If you’ve ever wanted to go spelunking or just want a better idea of what a bat cave (or “The” bat cave, if you’re into super heroes) looks like, then you should take a ride down to the 2295-hectare Parque Nacional Barra Honda, via car down the road to Samara or via bus from Nicoya, Samara or another major transportation hub. This national park protects some wildlife, but mostly protects more than 40 underground caverns. However, this is not like the cave parks in other, more developed countries. While these caves come with the regular fare; stalactites, stalagmites and other formations, they also come with underground wildlife, undeveloped walking paths and tight crawling spaces. This park is not for those who want to stay clean and out of the way of bats, albino salamanders, invertebrates and of course, it’s not for those with arachnophobia. Above ground, you can get up close and personal with coatis, white-faced monkeys, howler monkeys, anteaters and armadillos while you traverse the Barra Honda hills on trails that will lead you through tropical rainforests and take you to hidden waterfalls purging thousands of gallons of crystal blue water into the sparkling pools below. You should check with the rangers or hire a guide before taking the trails and you are required to have a guide when in the caverns.