Chirripó National Park

Chirripó National Park is a national park in Costa Rica. It is in Talamanca Mountain, 20 km (12 mi) northeast of San Isidro de El General. This park forms part of La Amistad International Park between Costa Rica and Panama. Chirripó National Park was created on August 19, 1975. It has an area of 50,150 ha (123,923 acres). The park includes the highest mountain in Costa Rica, Cerro Chirripó. The mountain has an altitude of 3,920 m (12,861 ft).

Chirripó National Park
IUCN category II (national park)
Location	Costa Rica
Nearest city	San Isidro de El General
Coordinates	9°28′48″N 83°28′48″W
Area	50,849 hectares (125,650 acres)
Established	August 19, 1975
Governing body	National System of Conservation Areas (SINAC)

In the indigenous language, "Chirripó" means Land of Eternal Waters. The park protects many rivers such as Rio Chirripó Atlántico, Rio Telire, Rio Chirripó Pacífico and the Rio Ceibo.

The weather changes often and depends of the altitude. The lowest temperature recorded in Costa Rica was −9 °C (16 °F) in the Mount Chirripó. The warm season goes from December to May. It is recommended to visit the park in those months.

There are many habitats in the Chirripó National Park. This is because of the differences of altitude and climate. There are large trees like oak and sweet cedar. There are also many different types of orchids. The most common animals in this region are coyotes, jaguars, squirrels, frogs, rabbits, and quetzals.

The first person known to climbed Mount Chirripó was the priest Agustin Blessing in 1904. Other expeditions before the park was created were in 1905, 1913, 1915, 1920, 1932 and 1942. The park now has trails leading to the top of the mountain. It also has a ranger station.