Starting in 2020, tourists who visit Costa Rica’s national parks will be covered by insurance policy

Starting Jan. 1, 2020, foreign and national tourists who visit many of Costa Rica’s national parks will be covered by an insurance policy in case of injury or death, the National System of Conservation Areas (SINAC) announced Friday.

Visitors who enter the national parks through the official entrances and adhere to posted rules will be covered in case of personal injury or death. Vehicles parked in official lots will also be covered for damage or theft.

The policy will apply in the following protected areas and national parks starting New Year’s Day:

• Cahuita National Park
• Santa Rosa National Park
• Regional offices in Liberia and Santa Rosa
• Bahía Junquillal National Wildlife Reserve
• Guayabo National Monument
• Braulio Carrillo National Park: Quebrada Gonzales and Barva Volcano Sectors
• La Cangreja National Park
• Los Quetzales National Park
• Irazú Volcano National Park (Prussia Sector)
• Poás Volcano National Park
• Grecia Forest Reserve, Bosque del Niño
• Tapantí National Park, Macizo de la Muerte
• Chirripó National Park
• Corcovado National Park
• Marino Ballena National Park
• Carara National Park
• Manuel Antonio National Park
• Caño Island Biological Reserve
• Punta Mala-Playa Hermosa National Wildlife Refuge

The insurance policy will be automatically included in the price of the ticket for all visitors, a SINAC spokesperson told The Tico Times.

“This is a unique policy in the country,” said Grettel Vega, Executive Director of SINAC. “This policy is intended to protect visitors who enter through official entrances from common risks that may arise during their stay in Protected Wildlife Areas.”

A SINAC statement added that the organization will improve signage throughout protected areas “in order to adequately inform our visitors of the areas they may or may not visit within the park, and if such rules are not adhered to, it will remain under the tourist’s responsibility.”

SINAC said it hopes to expand insurance coverage to all of Costa Rica’s 29 national parks in the near future.