Caletas Ario Reserve

Established in 2006, the Caletas-Arío Wildlife Reserve includes a 750-acre terrestrial zone and a 12-nautical mile marine protected area, representing one of the last remaining expansive stretches of undeveloped coastline in the region.

Home to a rich biodiversity of flora and fauna, and set among two of the most important rivers on the peninsula, the Caletas-Arío Wildlife Reserve contains lush wetlands and mangrove ecosystems, tropical dry forests and rocky reefs teeming with life, estuaries and sandy beaches where sea turtles nest in the wild.

Experience the pristine natural landscape and explore the Caletas- Arío Reserve on a 2 ½ hour hike along the forested river on route to the beach.

While we at CIRENAS work hard to conserve and manage such an important ecosystem and watershed, the Caletas-Arío Wildlife Reserve has been severely affected by the presence of commercial rice fields, rife with chemical pesticides and unsustainable water use, causing great environmental damage and threatening the long-term sustainability of the entire Nicoya Peninsula.