Wonderful couple of hours in beautiful gardens with super cute animals (with sad stories unfortunately) Worth a visit if you are in the area

Nothing really special about this place. It was close to where we stayed. It was convenient for us to go there, so we went.

Place on google says it closes at 6pm. Last tour was at 11am, you cannot even enter the site. Waste of time. Not a great way to raise money to save animals.

It is a beautiful and very informative tour, however I worry for the animals' living conditions. At every cage (most of them very small, little grass, just dirt and sticks) we were told by the guide that they are going to or are planning on building a big enclosure for whatever animals we were looking at. However, no construction was seen anywhere. I feel bad for the animals who have to live in these tiny cages and enclosures, even though they are safe from the wild where they couldn't survive on their own. I don't think I am alone when I say that Tree of Life is not investing nearly enough money to better the living situation for these animals.

Enjoyed our tour learning about the recovering animals and the botanical garden. It is important to note that you can only enter with the 11am tour, there is no other entry. It costs $20 and lasts about 90 mins. Well worth it as part of a chilled out day around Cahuita!

Please do not visit, this place should be closed. The animals are kept in small areas, do not seem well cared for. Also it is quite expensive, 16$ for a short tour. Any attraction that is too expensive for the locals to visit should be treated with suspicion. There are plenty of animals to be seen in the National Park nearby, and even in the trees beside the road. Do not support this unwelcome selfish business.

Beautiful , well maintained gardens are a pleasure to walk through. The tour was interesting and informative, as well the animals are well cared for. Highly recommend visiting.

Very modern facilities when you arrive. The personal are amazingly friendly. The trails are more wild and savage that other park we visited making it unique and wonderful. Charlie was our tour guide he had been working there for 20 years. it is recommended to have someone with you in the trail. We saw the famous Viper yellow snake so I wouldn’t go in some trails without a guide…some trails we did were wild wild many leafs that covered it. We were there late (noon) and did no see many birds but they do have the famous humbrella birds in this park. We will come back but earlier in the morning. A 4x4 is recommended to go at this park as it it on a rocky road

Ed was a great guide. Friendly and informative. The waterfall there is beautiful.

Ed did an absolutely amazing job taking us on an intimate tour of the Veragua Rainforest. Top tier service the entire time and took care of my family like he would take care of his own. If you are able, take the long tour to the waterfall. It’s worth the 110 stairs each way!

It was very humid. (98% I was told) March 19.2024: I was disappointed since I was hoping to see more animals (toucans..monkeys…birds) in the Rainforest. I saw only 2 birds and animals in the Exhibition. The reason was: supposedly it was hot and humid > they were hiding. There are lots of spiders and ants all around. Watch out!!! Long sleeve recommended and hats! The Exhibition is nice: frogs, snakes and blue butterflies 🦋 The flowers are very beautiful!!!! We took the Aerial Tramway, walked 356 steps (round trip) and saw the nice waterfall. There is a little Gift Shop up there and a restaurant. (Small bites, sandwiches..) It was nice to see how green everything was!!!

We loved our experience at Veragua Rainforest. It is beautiful conservation area! The guides were great and super knowledgeable. We got to see a lot of cool animals out in the wild as well as on display. The Zipline was great and a fun way to go through the forest. We had a great time here and highly suggest it if you are planning a trip.

If you uber or taxi, make sure you have a ride back!!! I couldn't find a shuttle or bus that would go here, I didn't realize the road was dirt & rocks. Just be prepared. I got the Eco-adventure & Canopy tour, which includes the zip-lining even though it wasn't clearly stated on the website. Super fun. The guides were great. They even took some videos of me zip-lining. Then we had another guide for the canopy tram to the waterfall & exhibits. He was great as well, spoke English, was very knowledgeable about all the wildlife, animals & exhibits. We had the entire park to ourselves, which was super cool cause apparently the last cruise ship tour groups were the day before. So, there was no line, so quiet, very calm, and truly got to experience the rainforest. Our guide also explained why waterfall was so low since deforestation has increased, causing less rain.

Our group of 6 visited the park in January 2020 as an excursion on our Panama Canal cruise. The park is located in the rain forest. They have an informative snake exhibit (not a fan of snakes). You can zip line through the tree canopy or tram down to a waterfall. We spotted many sloths, butterflies and colorful frogs. It was a great experience.

Awesome experience!1 we toured as part of a cruise excursion and loved it! Many sloths were seen in the trees. Also seen were spider and Howler monkeys. toucans and crocodiles. Our driver and guide were great. Such beautiful plant life in the forest. Fantastic place to go and experience the plant and wildlife of this area.

Too much turistic. So many People you have to pay for everything...

Lot of birds and wildlife

Fab

(Translated by Google) The channel is cool, but for someone coming from Brazil there isn't much new. But it's worth the visit. (Original) O canal é legal, porem para alguém que vem do Brasil não tem tanta novidade. Mas vale o passeio.

(Translated by Google) A boat tour on the canals of Tortuguero is the perfect opportunity for all nature lovers to experience up close the beauty of an almost untouched rainforest with its rich biodiversity of animals in Costa Rica. We were out early. At 9am we were the first boat on the canals that day. It wasn't until our tour ended around 11am that the other boats arrived... perfect timing. In this network of waterways we saw a variety of animals such as mantled howler monkeys, crocodiles, numerous birds, fish, crustaceans and sloths. It was fascinating to see these animals in their natural habitat. The captain was very experienced and steered the boat so that we had the best possible view of the animals. Overall, the boat tour on the foothills of the Tortuguero Canal was an unforgettable experience and I can only recommend it to anyone who wants to experience the natural beauty of Costa Rica. (Original) Eine Bootstour auf den Kanälen von Tortuguero ist für alle Naturliebhaber die perfekte Gelegenheit, um die Schönheit eines fast unberührten Regenwaldes mit seiner reichen Artenvielfalt von Tieren auf Costa Rica hautnah zu erleben. Wir sind schon früh unterwegs gewesen. Um 9 Uhr waren wir das erste Boot, das an diesem Tag auf den Kanälen unterwegs war. Erst als unsere Tour gegen 11 Uhr zu Ende war, kamen die anderen Boote ... ein perfektes Timing. In diesem Netzwerk von Wasserstraßen sahen wir eine Vielzahl von Tieren wie z.B. Mantelbrüllaffen, Krokodile, zahlreiche Vögel, Fische, Krustentiere und Faultiere. Es war faszinierend, diese Tiere in ihrem natürlichen Lebensraum zu sehen. Der Kapitän war sehr erfahren und steuerte das Boot so, dass wir die bestmögliche Sicht auf die Tiere hatten. Insgesamt war die Bootstour auf den Ausläufern des Tortuguero-Kanals ein unvergessliches Erlebnis und ich kann es nur jedem empfehlen, der die Schönheit der Natur Costa Ricas erleben möchte.

