The Reserve was originally established in 1982, it then became a National Park ten years later. In January 2000 the protected areas were further extended towards the east. It is now known as the Tapantí – Macizo Cerro de la Muerte National Park, it is located in the northeast of the Talamancan mountain ridge and covers slightly over 58,000 hectares.

If you are a birdwatching aficionado you cannot miss visiting the latest Costa Rican National Park! Los Quetzales National Park was created on April 25^th 2006 with the sponsorship of the ACEID (Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional para el Desarrollo, the Spanish Agency of International Development Cooperation) through the Araucaria Programme with the goal to protect the natural resources and biological diversity of the Savegre river basin, an important water source for the communities of the area.