Size: 2,279 hectares
Distance from San José: 219 kilomters
Dry season: January through March

Lomas Barbudal is a wildland rich in insect species, especially social and solitary bees and wasps, butterflies and moths. It has been estimated that some 230-250 species of bees, and 60 species of moths live in the reserve.

The Reserve is located southwest of the town of Bagaces and North of the town of Liberia in Guanacaste Province.

Vertebrate animals are also numerous: 130 species of birds have been observed.
The swimming holes contains a number of interesting fish species, and if you have a mask and snorkel it is well worth taking a look around it. It's located about 300 meters upstream from the visitor center. Many of the fish in it will be familiar to people who have aquariums at home, including the green molly and the convict cichlid.

Four tree species that grow in abundance in the reserve but are in danger of extinction in the rest of the country are mahogany, Panama redwood, gonzalo alves and rosewood.

The reserve has year-round rivers with excellent swimming holes, such as Cabuyo, and many springs, most of which do not dry up. It is a place of great scenic beauty and it is especially beautiful in the month of March when the yellow cortez tree bursts into bloom.

There is a visitor center with a refreshment stand, and interpretive displays are being developed. Camping is permitted near the visitor center; check with the staff before setting up your tent. The closest lodgings are in Bagaces (very basic) and in Liberia.

Lomas Barbudal Reserve is the main nucleus of one of the seven megaparks that are being developed in Costa Rica. The project consists of joining this reserve with Palo Verde National Park, Rafael Lucas Rodriguez Wildlife Refuge and other neighboring wildlands. The objective of this megapark is to set aside a sufficiently large area of wilderness where the populations of plants, animals and habitats of ecological system that exists in the zone maintain themselves forever.

Most commonly seen birds: turkey vulture, great curassow, scarlet macaw, keel-billed toucan.

Most commonly seen animals: howler monkeys, white-faced capuchin monkeys, common raccoons, tree squirrels, common long-nosed armadillos, white-nosed coati, coyotes.

Habitats found in the park: deciduous forests which cover 70% of the reserve, the riparian forests, savannah woodlands and gallery forests. Other habitats are xenomorphic or extremely dry forest which is rich in cactus plants and land bromeliads, oak forests and forest in the process of renewal.