(Translated by Google) Incredible experience in the Tortuguero canals, a magical place full of animals and nature, it is very important to choose a good guide who is interested in telling you about the place and the species that have been seen. If you go to Tortuguero you can't miss this place. Bring your camera as you can see incredible species. This place is very magical and incredible. You won't regret it (Original) Increíble experiencia en los canales de tortuguero, un lugar mágico lleno de animales y naturaleza, es muy importante elegir un buen guía que este interesado en contarte acerca del lugar y las especies que se a vistan. Si vas a tortuguero no puedes dejar pasar este lugar. Trae tu cámara ya que puedes ver especies increíbles. Este lugar es muy mágico e increíble. No te arrepentiras

What an amazing place the Pacuare River Lodge is. We did a two day rafting trip with this company and had a while heap of fun. Travelling as a family we are mindful of price, facilities and entertain available and PRL hit the mark each time. From the moment we enquired to the moment we said goodbye, they whole process was easy. The food was delicious and plentiful, the rooms although basic were very comfortable and the location is stunning. We were teamed up with "K" as our rafting guide and he was amazing, patient with our very chatty 12yr old son and reassuring during moments I was freaking out! Thank K and the rest of the PRL team. We will certainly be recommending your company to fellow travellers.

Highly recommend this company! My husband and I did a one night, two day raft and had an awesome time! The owners are very nice people (Johanna was very helpful and responsive via WhatsApp), and our guide Fernando was fantastic! He helped make the experience extra fun and we felt safe on the river with him. There was also a kayaker that joined us on the 2nd day to take photos and assist with safety if needed (luckily, no one fell out of the boats) - we felt at ease knowing he was there to help! Also, we just received the photos one week later via email and they are great! The lodge itself is beautiful and rustic. Our room was comfortable and had lovely views of the river. We opted to pay a bit extra to have a private bathroom, which we were glad to have. The meals were all good, and we enjoyed having the open-air lodge space to relax in during the evening. Loved hanging out with the lodge dog, "Pendejo", too :-) Don't let the name fool you, he's very sweet!

Excellent location in a bend overseeing the river from slightly higher up. Very nice rooms, waking up with the sound of the jungle and the river in the background. Good food, freshly prepared. Friendly staff. Raft was excellent, Fernanando was happy to create some more adventure for us so we had an exciting time on the river. Worth every penny!!

We cannot more highly recommend rafting with this company! Johanna was great to work with throughout. And our entire family loved having Fernando as our guide. We stayed 2 overnights, and that was the right call. The cabins are comfortable, and the lodge area is beautiful and peaceful - my wife and I could have stayed longer, and all 3 kids enjoyed their time at the lodge as well. The river is stunning, and great fun to raft on. We have so much appreciation to Fernando especially! He’s easily the most skilled river guide we’ve ever rafted with, he’s super knowledgeable, always friendly and nice to talk with, and was just always working to make sure we enjoyed the trip – offering extra hikes, preparing incredible meals….. Everything about this was a great and unforgettable experience!!!

One of the most beautiful and peaceful places I have ever been. The rooms are simple but perfect for the setting. The food was fresh and delicious. We only had one day, we could have stayed a lot longer. There is no phone signal or WiFi (This is a ggod thing), so make sure you take some entertainment, if you need it.

We did the 2 day trip and had an absolute blast. The food was amazing and the service was great. We had fernando as our boat guide and he was really fun. The second day a safety kayaker comes and takes a bunch of pictures/videos for you to have which was cool.

We did a one night and two day rafting tour in the Pacuare river lodge and it was a very memorable experience for us! Unfortunately, we arrived late because of the heavy traffic and the accident on the road, but Johanna and the car has waited for us without any stress. We really appreciated it! The lodge and the surrounding was just magical. Our guide Louis was the friendliest person and very knowledgeable about the area and the wildlife. The food was plenty, cooked especially for us and was very tasty! The rafting tour itself was super fun with swimming in between the rapids and healthy lunch.

This ancient ruins sight is truly amazing and sits on the Southern slope of the Turrialba Volcano. The settlement was built in 1,000 BCE and continually occupied until 1400 CE. It's believed it was a ceremonial center during the pre-columbian era in Costa Rica. The place still has a functioning aqueduct, and it's truly an amazing sight to see.

Our group stopped here after a few hours of hiking. I found the place very informative and humbling to wonder about life sooo long ago. Would go again.

Did the short day hike at the Guayabo National Monument . It’s an ancient city that dates back to 1000 BC. The hike is very accessible and easy to do in about 45 minutes to an hour. There are additional “natural” hikes to do but the trail is not groomed per se. Lots on mosquitoes on the natural trail. The nice thing about this site ither than the cool archaeological petroglyphs and ruins of the old city is that no tourists seem to come here. This is a local hidden secret well worth the trip of you’re in to history.

My husband and iIbwent on a weekday. We are staying in Bella Vista Ranch it was an easy drive. Just as easy from Turrialba. Beautiful drive. The monument was great a well maintained archeological site that has good signage in two languages. It is a large outdoor museum in a jungle. Its great. We visited the Jade museum in San Jose that has a "satellite" exhibit speaking of Monumento Nacional Guayoba. If your in this area do not miss it.

Wonderful opportunity to visit archaeological site dating in use to 1,000 BCE - to see advanced engineering (aqueducts and roads from that period) Has piqued my curiosity to learn more about history of region. We visited without a guide as we were passing through. Would be great with a guide who could provide pre context. (As far as we can tell, guides need to be arranged with tour companies - none are offered at the monument itself)

This park is well marked and the paths are well done. It is an interesting place and history. We saw some nice butterflies too. Getting there was a beautiful drive in the countryside.

Amazing experience. The place was incredibly diverse, ample enough to provide an enjoyable trip but not too much to be tiring or exhausting. The cultural heritage witnessed here is a marvel, and the biodiversity is simply outstanding.

Really enjoyed our visit to this park. It was a beautiful, mossy wonderland. The trees are teaming with bromeliads and orchids. We did both available hikes and the more difficult hike was pretty difficult for me! But we enjoyed it. The shorter hike down to the river was my favorite of the two hikes. It’s pretty easy and the river is beautiful. The park was not remotely crowded. We saw 4?or 5 people during our stay. The ranger at the entrance was very helpful and friendly. Be sure to get reservations online before you go. I didn’t realize this was the case, but the helpful staff at Orosi Lodge said it was needed and he was right. Be sure and enjoy this beautiful park and part of Costa Rica.

Only 2 of the 3 trails in the park were open, but that was ok. We saw a plant/flower that only grows in this area of Costa Rica. The one trail was really easy, only took about 30 minutes to walk it. The other trail is much more difficult. It's a circular trail and if you traverse it properly, you're going downhill on the steepest portion. But that stretch is pretty difficult because of the condition of the path.

Beautiful national parc. Hardly any visitors when we were there. Gravel road to the parc. Multiple trails available. The 3km trail is quite steep and multiple sections were very muddy. Good shoes required.

This place was awesome! For me as a tourist it was $10 to get in and they're open 8am to 4pm. Down by the river there are plenty of shelters, bathrooms, and outdoor sinks. The trails are all well maintained to the river and well marked. Great experience of the jungle on a budget.

