Palo Verde National Park is located at the northern most point of the Nicoya Gulf. This is also one of Costa Rica's dryest areas. The area is the Tempisque Basin, which is a tidal flood plain and estuary of the Gulf of Nicoya. Palo Verde encompasses over 13,000 hectares (over 32,110 acres).

Palo Verde National Park is home for a wide variety of tropical animals including Scarlett Macaws. Other animals include crocodiles, coatimundis, deer, monkeys, peccaries, iguanas, spoonbills and many other species of waterfowl.

The banks of the Rio Tempisque (Tempisque River) are lined with ancient archaeological sites. Many tours to Palo Verde actually include a stop at one or more of these sites.

Palo Verde National Park offers several maintained hiking trails. These trails lead to limestone caves and cliffs as well as pools of water that wildlife frequent. They also lead to several vantage points along the river and marshes.

Hacienda Palo Verde is the official park entrance and ranger station. The entrance fee to Palo Verde National Park was recently raised to $10 for foreign visitors. It is however, highly recommended to go with a professional guide, as the animals that inhabit the Costa Rica rainforests camoflauge very well to their surroundings.