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Chirripo:“The Land of Eternal Waters”

Chirripó is the highest mountain in Costa Rica (11,257 ft) and the second highest in Central America), hosting lakes of glacial origin, extensive paramos or tundra, and cloud forests. The flora and fauna are very diverse, with quetzals and other endangered species prominently featured.  Chirripó National Park is located in the heart of the Talamanca Mountain Range.  
 Chirripó National Park encompasses an area of 50,150 hectares (approximately 195 square miles) and is part of La Amistad International Park (Costa Rica-Panama). The park is located on the Talamanca Mountain Range, 20 Km Northeast from San Isidro de El General.

The human history of Chirripó National Park is still in its infancy. The highlands, specifically the paramo regions, were believed to be sacred by the indigenous people of the area, and for that reason they left many of the area's peaks unexplored. It is widely believed that man did not reach the summit of Cerro Chirripó Grande until 1904, when Agustín Blessing, a priest and missionary of the Talamanca Mountain Range.