The Caribbean lowlands is the largest ecozone of all and includes the entire lowlands and foothills east of the mountains.
This ecozone is similar in climate as the Southern Pacific Lowlands with high humidity of about 2000 mm to 5000 mm and sometimes even 6000 mm rainfall anually. The Caribbean lowlands have less pronounced seasons since it is humid year round, with a small dry season around September and October. As in the Southern Pacific, the Caribbean lowlands are also charaterized by humid rainforests that once almost covered the entire area. Today many natural vegetation has been transformed in banana and pineapple plantations and catlle farms. Luckely some large natural areas have been protected like Parque Nacional Tortuguero in the northeast: this national park is part of the largest piece of protected rainforest in Central America. But also the La Selva biological station in the Sarapiqui area, the lower parts of Parque Nacional Braulio Carillo and Parque Nacional la Amistad, the Caño Negro area and Parque Nacional Cahuita in the south protect important pieces of rainforest. At the first impression, the rainforests of the Caribbean lowlands are very similar to the ones of the South Pacific, but subtile differences in species and subspecies exist between the two. The Caribbean lowlands hold the most biodiverse avifauna in Costa Rica thanks to the high affinity with South American birdspecies. Some of the spectacular typical neotropical (southamerican) bird families like toucans, jacamars, puffbirds, antbirds and cotingas are very well represented here and reach their maximum diversity in the Caribbean lowlands. It is an absolute must during a Costa Rica birding trip to visit some of the rainforests of the Caribbean lowlands. Nowhere else in the country you will find more productive birding sites…Costa Rica birding lodges within the Caribbean lowlands with great birdwatching opportunities that we reccomand are Selva Verde Lodge, Arenal Observatory Lodge, Rancho Naturalista and Mawamba Lodge