Chirripó
National Park:
Travel
to Costa Rica
Known as the home of Costa Rica's highest
peak, Mount Chirripó, images of stunted alpine
vegetation and bare rock are most often associated
with this park. Nonetheless, the 50,150 hectares that
comprise the park actually contain a variety of other
fascinating ecosystems and on the 10-hour hike to
the shelters on top of the mountain one passes through
lower montane rain forest and montane rain forest,
before finally emerging into subalpine rain paramo.
The high humidity and abundant precipitation foster
the luxuriant growth of mosses, bromeliads, and other
epiphytes on the trunks and branches of the forest
trees, of which the predominant species are several
types of truly majestic live oaks (Quercus spp.).
As the tree line is neared, the vegetation
becomes more and more stunted until at an elevation
of about 3,300 meters the paramo begins. This is a
conglomeration of low-growing plants that have evolved
various adaptations for dealing with the harsh climate
at the summit which is characterized by intense ultraviolet
radiation, abrupt temperature change, high rainfall,
and frequent frosts.
But don't despair, the weather could
be worse! Ample geologic evidence is present on the
summit of the Chirripó massif to indicate that
some 25,000 years ago the area was covered by glacial
ice. This glacier formed during the last of the Great
Ice Ages when much of the northern hemisphere was
also beneath ice, although the Chirripó glacier
was not connected to those glaciers. A dozen or more
small glacial lakes, piles of rounded rocks (moraines),
and U-shaped valleys are all mute testimony to the
existence of the former ice cover.
Admission policy: Due to the
limited space at the shelters, advance reservations
are necessary before making the climb up Mount Chirripó.
To make reservations you must go to the National Park
Service offices in San José on calle 25, between
avenidas 8 and 10 (Phone: 192). If there is space
for the dates you are interested in, you must prepay
the entrance fee as well as the shelter use fee (per
person per day).
Getting there: A vehicle will
get you as far as the town of San Gerardo de Rivas
(about 18 km. northeast of San Isidro del General),
from there it is a 16 km. hike to the shelters near
the geological formation known as Los Crestones.
Using the shelter as a base camp, it is another 6
km. to the actual summit of Mt. Chirripó. Since
the hike to the shelters takes about 10 hours, it
is a good idea to get an early start and it is possible
to overnight in San Gerardo as there are a couple
of places with rather basic accommodations available.
In the dry season, January to March, pack horses can
be rented in San Gerardo for taking gear up to the
base camp.
Climate: Given the 3,500 meter
elevation at the shelters, it can get quite cold.
Overnight lows near the freezing point are the norm,
and temperatures of -8 degrees Celsius have been recorded.
Wind and rain can combine to make for very uncomfortable
conditions on the summit, so those hearty souls that
attempt this climb ought to go well-prepared. On the
other hand, clear sunny days can produce temperatures
as balmy as 24 degrees Celsius and provide an unsurpassed
view of Costa Rica from coast to coast.
History: Being as isolated as
it is and not on the route to anywhere else, little
human history is associated with Mt. Chirripó,
in fact, the earliest record of a non-indigenous person
reaching the summit was only in 1904, when a priest
named Agustín Blessing made the ascent. National
park status was given to the area in 1975 to protect
both the paramo habitat (the largest extent of this
vegetation type found in Costa Rica) and the oak forests
below.
