Costa Rica National Parks / North Pacific / Ostional Wildlife Refuge

This refuge is situated on a 200 meter stretch of beach between Punta India and the mouth of the Nosara River, including the town of Ostional. It belongs to the Santa Cruz Canton in the Guanacaste Province. The refuge protects the region's wildlife, an important nesting site of the olive ridley and leatherback turtles, and a wide range of seabirds. The vegetation consists mainly of trees and plants typically found in sandy environments, such as the coconut and royal palms and the area mangrove, among others. Among the fauna, many kinds of seabirds and land fowl, marine turtles, some mammals, and a few crocodiles and other marine animals inhabit the area.