Only 1-1.5 hours drive from San Jose. It is not popular for reasons. Not a lot of animals to see. Very few visitors, so it is a good place to get away from civilization. In contrast, Manuel Antonio park is full of people and more animals to see. On the way there, if use Google map, be careful of path it pick for you. Google map may show you route for horse or the toughest 4x4 only

"Do not look and walk" - just to prevent injuries. This national park is a secret tip. It is not so busy and you have the four circuits almost all to yourself. However, one is not alone, because of course countless animals of all kinds live in this gigantic "botanical garden". Anyone who brings the necessary peace and behaves in the same way will quickly find it. There are three parking spaces. At the end it offers the way to the Mirador and there you can see the waterfall. The penultimate parking lot offers the most demanding route. The Sendero La Pava and La Catarata. Both lead to the river Orosi. The latter path. leads over two bridges. At the first parking lot you will find the Sendero Oropendula. The bottom bend is very easy to walk and there are countless picnic cottages. You must not be disappointed if you do not see the big animals. It is just an open national park and not a zoo.

Very nice national park. There are many "ranch" areas for having a nice (picnic like) family time next to the river. There are also pretty nice trails, one of them is literally walking in the mountain (it will be hard) and the rest are low difficult. You will be in the middle of the mountain so be prepared because it might get foggy and could at any time. The river is really clean water, which it's also pretty cold. Very nice experience for a "one day trip" experience.

Tortuguero National Park is an absolutely amazing experience—truly one of a kind in the world. The combination of dense rainforest, winding canals, and the Caribbean coastline creates a unique ecosystem that’s bursting with life. Everywhere you look, there's nature at its finest: monkeys swinging through the trees, colorful toucans flying overhead, and even crocodiles resting by the water. If you're lucky, you might even witness sea turtles nesting on the beach—an unforgettable moment. It’s a place where you feel completely immersed in the wild. A must-visit for any nature lover!

An abundance of wildlife is found here in this national park, with lots of possibilities to explore. Either by boat or via a hiking trail. It's possible to take a guided tour, and they will tell you all about it's wildlife, ecosystem and origin. Really a must visit when in the area. Be prepared for a humid, damp experience with lots of rainy showers, but as the tour guide mentioned: water is life, which surely applies to this area. Simply beautiful!

Beautiful national park! You need to get a boat from La Pavona parking to get there (suggest to use the official parking, on the right). We spend one night/two days there. Strongly suggest to book a turtle nest tour with an official guide (Castor Hunter Thomas was fantastic) the first night, and a boat tour early the morning after. This will allow you to walk on the Jaguar Trail before lunch. Starting from the turtle nesting eggs to sloths and monkeys, this place is just a gem. The boat tour is really something unique that deserves a early alarm. It's just special, even under the rain!

The place to be, to watch turtles laying their eggs on the beach! Plenty of other wild lifes around.

I enjoyed the boat ride there. The town itself and the surrounding area I could have missed. For the work it takes to get there, there's a lot more accessible beautiful places to visit. There was a lot of trash on the beach.

It was an awesome park. Some of the best things to see are at night! We stayed on the ocean within walking distance to the park. I believe we paid a few dollars to get in.. wasn't crazy. The trail out to the point was amazing! Every so often a trail went to the ocean and walk the ocean until the next trail entrance. We saw tons of howler monkies and a few foot prints from a big cat. There are stops along the way to rest if needed. It poured rain on our way back. Definitely wear boots, it is a rain forest so plan on rain. Don't get to lost up in the beauty..big cats roam as well. We found tons of turtle shell holes after they hatched. This was a truly amazing place.

After visiting 5 national parks I can confirm this one is the one with more wild life, its just 3km walk path but you can see a lot of monkeys, lizards, birds, frogs, crabs, insects, paca, bats and more! Hotels and tour guide will force to have a paid guide but you can do a walk in without because all people inside the park will show you where any animal was. Also the park has exit to the beach and you can walk there too, last entry is at 3pm!

Beautiful area of the Country. Visited turning hatching season and got to see so many baby turtles 🩷 I would love to take my family here again. Definitely a highlight of our trip! The local flora and fauna are unlike any other.

This was a restroom break stop during my tour with Go Ahead Tours in Oct 2022. It was after a boat tour. You'll need to pay to use the restroom. After my tour guide paid for our group to use the restroom, we had access to browse a small museum (and shop). The doorway has whale bones from a beached whale hanging! I think it's a neat place to see up close how large a sea turtle can be without needing to bother one in the wild. Since there are no glass or wire barriers, you can get pretty close to the items but please don't touch them for preservation! I didn't have time to read everything on the wall but it seemed like it could be a lot of interesting information. We walked to the beach and headed South to the village/town(?).

We loved this place. It is a must-visit to learn about the sea turtles. You learn so much more here than what the guides tell you on the turtle nesting tours. We were very pleased we visited this centre before going on a tour. Our visit began with a 15-minute video (options in English and Spanish) on the history of sea turtles in Costa Rica and the role of the Conservancy. We then had a guided tour through the small museum by a volunteer (in English) who answered our questions knowledgeably. There is a small gift shop where we purchased a branded t-shirt. There is also the option to “adopt” and name a turtle. The entrance was only 2.50 USD per person. We learnt so much more here for 5 USD total then on a tour which we paid more than 100 USD for. Well worth the small amount of money to enter and for a good cause.

Just more of the eco-friendly Costa Ricans saving their wildlife.

Very small Visitor's Center that basically had a small one room museum and a short video about turtle conservation. It might be better during nesting season but we were a few weeks to early for it so we didn't see any live turtles. We headed out onto the beach area there where our guide explained the nesting and the efforts to save the turtle populations to encourage tourism.

A small but well laid out museum detailing the history & conservation work done to protect the endangered sea turtles. Worth a visit if you are in Tortuguero village.

Tortuguero is the place in the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica where the sea turtles lay their eggs and hatch during a wonderful magical moment. The sea turtle conservancy center provides the help and education to both locals and visitors about how to protect the turtles

Excellent garden (a world class botanical garden) highly recommended to visit. It is amazing. Its collection of orchids is a waoo.

A very beautiful botanical garden with gorgeous landscaping. We loved the orchid display, which featured a vast display of orchids from many areas. The Japanese garden was outstanding as was the cactus and succulent areas. I highly recommend visiting if you love botanical gardens; it was worth the price.

Great place. Beautiful garden. Clean. Maintenance. Social background. Parking. An excellent choice for 2-4 hours of rest. Orchids smell. Definitely recommend. LW

Truly magnificent! It is bigger than it seems, with beautiful walking trails and the most incredible orchid display. Highly recommend!

The garden is beautifully organized you have a tourist guys that speak English and Spanish fluently. It's nicely organized, they have well divided areas so that you know which kind of plants you're looking at. You get to walk in a really nice let's say foresty area (if I may inventvthe word) without having to go like a National Park or far away. The 4-star review it's because of the food. There is like a promotion that shows an actual restaurant in the gsrden and what they have it like a coffee shop and if they have a special event, they have something let's say like food stamps to support the local small businesses.

Very nice botanical garden. I wasn't expecting much and was pleasantly surprised. I would visit again!

