The Turu Ba Ri Tropical Park, Costa Rica

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By CJ Ramer | January 14, 2008

This weekend I headed out to the Central Pacific area in Costa Rica to visit the Turu Ba Ri Tropical Park.

The park is an 1 ½ trip from San Jose and can be reached by either Orotina or Puriscal. We decided to take the less transited route by Puriscal instead of the most popular route through Orotina. The route through Ciudad Colon and Puriscal wasn’t actually that bad. The roads are in very good condition and it even seemed as a quicker way to get there.

The Turu Ba Ri Tropical Park sits on 600 acres of unspoiled ground. The Tarcoles River runs through the property and served as inspiration for naming the park. The name Turu Ba Ri comes from the native Huetar Indian dialect which means “Clear Moon River”. The Tarcoles River is famous for its crocodile population and unfortunately also for its contamination due to sewer drainage from the central valley.

The activities which can be done at the park are quite a few; you might even have to go out there a couple of times to be able to do them all. For nature lovers you can choose the Nature tour which will start off with a ride on the European style Aerial Tram over the Tarcoles River and continue with an hour or so walk throughout the property. It may sound daunting to some, but in our case we had a great guide name Yorleny who kept everyone’s interest at their peak with her knowledge of the local history, flora and fauna.

The Turu Ba Ri Park is a great example of the sustainable tourism which is a big deal in the country. Throughout your walk you will find that the owner and staff alike are very conscious of the local environment and seek to help in all ways possible. Iguana ponds, an impressive butterfly garden, birds and crocodile ponds are just a few of the many activities the park is involved with. The owners have also brought into the park several plantations such as Bromeliads, Orchids, Heliconias, Palms, Bamboo and Cactus.

What makes the park a great place to visit with your family or a large group of friends is that it caters to several interests. If you are more of the adventurous type and not really into the plants and animals thing, the Turu Ba Ri Park has several really awesome activities to keep you busy while the not so adrenaline driven are out hiking.

The most popular of the Sports & Adventure tours is the Sensational Cable. This is the only cable in America of this type that will let you “Fly like an Eagle” at 300 ft above ground. The cable is over 3,280 ft long and depending on your weight, can take you as fast as 37 to 56 miles per hour. Apparently there are only two other cables like this in the world; one in India and the other in France.

Other adventure tours are Canopy, with 8 cables and 12 platforms, the Tarzan Swing which is 60 ft high, and the soon to open 260 ft high Rappel and Climbing Wall.

The Turu Ba Ri Tropical Park has three restaurants which serve typical Costa Rican food. One of these restaurants prepares all the buffet meals on wood cooking stoves.

In all, the park is a great place to spend the day or even stop by on your way to or from the beach thanks to its very convenient location. If you are interested in more information and in visiting the Turu Ba Ri Tropical Park, you may contact us for arrangements.

Visit 128 Trip for more information and for reservations.

Topics: 128 Trip Blog |

One Response to “The Turu Ba Ri Tropical Park, Costa Rica”

Review: Turu Ba Ri Tropical Park of Costa Rica « Eco Interactive Costa Rica Says:
January 12th, 2009 at 12:46 pm
[...] By CJ Ramer [...]

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