Parque Nacional Jeannette Kawas

Introducing Parque Nacional Jeannette Kawas

Standing on the beach at Tela, you can look to the west and see a long arc of land curving out to a point. This point, Punta Sal, is part of the Parque Nacional Jeannette Kawas, one of the most scenic places on the north coast. The park has several white-sand beaches, the prettiest and most popular being Playa Cocalito. A lone family there prepares basic meals. Offshore are coral reefs that make for fine snorkeling, and in the forest live troops of howler monkeys. The park was formerly known as Parque Nacional Marino Punta Sal; it was renamed after Jeannette Kawas, a former director of Fundación Prolansate, who was murdered in 1995 during a bitter struggle to protect the park from development. There is a US$3 fee to enter.

On the park’s east side is the Laguna de los Micos (Lagoon of the Monkeys), containing extensive mangrove forests. It’s a habitat for hundreds of species of birds (especially from November to February, when migratory species flock here) and for the monkeys that the lagoon is named for.

Last updated: Mar 2, 2009