These are lovely gardens to walk around in, and you can really spend a lot of time here. The orchid house and Japanese garden were the stand out parts for me. There's a good variety here and you can even find cacti. The pathways were easy to navigate and wheelchair friendly, though I often found myself exploring off the main path. It absolutely felt like it was worth the $10USD. The parking lot isn't huge but it's free to park. Just watch out for spiders and their webs!

The park is pretty expensive & the rangers not so kind. Beautiful spot tho. BOOK YOUR TICKET BEFORE GETTING THERE! Took us half an hour to create an account, find the right ticket and enter all credit card information, etc.

The drive up to the volcano is gorgeous with various pull out spots for some wonderful pictures and the feeling of being above the clouds is just something else. We visited around 2 pm on a semi cloudy day but were lucky enough to see the crater. It's a 300m walk from the parking lot to the crater viewing platform or you can drive an offrosd route that takes you to the top of the mountain for an even better view of the crater and the surrounding clouds. The facilities can definately be upgraded as well as the washroom which are really run down, and a bit on the expensive end for a tourist, not worth the price but I guess it's worth a visit once..

Loved the tram! Do NOT use their transportation! There were six of us and at almost $40 a person that comes to nearly $240. What should have been a ONE hour ride there became a THREE hour excursion because we had to pick up 1 single person in the opposite direction of the park. It made no sense. When we mentioned this to the people “in charge” when we were leaving they said too bad and that we hadn’t paid for a private shuttle. We ended up getting out in downtown San Jose and Ubering to our hotel to save ourselves an hour going home.

We stayed three nights. We did the night tour with Jaime and it was amazing. The staff was friendly with the exception of the woman in the gift shop. We saw several birds hit the glass windows of the gift shop, one died. I feel like they could do more to prevent this from happening so often. The sloth cage was depressing and I don’t understand why they have animals in captivity. They have four sloths with very little space that never see sunlight or feel the rain. They have large snakes in cages that never move and can never stretch out. Why? In Costa Rica zoos are illegal but there are several tourist attractions like this that get a pass and it’s unfortunate because you can see animals in their natural habitat.

Air tram was slow going between the trees. Didn't see any animals, but there were some birds. We enjoyed lunch on site as well as the sloth enclosure.

We went last week with six adults and four kids ages 3-8. The tram ride was beautiful even in the rain, and we saw monkeys from the trees. A few of our party zip lined and said the zip line guide was exceptional and friendly. The frogs, snakes, orchids, and butterflies are pretty but the exhibits are very small. Skip the restaurant on site - it took forever and the food was truly awful! Overall, we enjoyed getting to see the rainforest from above, but felt this experience was very overpriced for what was offered.

This was such an amazing part of our trip! The staff was beyond friendly, they made us feel very comfortable and safe. They taught us a lot about Costa Rica and just had a general calm and fun demeanor. The zip lines were safe, and the views were beautiful. The whole grounds were wonderful to walk around and take in the rainforest. Would absolutely recommend for a fun time!

I was afraid it would be a cheesy tourist trap but was impressed. Our guide was an old-timer who knew everything about the forest from medicinal plants to animals and history of the area. His passion and knowledge made the experience. We explored bullet ant mounds, saw packs of coati, found little bats and snakes, and of coursed spotted toucans and sloths. The canopy lift offered nice views to spot birds and butterflies.

This was the best part of my trip. Saw so many animals. It is so quiet above the rainforest. Take the aerial tram for an hour, it is breathtaking. We saw monkeys jumping, 10 types of butterflies, sloths, and such lush green vegetation. You can't tell where the trees stop and the ground begins.

When you enter you walk into a very well-maintained butterfly garden. We saw a few of them (they are hard to spot) and a lot of chrysalises. There were signs around the garden describing the lives of butterflies. The museum walks you through the history of Costa Rica, beginning with incredible stone artefacts up to 2,000 years old, through to the modern period. This is a great place for a tourist in Costa Rica to start to get a holistic understanding of the country’s history before beginning their travels.

Beautiful museum. And very informative on Costa Rican History and Culture. You can start in the Butterfly Garden and go through the Pre-Colombian History section and then the Costa Rican History section and then visit the special exhibits and other rooms. I enjoyed seeing the historical artifacts they’d collected and learning about their historical and cultural significance and also just learning about Costa Rica in general. I would recommend either a guided tour or a self tour but at or towards the beginning of your visit. You don’t have to buy tickets in advance but be mindful that the museum closes at 4:15 pm even though the website says 4:30 pm.

It was a nice museum, but I found the exhibitions somewhat confusing. I wasn't given a map of the museum, so I had to guess the order of the rooms and the direction inside them, since you can enter them from multiple places. In the end, I wasn't able to understand the story of the army and the barracks that are now the museum. Some English translations also didn't seem to capture well what the original content was saying. I had a nice surprise when I was there: there's a concert every last Sunday of the month. This was my favorite part of the visit.

The National Museum of Costa Rica offers educational and comprehensive exhibits that cover the country's history, archaeology, and natural history, showcasing an impressive collection of artifacts and emphasizing the building's historical significance as a former military barracks. We entered through the butterfly garden, which fascinated us as we observed some butterflies. This garden was not present years ago, and we appreciate that the museum has added this feature. They have also introduced new exhibitions and expanded the building to include the indigenous Societies of the 16th Century exhibit and Costa Rica's culture, which is excellent. The museum closes at 4:15 pm, and the admission fee for non-residents is considerably higher than that for local visitors, which seems unusual.

This is a great national museum in an old prison and military building. Entering the building you’ll walk up some ramps in a butterfly enclosure to see some beautiful plants. You can look through the old prison cells, and get a sense of how Costa Rica came about with a good exhibit showing the region from pre-colonial days to now. It doesn’t shy away from some of the darker aspects of their history, and even recent events and struggles which was really refreshing. The reclaimed artefacts on display are absolutely amazing, and the central courtyard jungle with large stone orbs is a must see too. It’s a great museum so give yourself 1-2 hours if you’re a fast paced tourist like me.

Nothing to write home about. Nice museum but really needs a renovation. The exhibition itself is well organised chronologically but the signage isn’t so clear where to start. Everyone of the staff is really nice. The butterfly house looks a bit run down - very damp. The jail part is easy to miss but ok. Overall, not a must see but ok.

We had a great time here. The butterfly garden was a nice surprise. The stone spheres were fun. The artifacts and history are well presented with lots of signs in English.

Very cool museum that covers a lot of Costa Rican history and culture pre Columbus as well as having some more contemporary art installations. Was able to fully explore it in about 2 hours with reading most (75%) of the information plaques.

the museum was very nice, the people at the front were a little bit rude to us because we came an hour before they closed, but we were able to get the tickets and get a student discount and the museum was very nice and had a lot of interesting things to see! the entire experience took about an hour but can take more if you want to see more in detail

Fantastic place where and simple terms you can learn about pre Columbian history of Costa Rica. Great source of information and fun for kids. Temporary exhibits are worth visiting too.

