick Steves' Monday Night Travel show and podcast/radio show, and served as the Costa Rica Destination Editor for Essentialist, a luxury travel brand. Want to show your appreciation for her free article below? Thank Nikki here. ❤️️

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What to know about Costa Rica hours of operation

Although Costa Rica’s national parks (and some biological reserves and wildlife refuges) are managed by the same organization (SINAC, Costa Rica’s National System of Conservation Areas), operating hours vary by attraction. Most open around 8:00am and close around 4:00pm, give or take an hour, every day of the week. However, some are open 24 hours a day, are closed on weekends or for one or more days during the week, and/or close briefly each day for lunch. If your goal is to plan a stress-free and time-efficient trip to Costa Rica, it’s important to know the operating hours for the places you intend to visit, to avoid feeling disappointed and wasting precious vacation time.

In the charts below, we outline the current hours of operation that apply to Costa Rica’s most popular national parks, reserves, and refuges. Please note that the hours of operation of any attraction can change at any time, so it’s best to reconfirm operating hours the day before you intend to visit one.

What are the hours of operation for guided tours?

Just because an attraction opens at a particular time doesn’t mean that guided tours run at that time. Guided tour schedules can be set by multiple parties, including the attraction’s staff and employees of travel companies that choose to bring their clients to the attraction, and often those tour schedules vary. On average, guided tours tend to run at least once in the morning and once in the afternoon, but some attractions see guided tours run at multiple times during each day.

As we explain in our related blog post Costa Rica Guided Tours: Are They Necessary, Valuable, And/Or Worthwhile?, having a tour guide at your side as you explore Costa Rica’s many national parks, biological reserves, and wildlife refuges is a smart idea. If you plan to tour some of these places on your own, though (you may be interested in our related blog post Self-Guided Adventures: 20 Things To Do In Costa Rica Without A Guide in that case), all you need to do is show up at the attraction when it opens and embark on some self-led exploration. If you can’t make it to the attraction for when it opens, or you don’t want to tour the attraction that early in the day, you can enter the attraction at any time during its operating hours, provided the attraction doesn’t enforce a “latest possible entry” rule. This kind of rule requires you to enter the attraction no later than a specific time. (That time is typically one-to-two hours before the attraction’s closing time.) So long as you enter the attraction prior to the latest possible entry time, you can stay on the property and continue to explore it until the official closing time. In addition to noting the operating hours, we provide the latest possible entry times in the charts below.

Do the hours of operation apply year-round? What about holidays?

Any attraction can decide to close to the public on particular days of the year, but as a general rule, tourism services (including the national parks, biological reserves, and wildlife refuges listed below) operate 365 days a year, including holidays. As a heads up, attractions can be extra busy on holidays, when many locals have time off from work and spend that time getting to know their beautiful homeland. 🙂

Looking for the costs of entrance fees to Costa Rica’s national parks, biological reserves, wildlife refuges, and other attractions? Don’t miss our related blog post:

A List Of 50+ Costa Rica Entrance Fees: How Much It Costs To Enter National Parks, Reserves, And Refuges

Looking for trail maps to Costa Rica’s national parks, biological reserves, wildlife refuges, and other attractions? Don’t miss our related blog post:

Photos of Costa Rica Trail Maps

Arenal Volcano National Park hours of operation

Opening time Monday-Sunday	8:00am
Closing time Monday-Sunday	4:00pm
Latest possible entry	2:30pm

Barra Honda National Park hours of operation

Opening time Monday-Sunday	8:00am
Closing time Monday-Sunday	4:00pm
Latest possible entry	1:00pm

Braulio Carrillo National Park hours of operation

Quebrada Gonzalez Sector

Opening time Monday-Sunday	8:00am
Closing time Monday-Sunday	3:30pm
Latest possible entry	2:00pm

Volcan Brava Sector

Opening time Monday-Sunday	8:00am
Closing time Monday-Sunday	3:30pm
Latest possible entry	2:00pm

Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve hours of operation

Closed Mondays and Tuesdays	N/A
Opening time Wednesday-Sunday	8:00am
Closing time Wednesday-Sunday	4:00pm
Latest possible entry	2:00pm

Cahuita National Park hours of operation

Playa Blanca Sector

Opening time Monday-Sunday	8:00am
Closing time Monday-Sunday	4:00pm
Latest possible entry	N/A

Playa Vargas Sector

Opening time Monday-Sunday	8:00am
Closing time Monday-Sunday	4:00pm
Latest possible entry	N/A

Cano Negro Mixed Wildlife Refuge hours of operation

Opening time Monday-Sunday	8:00am
Closing time Monday-Sunday	4:00pm
Latest possible entry	N/A

Carara National Park hours of operation

Opening time Monday-Sunday (from December to April)	7:00am
Closing time Monday-Sunday (from December to April)	4:00pm
Latest possible entry (from December to April)	3:00pm
Opening time Monday-Sunday (from May to November)	8:00am
Closing time Monday-Sunday (from May to November)	4:00pm
Latest possible entry (from May to November)	3:00pm

Chirripo National Park hours of operation

Overnight trips to the Chirripo National Park are permitted. Therefore, technically the park is always open. Below are the operating hours for the park’s administrative office, where park registration takes place.

