Costa Rica’s protected areas drew a record 2,970,516 total visits in 2025, a 13.7% increase over the prior year, according to figures attributed to the National System of Conservation Areas (SINAC) even as several national parks logged only dozens of visitors over the same 12 months, a gap that points travelers toward some of our country’s quietest wild places.
The standout outlier, according to the SINAC data cited in that report, is Juan Castro Blanco National Park, between Alajuela and San Carlos, which recorded only 26 visitors during all of 2025. It was followed by Diriá National Park in Guanacaste, with 452, and Barbilla National Park in Limón, with 457.
Those figures stand in sharp contrast to marquee destinations such as Manuel Antonio, reported to have topped 563,000 visits over the same period. SINAC has not published the 2025 totals on its official statistics portal, where the visitation series currently runs through 2024.
The numbers, if confirmed, would underscore a long-running imbalance: a small cluster of headline parks absorbs the bulk of the country’s nature tourism while dozens of equally protected areas remain almost untouched. SINAC has previously framed rising visitation as a reason to spread traffic more evenly, both to ease pressure on the busiest parks and to bring attention to conservation areas that see little of either. The prior visitation record, set in 2023, stood at more than 2.7 million, according to the Ministry of Environment and Energy (MINAE).
For those willing to trade infrastructure and easy access for solitude, the least-visited parks offer a different kind of trip. Juan Castro Blanco, known as the “Water Park” (Parque Nacional del Agua), protects the springs and watersheds that supply communities across the Northern Zone.
It holds cloud and rainforest, three dormant volcanoes — Platanar, Porvenir and El Viejo — and a deep roster of birds, mammals and orchids. Its value lies as much in drinking water and energy production for the region as in tourism, which helps explain why it has few developed visitor facilities.
Diriá, in Guanacaste, is the largest land-based protected area in the Tempisque Conservation Area and sits within reach of the Nicoya Peninsula’s better-known beach towns. It safeguards the headwaters of the Diriá, Enmedio, Tigre and Verde rivers. Barbilla, in the Caribbean lowlands of Limón, preserves dense, little-trafficked tropical rainforest.
Lower visitor numbers come with trade-offs travelers should plan around. Lesser-known parks typically have fewer marked trails, limited ranger presence, sparse signage and few or no services on site, so independent visits require more preparation — and, in some areas, a local guide. Travelers should confirm opening hours, access roads and entry conditions directly with SINAC before setting out, as some sectors open only seasonally or require advance arrangement.
For first-time visitors set on the classics, the figures are also a reminder to book ahead: Costa Rica’s busiest parks increasingly sell timed entry through SINAC’s online system and cap daily numbers, and visitation pressure shows no sign of easing.