Unfortunately more a storage then a good museum with detail explanations. Missing details like dates, origins etc. They show a lot of the stuff, but no further information. No context, what is surprising even in the digital touchscreen database PC.

3-4 floors of content. Very modern interior with interactive screens. Really well laid out in a visually engaging setting and soft lighting. A strong array of artefacts, including of jade as well as of other materials. The museum did well at explaining the day-to-day lives of pre-Columbian peoples.

Super interesting museum, wish I'd come earlier in the day to allow more time for looking at all the exhibits! There are 3 different floors with different themes and they are all quite dense with objects and info so worth taking your time (ticket office said approx. 1.5 hours for the whole museum but I would say maybe 2-3 if you want to read stuff). Student ticket way cheaper than normal visitor price, thank goodness, but even the visitor price is reasonable for the quality imo.

Beautiful museum with an impressive collection of pre-Columbian jade jewelry and ceremonial pieces, sculptures, pottery, and other artifacts; all of which are layed out in thoughtfully designed exhibits. We loved it, i only wish we'd gone a little esrly so we could spend more time! Still entirely worth it.

A lot of knowledge about the historical events and places. More about the culture. The sculptures represent their ancient lifestyle. Secure, safe and only underground tourism place in Costa Rica. Entrance fee is $16 for non citizens. $6 for locals. One thing I like more here is they represent everything in English as well for better understanding.

Wonderful modern-looking museum made up of two permanent exhibitions (pre-columbian gold) and the mint/bank notes of Costa Rica. Love their showcases on the indigenous people especially. Many of the alphabets in the English text in the precolumbian gold museum have unfortunately fallen off and are not replaced, making it sometimes difficult to read the text. Wished the museum could do something about this!

Fascinating set of mini-museums including a currency museum (numismatic museum), temporary art installations and a beautiful collection of pre-Colombian gold artifacts. If you are visiting the national museum of Costa Rica or the Jade museum this one is just a short walk away. You could do all 3 in an afternoon. Worth a visit!

This is amongst one of the most beautiful and well informed museums I have been to. I was surprised to see that they had taken the time to acknowledge that there is a problem in the ethnic studies community about stealing artifacts. They also touch on subjects such as pre colonial gender roles and language. There needs to be more places like this !

This blew me away! So much more than I wanted! Was disappointed however that several exhibits were closed and we were not told nor the price discounted. But over all it was an amazing experience!

One of the best museums I have seen in Latin America. 500% recommended. Specially if you are a history geek or crazy for gold.

This is a fascinating and really well done museum! One part is about gold, and the other part is about currency. The descriptions are available in Spanish, English, and French.

To visit San Jose and not to visit the theater?! This is the most favorite tourist attraction. Entrance from 10 am to the theater grounds costs 7 dollars, they show the premises. In the evening there are performances and you can also buy a ticket and visit.

Attending Berta Rojas’s concert at the National Theater of Costa Rica was truly an unforgettable experience. The theater itself is an architectural gem, blending historic elegance with an atmosphere that feels intimate yet grand. From the moment we stepped inside, we were amazed by the beautiful decor, intricate details, and the welcoming staff. Berta Rojas’s performance was spectacular—the acoustics of the theater made every note come alive. Being part of such a special event in this unique setting was pure joy. Whether you’re a lover of classical music or simply appreciate stunning venues, the National Theater is a must-visit destination in San José. The experience was amazing, and I recommend everyone add it to their Costa Rica itinerary!

The tour was short, about 30 minutes; but the tour guide was great, he explained about everything we saw at the teacher, the origins of every object in the theater with its origin. The theater may be small compared to others in Europe but it’s worth going

Beautifully ornate theatre situated in the heart of central San José. The theatre opened in 1897 and is an exquisite example of neoclassical architecture. We did a guided walking tour of the theatre which was fun and engaging. They do tours on the hour and alternate between English and Spanish (although there are fewer tours in English). We booked our tickets at the kiosk situated outside the theatre and were lucky they weren’t fully booked. I really enjoyed visiting the theatre, and I’d highly recommend booking the guided tour.

Take the tour, enjoy a coffee and snack. This is a national treasure one not yo be missed. SJO has only a few monuments to their rich past, built by and for the coffee plantation owners.. the uber rich of their time

Interesting tour and a cafe with style. Loved it

This is an absolute gem in the heart of San José, and a place not to be missed when you are in town. They have tours on the hour but you need to check when the tours are done in English and when in Spanish. As you enter the main auditorium, you can't stop but to admire the beauty and majesty of the building, which dates back to over 100 years ago. The guides are efficient in their explanation of the history, design, and important events in the theatre. You will also learn about the restoration process going on at the theatre. Overall, it was a great informative tour. The only suggestion is that we could spend more time in the upper hall where the restoration was going on.

Great place for family fun and activities. There is so much to do and see. You can bike, walk, roller skate, play basketball and volleyball or soccer, and so much more. Or you can just chill and have a picnic while reading under the many beautiful trees. There are a variety of food and snack stands to enjoy as well as vendors selling kites and different toys to enjoy at the park. It's an amazing place to spend the day.

Great place to go for a run or walk. Decent wildlife too. I've seen Squirrels, raccoons, hummingbirds, great kiskadees, jacanas and orange chinned parakeets. No sloths in the park though.

Very nice place, green and beautiful nature very appropriate for a run, or play with kids.

Beautiful place to go and practice many different sports or simply spend a good time with the family. Overall pretty secure, there's police patrolling everywhere, although unsure about the time. Late at night might not be the safest place to go to.

A huge, beautiful, clean, free park!

Great big park, filled with different sports activities like tennis, volleyball, running, skating, roller hockey and more. Lots of trails to wonder. Would come back again for sure.

Very nice park with everything that you could ask for. They have fields for playing football, soccer, baseball and volleyball. Additionally there's lots of trails for running and riding your bike. There's also a couple playgrounds for kids. On the weekends you can sit there and watch several baseball games and soccer games going on with the locals. There's also a couple bathrooms that cost about 300 CRC.

Absolutely loved our private tour! Got to see a blue jeans and the dart frog along with the Costa Rican Green frog ❤️ amongst a lot of other animals!! The guide was knowledgeable and the tour felt very personal! Can feel a bit pricey but worth the stop!

Very knowledgeable about animals and local flora and fauna! Family farm, very friendly hosts. We learned a lot and they helped us see some local animals. Thanks for a great time.

Amazing place to visit! It’s a fantastic project with very knowledgeable and passionate guides. Thanks to Jaime, we saw more unique wildlife here than anywhere else we have visited. Thank you Jose and Jaime!

Our guide was fantastic, very versed in his knowledge of the garden.We saw a baby sloth and her mother, tiny white bats,red eyed tree frog and a porcupines. Best stop of our trip so far.