Opening time Monday-Sunday	8:00am
Closing time Monday-Sunday	4:00pm
Latest possible entry	N/A

This location often closes for lunch between 12:00pm and 1:00pm daily.

Corcovado National Park hours of operation

Overnight trips to the Corcovado National Park are permitted. Therefore, technically the park is always open. Below are the operating hours for the park’s public sectors where day tours (not overnight tours) typically take place.

Opening time Monday-Sunday	7:00am
Closing time Monday-Sunday	4:00pm
Latest possible entry	N/A

Guayabo National Monument hours of operation

Opening time Monday-Sunday	8:00am
Closing time Monday-Sunday	3:30pm
Latest possible entry	N/A

Isla del Cano Biological Reserve hours of operation

Opening time Monday-Sunday	7:00am
Closing time Monday-Sunday	3:00pm
Latest possible entry	N/A

Isla del Coco National Park hours of operation

Overnight trips (on liveaboard boats) to the Isla del Coco National Park are permitted. Therefore, technically the park is always open.

Marino Las Baulas National Park hours of operation

The Marino Las Baulas National Park fans out over a public beach. Therefore, technically the park is always open. Below are the operating hours for the park’s administrative office, where turtle nesting tours can be arranged.

Closed Sundays	N/A
Opening time Monday-Friday	8:00am
Closing time Monday-Friday	4:00pm
Latest possible entry	N/A
Opening time Saturday	8:00am
Closing time Saturday	12:00pm
Latest possible entry	N/A

This location often closes for lunch between 12:00pm and 1:00pm from Monday to Friday.

Los Quetzales National Park hours of operation

Opening time Monday-Sunday	7:30am
Closing time Monday-Sunday	3:30pm
Latest possible entry	N/A

Manuel Antonio National Park hours of operation

Closed Tuesdays	N/A
Opening time Wednesday-Monday	7:00am
Closing time Wednesday-Monday	4:00pm
Latest possible entry	3:00pm

The beaches inside this park close at 3:00pm daily.

Marino Ballena National Park hours of operation

Opening time Monday-Sunday	7:00am
Closing time Monday-Sunday	4:00pm
Latest possible entry	N/A

Palo Verde National Park hours of operation

Opening time Monday-Sunday	8:00am
Closing time Monday-Sunday	4:00pm
Latest possible entry	N/A

Poas Volcano National Park hours of operation

Opening time Monday-Sunday	8:00am
Closing time Monday-Sunday	4:00pm
Latest possible entry	2:00pm

Rincon de la Vieja National Park hours of operation

Las Pailas Sector

Closed Mondays	N/A
Opening time Tuesday-Sunday	8:00am
Closing time Tuesday-Sunday	5:00pm
Latest possible entry	2:30pm

Santa Maria Sector

Closed Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays	N/A
Opening time Thursday-Sunday	8:00am
Closing time Thursday-Sunday	5:00pm
Latest possible entry	2:30pm

Santa Rosa National Park hours of operation

Santa Rosa Sector

Closed Tuesdays	N/A
Opening time Wednesday-Monday	8:00am
Closing time Wednesday-Monday	3:30pm
Latest possible entry	2:30pm

Murcielago Sector

Opening time Monday-Sunday	8:00am
Closing time Monday-Sunday	3:30pm
Latest possible entry	2:30pm

Santa Elena Sector

Opening time Monday-Sunday	8:00am
Closing time Monday-Sunday	3:30pm
Latest possible entry	2:30pm

Tenorio National Park hours of operation

Opening time Monday-Sunday	8:00am
Closing time Monday-Sunday	4:00pm
Latest possible entry	2:00pm

Tortuguero National Park hours of operation

The Tortuguero National Park is spread out over the entire destination of Tortuguero. Therefore, technically the park is always open. Below are the operating hours for the park’s main ranger station.

Opening time Monday-Sunday	6:00am
Closing time Monday-Sunday	4:00pm
Latest possible entry	3:30pm

This location often closes for lunch between 12:00pm and 1:00pm daily.

What if I’m looking for the Costa Rica hours of operation for an attraction not currently listed above?

Feel free to leave us a comment below if you’re looking for operating hours not yet displayed on this page. If we know the hours of operation, or are able to obtain them from our colleagues, we’ll happily add them to this page.

Pura vida!

Do you have questions about particular national parks, biological reserves, or wildlife refuges, including when they open and close? No problem! When you’re ready, make an appointment here to communicate with me (Nikki) privately and we can discuss these and other topics to get your questions answered fast and your Costa Rica trip poised for success. Pura vida, amigos! 🙂

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