Imagine a land that accounts for just 1% of the Earth's surface but over 8% of its total biodiversity. Imagine somewhere that crosses biomes as varied as wave-lashed beaches and humid cloud forests. That's Central America in a nutshell; a place where you can glimpse gigantic whales in the Pacific, spy stalking jaguars in the jungles, and swim coral reefs in the Caribbean.

Recent years have seen the region enter the frontline of global conservation. There are some serious and stark challenges ongoing, not least of all deforestation and habitat destruction in the face of climate change. But there has also been a big drive to establish contiguous nature reserves that foster and rebuild ecosystems to support the menagerie of species that make their home here.

This list of the best places to see wildlife in Central America touches on just a few of the highlights from Costa Rica's sloth-filled coast to the impenetrable Panamanian sierras.

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Best for frontier vibes: Parque Nacional Darién in Panama

This is a wild, wild land. Just a mention of the name Darien is usually enough to conjure images of intrepid explorers hacking their way through impenetrable rainforest. So it is for the few stray groups of hikers that venture down.

You're looking at 5,790 square kilometers of land in Panama, touching the Pacific at one end and the Serrania del Darien mountains on the Colombian border at the other. No road goes through, and the only real towns are abandoned, colonial-era mining settlements.

The best area for wildlife viewing is around the long-out-of-use ranger station under Cerro Pirre. A couple of trails lead out from there into the densest parts of the jungle. What's living in that forest no one really knows, but there are regular reports of mantled howler monkeys, sloths, Baird's tapirs and even jaguars. Pack accordingly. This is the frontier.