We organized a tour ahead of time and enjoyed a rainy slog through the woods 😂 Our guide spoke little English, but his ability to locate and catch absolutely tiny frogs was unprecedented. I've never seen anything like this. Armed only with an ancient red plastic flashlight, he'd wade through waist-high grass and come out minutes (sometimes many minutes) later wielding an inch long frog that would probably be more interesting to herpetologists than me 😅 Really cool none-the-less, if only to witness the stellar performance. A guide on a separate walk later in our trip told us "I hear a 'Ding Frog'. You can never see those though, too hard to find." Well guess who'd already found us a Ding Frog, buddy?! 🐸

Excellent place, an hour tour with a guide. We saw so much wildlife; tree frogs, toucans, black guan, sloth, bats and captive snakes. Highly recommend

Great guide (Samin)! Very beautiful garden and delicious star fruit juice to end the tour! Well worth the money

This was an unexpected gem in our vacation. We were unable to go to the Poas volcano due to possible eruptions. We looked on Google Maps and found La Paz Waterfalls. I did note it stated resort, but I assumed it was to be a hotel and restaurant. It actually was a beautiful and well maintained park with many exhibits of animals of all kinds to be found in Central America, including a wonderful aviary, butterfly enclosure, snakes, monkeys, and large and small cats. The staff, whether in their area of specialty or simply maintenance, were happy to help and talk. The animal areas were all paved, clean, and well kept. There are also restaurants, which looked ans smelled nice, but we did not eat there that day. The trails were beautiful, and the waterfalls were quite impressive, especially close up. I can not believe this is not advertised more heavily as it was wonderful. $62.00 per person seemed a lot for waterfalls, but after enjoying the whole park, it was well worth it. I highly recommend a trip to La Paz Waterfall.

The tour was with Willy Tour, picked up around 10 am and dropped of around 5 pm from San José. Great value, the trip, guide and lunch for the cost are excellent value. The park is unique and beautiful. Everything was well run, clean and safe.

Truly a beautiful and awesome experience. The waterfalls were absolutely breathtaking and the up close nature of the animals provided an unforgettable experience. The walk includes a lot of stairs so if that is an issue for you it's best not to include the waterfall part of the trail..

Must explore. Maintained like a pristine rain forest. Be ready to walk a lot, but the walks justify the view.

Ok... this place is just beautiful. Breath-taking. And the food was delicious too. So glad I went.

This waterfall provided a very nice, and much-needed stop while driving North from San José towards the Poás Volcano National Park or the Arenal Volcano National Park. The spot has enough parking space for multiple cars before and after crossing the bridge. So, taking a few pictures is very easy.

Waterfalls are the major attraction of the place but check out aviary and small zoo. Lots of water after recent rains, so falls were very impressive and observation decks are really close to the falls. Buffet lunch was pretty good too. Must visit experience in San Jose area.

I did the basic tour and is great. Francisco, our guide, explain us everything with patience and clarity. The gift shop was a little overpriced but the whole experience is worthy. The people from Costa Rica is super nice. The tour was not expensive at all and covers all the pieces from planting the seeds to the roast, and of course the tasting.

This is a wonderful tour. Very informative and interesting. The grounds are impeccably kept and easy to walk around. The coffee is very good. Opportunity to taste each one. Gives a whole new prospective on the cup of coffee I drink everyday.

A friend recommended that we stop by this plantation and we are so glad we had time for the tour. We started and finished with samples of tasty coffee and chocolates. The tour included a balance of farming practices and coffee processing; starting with seedlings, moving through adult plants, and finishing with the processing of coffee beans. The grounds are beautiful and the butterfly garden is a bonus. This is about a 30 minute drive from the SJO area and it is well worth the trip (even if you were not going to do the tour and opted for coffee tasting in the shop).

Doka is one of the easiest coffee farms to visit near Poás, and the tour is very practical. They show every step of the process in the old, still-working mill, from the cherries to the drying patios. The guides know a lot about Costa Rican coffee varieties like Caturra and Catuai, and you can taste several roasts at the end. The place is simple, authentic, and very well organized. If you’re into this kind of experience, our channel is called Spotlight To Me.

Chose this due to it being a local independent grower, rather than it's huge international neighbour named after a Moby Dick character! Only booked day before and was a smooth booking process. Interesting drive to get to it with lots of winding roads and swirling fog. Once we got there, I really enjoyed this tour. Really informative and lovely place. Guide was knowledgeable and despite it being a wet day, everything was good. Told us about the history of the place, the processes and the distribution, everything from planting out to selling the finished coffee. He even told us about the other indigenous plants and the wildlife (and the not so wild plantation cat, aka pest control! ) All the signs were in English and Spanish. End of the tour has coffee and chocolates to taste before you buy. No pressure sales, but the coffee wasn't priced up, which was the only negative. Lots of signs for offers (buy X get x free but no idea of the cost). Would definitely recommend.

Went here on a whim and it was a fantastic choice. The price was amazing for a guided tour that was almost two hours long. Our guide took us through all of the coffee growing and processing steps and answered all of our questions with ease. The gift shop was great with coffee and chocolate samples available to try before and after the tour. There was a nice restaurant that we didn't try but it looked like it would have been good. I liked the washrooms here too, nice and clean!

We had a great experience on the Doka coffee tour, even with just the two of us—it felt like a private tour in the best way. Our guide, Jonathan, was fantastic: knowledgeable, engaging, and even sprinkled in some German, which made it feel extra personal. Despite the rain, the tour was still a highlight of our trip. We loved getting to taste the coffee, and the hands-on elements—like holding actual beans and seeing the equipment up close—really brought the process to life. Lunch was a nice bonus and rounded out the visit perfectly. Highly recommend if you’re a coffee lover or just curious about how much work goes into your morning cup!

Our travel agent booked this rafting experience, and we LOVED it! My husband and I ended up being in a raft alone, with our instructor, Joseph. We had an amazing experience. I was initially a little anxious at the speed and safety, but all they want is a safe, fun experience for you! At no point did we feel like it was dangerous, instead just had a great time! Thanks Joseph!

Such a fun day! I'm not an adventurous person, and this was my first time doing rafting, and I loved it so much! The staff is responsible, funny, and they explain everything thoroughly so that the experience goes well. They also help spot birds and other wildlife throughout the journey. The lunch was great too!

Our experience with Aguas Bravas was awesome! We had a group of 11, with eight high school students and three adults. We were in three boats and each guide adapted appropriately to the people in his boat. They were fun, safe and efficient with their processes and we'd highly recommend!

*splendid time* - Great guide! We booked the safari tour and even saw a "lazy animal". Most importantly: The guide was one of the best one can have :)! We had a great time and saw a lot of animals!

Francisco was the best guide! 🚢 made the experience remarkable and memorable

We had a good experience rafting with Aguas Bravas. Their guides were fun & gave clear instructions while you're on the river. The rapids were level 2 & 3 and there were a few tight areas you have to maneuver. They will give you opportunities to swim/float or jump off a cliff into the river. Highly recommend trying this outfitter.

What an awesome experience. We chose the “easy” paddle as my partner was a bit nervous about white water. We still got to do some mild class II but it was mostly floating down the river spotting loads of wildlife (water foul, birds of prey, reptiles, monkeys etc.). Our guide, JJ, was funny, calm and extremely knowledgable! He was even knowledgable about Canadian native birds as well. I would go back again and again. We also did a chocolate tour that same morning, which made for an awesome day.

