Curu Wildlife Refuge
A privately owned refuge on the southern Nicoya peninsula with dry forest, mangrove and quiet coves.
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Curu is a private refuge of around fifteen square kilometres on the southern Nicoya peninsula, one of the earliest private conservation areas in Costa Rica, set up by the Schutt family who kept part of a working hacienda under forest from the 1930s and had it declared a refuge in 1983. It holds tropical dry forest, mangrove, and several small coves with calm water backed by trees where howler and white-faced monkeys come down to the beach. Spider monkeys were reintroduced here. Trails run from the entrance through the forest and along the shore. It is a common stop on boat trips from Puntarenas and Montezuma and a good place to see wildlife easily.
What you actually see
- Beach coves - the calm bays with forest running to the sand.
- Monkeys - howler, white-faced and reintroduced spider monkeys.
- Dry forest trails - the routes through the deciduous woodland.
- Mangrove - the estuary vegetation within the refuge.
When to go
December to April in the dry season, when trails are firm and animals concentrate near water; the forest is leafless then, which makes wildlife easier to see. Early morning is best.
Honest expectations
It is a private working property as well as a refuge and cattle are kept in parts. Accommodation on site is very basic. Boat trips arrive in groups mid-morning. The dry forest is bare for much of the season.
Nearby
Paquera lies north; Montezuma is south.
What to pack for Curu Wildlife Refuge
Chosen from what this place is for. Tap a kit for the full checklist.
Opening times, ticket prices and seasonal closures change - check the official source before you go: official site.