Nicoya Peninsula - Cabo Blanco Absolute Nature Reserve

(Local Name: Reserva Natural Absoluta Cabo Blanco) Including the entire southern tip of the Nicoya Peninsula, this attractive reserve encompasses 1,172ha/2,895ac of land and 1,790ha/4,421ac of the surrounding ocean. The reserve was established in 1963 when the land was donated to Costa Rica from the late Olof Wessenberg and Karen Morgenson, years before a national park system was created in the country.

Cabo Blanco is Costa Rica's oldest protected area and was called an "absolute" nature reserve because no visitors were permitted until the late 1980s. Today, there are many hiking trails through the reserve offering excellent opportunities for wildlife observation.

Cabo Blanco preserves an