It's Central America's largest wildlife centre. We went on a tour given by Eduardo who was a lot of fun (and knowledgeable!). Without the tour we wouldn't have heard all the fascinating although sad stories as to how many animals have ended up at the center. We bought some postcards with beautiful photos, which it turns out were taken by Eduardo. We also had lunch there and found the food to be excellent. Go if you get the chance, you won't regret it.

A beautiful sanctuary doing very important work. Visitors help fund their hospital and mission. You will feel good for visiting and buying food and/or souvenirs during your visit. The grounds are beautiful. The staff are friendly and knowledgeable. Highly recommend!

The highlight of my kids trip. We hit this on the last day and were so happy to find security watching the cars until close since we had to travel with luggage before spending our night in SJ, but wanted to do something chill for the kids. This place is incredible, so much wildlife and feels like a rescue center not a zoo. Even though the animal sightings are amazing and several species are out in the open or wandering the park. We don’t use a guide but a guide pointed out a sloth moving across a rope for the kids. It was super rainy and stormy so my ponchos finally got put to good use and barely anyone was out, felt like we had the place to ourselves. Much of the animals were hiding from the rain and you could see them. Then they all came out after the rain and looking for dinner. We got to only spend maybe 3 hours here but we stayed until the last minute and ran around to circle the park close to twice. It was big! Would definitely recommend to families, couples, solo travelers. Such a treat. Tons of photo ops with all the animal statues too. We felt like we were in the jungle. Some covered areas in the snake center and some other spots was nice when lightning got strong.

There are no words — this was an absolutely incredible experience, and it was well worth spending the extra day in the San José area just to visit. We did the guided tour with our very large group, and Eduardo was amazing — funny, engaging, and clearly passionate about the animals, the park, and the educational mission of the rescue center. We had several young children with us, and it was magical for them to see ocelots, mountain lions, birds, snakes, and so many other animals up close. This is a must-visit destination when you’re in Costa Rica.

If you have a few hours to explore in the San Jose area, I highly recommend spending your time at Rescate Wildlife Rescue Center. This is not a zoo, but a rehabilitation center for injured animals. There is however an area for young children to interact with various domestic animals. My wife and I arrived at opening time. 9:00am and left at 2:00. We are both senior citizens, so that may account for some of the time, there are lots of benches to sit for a while and observe the animals. Most of the paved paths have some degree of incline (after all this is Costa Rica) We did not take the guided tour, felt like we probably could not keep up with the pace, but I’m sure from other reviews that we read that it’s worth spending the money to do so. Another reason we were there until 2:00 was the on-site restaurant Kivu, although they serve breakfast, we wanted to explore first and then have lunch. Huge menu of appetizers, main course, and some desserts. Cost for entry, lunch, and souvenirs, were all reasonable, when you consider that the profit from all of these income sources, is part of what allows Rescate to do what they do. PS food and service both were very good. All employees that we interacted with, were polite and courteous.

Great experience. Lots of animals to see and they are all rescues so you feel very good about encouraging them. Highly recommend if you are spending a day near San Jose.

Wonderful experience. We paid $30 US per person. But you get to see a wide variety of birds and animal and it is for good cause. Especially the birds, you get to see them up close.

Dave and Dave’s was one of our absolute highlights of Costa Rica. Birds galore! Dave was friendly and knowledgeable and we saw so many different birds, all really close up. Highly recommend Dave and Dave’s if you love photographing birds. It is a fantastic place for watching hummingbirds and toucans. We originally planned to go later in the afternoon but Dave recommended the earlier lunchtime slot for better light and bird action. We booked by email and paid on arrival. Dave was ready and waiting for us at the gate when we arrived. A short walk into the gardens and the birds came to us! So happy we made the stop on the way from San Jose to La Fortuna.

We had a great visit at Dave and Dave's. The two hour tour with Dave Jr was really interesting and we learned a lot about the birds of Costa Rica but not only, also about the forest and its residents. We were really lucky and got to see so many beautiful birds as well as frogs. The colibris were particularly active that morning and it was a feast for the eyes ! We highly recommend that visit, especially for birds and colibri lovers (and photographers !) for whom it's a must see!

The tour with Dave was very impressive. We saw beautiful birds and Dave infected us with his enthusiasm for the animals. We are very grateful for this experience and highly recommend the tour. It was a highlight of our trip through Costa Rica and an absolute must see on the way from Puerto Viejo to La Fortuna.

Dave and Dave's truly extraordinary bird viewing nature preserve i features hundreds of rare bird species including toucans in a reforested nature preserve. Dave, the son, has continued the work of his father and mother through two major viewing platforms. It's like sitting in your own backyard on comfortable lawn chairs, but in Costa Rica. The rear deck features feeders for hummingbirds who flock in at the clifftop. (You're actually looking at the tree tops from the river valley below.) All of this is a testament to two men and a woman who took a bankrupt palm plantation and returned it (reforested with native plants and let it go back to nature) into a nature park. What an accomplishment. Costa Rica needs more of these private enterprises to add to the scores of National Parks and preserves. Bravo, guys. And thanks to your mom for her insight.

If you are near the Sarapiqui river, you love nature, and you care about preserving biodiversity (which is increasingly in danger due to human activity), this is the place you don't want to miss. Dave and Dave run a nature preservation project, they plant rare species of trees and bushes and other plants, and provide a bird watching tour to finance their enterprise. They attract birds by sticking pieces of bananas on the branches, but arrange everything in such a way that you have ample opportunities to watch and photograph birds in their natural surroundings, with no traces of human activity. I saw a crazy amount of multi-color birds, including flocks of hummingbirds, which are my favorite. Dave Jr. was with me all the time and gave me a lot of interesting information about the birds. Near the end of the tour he offered me to walk downstairs across the forest to the river to watch poisonous frogs and a beautiful scenery. Also a bottle of cold water, and I sure needed it. I left with about 500 photographs and my hands almost falling off after holding that heavy telephoto lens in my camera. I am very grateful to both Daves for this tour, and I wish them the best of luck with their project.

Words cannot describe the unique experience you get in this place. Just browse through other opinions and their photos. It is a natural wildlife sanctuary: no cages or animal cruelty, just wildlife. The owners are amiable and give the best tour. Remember - it's a wildlife sanctuary - sometimes you see everything, and sometimes it's hard to spot some species.

What a beautiful place! This is definitely one of the best spots to see hummingbirds in action. They placed many feeders along one of their terraces and that enables you to watch many hummingbirds very closely which is such a wonderful experience! In addition, they have another terrace that you can see other birds from thanks to the fruit they place for them right below it. The place itself is beautiful, they started it only in 2009 and the scenery is already so full and green. Dave senior or Dave junior who own the place will give you a tour in it up until the river which takes about an hour, and you will see the lovely trees, plants and if you’re lucky - the blue jeans frog and many more. The tour is very informative and both Daves are so nice and welcoming. Highly recommended, don’t miss it!

