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Tamarindo
National Wildlife Refuge
This small wildlife refuge was declared to protect a mangrove swamp that is
unusual in having no freshwater input during nearly half the year. Given the
severity of the dry season in this coastal region of northern Guanacaste, the
creeks that feed the estuary during the rainy season completely dry up after
the rains have stopped.
Five species of mangroves (botanically unrelated trees that have each evolved
methods for tolerating life in a brackish water environment where the soil is
so waterlogged that oxygen cannot readily be obtained through the underground
roots) exist in the Tamarindo estuary and provide an important spawning site
for many fish and other marine creatures. An assortment of birds can be found
in this habitat, many of them seasonal migrants from North America. One of the
more peculiar species encountered here is the Lesser Nighthawk (a relative of
the Whip-poor-will), which sleeps lengthwise during the day on low branches in
the mangroves, its mottled gray and brown plumage causing it to blend in
extremely well with the environment.
There is an average two and a half meter difference between high and low tide
on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, and when the tide is out in the mangroves
you can observe the protruding vertical roots (or pneumatophores) of the Black
Mangrove. These short projections stick up out of the mud to help aerate the
plants. During the dry season, you can also see how this species of mangrove
plant exudes particles of salt on the surface of its leaves (in the rainy
season the salts are washed off and do not accumulate so as to be visible).
Howler Monkeys, White-throated Capuchin Monkeys, Raccoons, Spectacled Caimans,
and Lineated Basilisk Lizards are among the other kinds of wildlife that can
be spotted on a boat ride through the mangroves.
Getting there: From the intersection on the PanAmerican Highway at Liberia,
drive west towards the Pacific coast. At the town of Belén, take a right turn
and continue on paved road for 21 km. until reaching the community of Huacas.
Here turn left, staying on pavement, and continue to Villareal and then
Tamarindo, where boats can be hired for touring the estuary.
Fishing: Located in the most developed part of the country for deep-sea
fishing, a dozen or more operators between Playa del Coco and Tamarindo offer
charter boat service with the target species being Blue Marlin, Black Marlin,
and Pacific Sailfish. Between the three species, there's usually action all
year long. Other fish that help pick up the slack if the billfish aren't
biting are Dorado (Mahi-mahi), Wahoo, and Roosterfish.
Climate: Hot year-round, the dry season lasts from about mid-November to
mid-May.
History: In a response to the perceived threat the estuary faced from plans to
build large tourism complexes on its fringes, the government, urged by
concerned residents of the Tamarindo area, decreed it the status of national
wildlife refuge.
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