Definitely a must see when you come to Puerto Rico. We got to see it active plus it's a short walk to the volcano from the parking lot. Then there's also a very small hike to a gorgeous volcano lake. You must come to see the volcano and the lake before 12 PM when the clouds come in.

Cannot review based on the volcano, as it was closed. I wish there would’ve been warning closer to the bottom instead of just at the top. However, the drive up is long and windy but the views are absolutely breathtaking. Much cooler at the top, make sure you bring a sweater.

An hour and a half from SJ, depending on traffic and rain. Cannot enter unless you book online $15-20, parking fee is about $5-6, It is a short walk to the viewing area, however you won't see anything when it's a cloudy day. I took an extended hike and it is very steep and dangerous when it's raining. I was glad to make it out without getting hurt. Park closes at 4 pm, stops allowing anyone after 2 pm.

Very interesting experience to visit an active vulcano. The smell of sulphuric acid and the sounds of the vulcano is crazy. Nice ride up to the location, beautiful roads and surroundings. Parking is close and requires a 500-700 meters walk up to the actual destination. They display you a short video about the vulcano and provide you with hard hats.

Such a beautiful place to visit. Make sure you bring a long sleeve because it gets windy there.

Beautiful volcano. Worth visiting from different ankles. However is mostly covered by clouds and fog

Amazing experience!! It's a very short trip from San José and there's a beautiful waterfall on the way there. Someone said the journey is scary and that's just a bit extreme lol. The roads are fine. It seems to rain a lot though and it's chilly so bring a poncho and jacket. Try to order your tickets online as it makes life easier when you get there. The last entry is around 2PM. If there's cloud cover when you arrive, wait a bit and it will clear even if just for a moment because that's what happened with us. Got there and it was just clouds but after about 10 or so minutes it cleared nicely. When leaving, you're going to see some trails, be careful because we ended up on one that was very long and very far and very difficult with lots of stairs and there's hardly any signs to guide you. By time we got to the end we were beat. Overall I'd definitely recommend this experience!

Had a very educational and eye opening experience. Ernesto did such a wonderful job telling their beautiful story. We learned so much about coffee pairing and tasting, how it’s produced, the impact on the environment and much more! One of the best tours I’ve done in all my travels. Touched my heart and inspired me.

The experience my family and I had with Gabriel was amazing! Such a friendly and down to earth atmosphere! Gabriel was very knowledgeable and answered all of our questions. My 7 and 10 year old also had a great time! And the coffee was delicious!

We thoroughly enjoyed our tour with Gabriel. He shared his passion for coffee and sustainable farming, and we learned so much. The coffee tasting was an enlightening experience about how to best enjoy coffee and the various brewing methods. The coffee marmalade was delicious! Be sure to reserve a time for your visit as it’s a working farm and tours are scheduled.

What a fantastic tour! Gabriel spoke fluent English and conducted the tour taking us on a path of understanding the organic method of farming coffee. He was very insightful and analytical--he really made us all think about nature and sustainability. He was very engaging, knowledgeable and kept our interest. We learned about the different roasts in relation to taste and caffeine levels. He had us do a taste test to determine our preference in type of coffee roast. Then he took us on a tour of the farm-not what you would expect at all -you'll have to take the tour to learn more about it! :) They have a gift shop which includes coffee, tea, marmalade, wine and T-shirts which they graciously made one for me while participating in the tour! My husband loved it! His family all live in the same general area and one of his brothers' family also offers a tour of a local farm (La Casa del Alto Tour)-also a great tour!

The Toledo Coffee Tour was such a unique and memorable experience! I went with my family, who are avid coffee drinkers, and even though I don’t usually drink coffee, I fully enjoyed participating and learned so much. The tour of the farm was wonderful—full of fascinating history, beautiful scenery, and hands-on experiences. Highly recommend for anyone looking to learn about coffee and have a fun, family-friendly adventure!

We were lucky to have a very personal tour with insights that went well beyond coffee processing, alone. We loved the tastings and farm tour. We learned so much about farming with diversity and sustainability. This will be a lifelong memory for our family. And the coffee is excellent. Beautiful artwork, too. Muchísimas gracias!

Our visit to El Toledo Coffee Tour in our hometown of Atenas, was truly remarkable!From start to finish, the experience was both fascinating and inspiring. Gabriel, our guide, was absolutely fantastic — knowledgeable, passionate, and engaging. You can tell he genuinely loves what he does and cares deeply about both the coffee and the environment. What really stood out was learning about El Toledo’s unique and sustainable farming techniques. Instead of using chemicals or conventional methods, they focus on working with nature — creating a balanced ecosystem that supports the plants, soil, and wildlife. It’s not just a coffee farm; it’s a living example of how agriculture can be done responsibly and regeneratively. The coffee itself was incredible, and tasting it while surrounded by the lush hills of Atenas made it even better. We left with a deeper appreciation for coffee, sustainability, and the hard work that goes into every sip. If you’re in Costa Rica and want an authentic, educational, and heartwarming experience, don’t miss the El Toledo Coffee Tour. Gabriel and his family are doing something truly special here!

I only walked by the hanging bridges and it is a nice walk for everyone where you will be able to see a beautiful cloud / tropical forest.

I had an absolutely amazing time here celebrating my birthday last week. Drove from La Fortuna to try a different spot outside the area and was very happy I made the decision. The guys made the ziplining tour and hike one of the best I've ever had. Had a really good time chatting with them and just overall enjoying myself. The price was more than reasonable and the picture package was perfect! I'm so happy that I made the decision to drive out to these guys. The service was amazing and the team was just awesome and fun to be around! If I am ever in the again I'll be sure to see these guys again! Thanks for everything!

We did ziplining with a big group and it was super fun. None of the lines were insane speeds, but definitely high up and thrilling. Good variety and very friendly staff. Buffet lunch was very tasty as well.

With 10 thrilling zip lines, this adventure park offers a perfect way to immerse yourself in Costa Rica's stunning natural beauty. The zip lines provide an adrenaline rush while giving you breathtaking views of the lush rainforest below. The staff is professional and ensures you feel safe and comfortable throughout the experience. One tip: try to visit on a less busy day to fully enjoy the adventure without long waits.

Although the bus ride there was no bueno, the park was awesome! There were several suspension bridges to cross. I channeled my inner Indiana Jones to get across. Saw many interesting things, including huge blue butterflies....like jurassic sized, and a bull nose viper. Yes, very lethal if bitten, but we gave it a wide birth.

Nice walk long trails with hanging bridges on the way to La Fortuna. About $35 per person. There was a restaurant on site and bathrooms.

Great walk through the park. You cross over suspension bridges and get to experience the beauty of the rain forest. There are zip lines as well.

Really enjoyed the tour with Carlos and learned so much about illegal pet trafficking - and I thought I was fairly informed to begin with! Some beautiful and unique animals, mostly bound for release, which is so great to see, and a solid explanation for every animal that will need to finish their life at the facility. This is not a zoo, these are not pets, and the animals are treated with a lot of respect. Also lucked out and saw a wild sloth mother and baby while on the tour. Great experience. Definitely recommend.

Proyecto Asis is a sanctuary for many animals in Costa Rica that have been abandoned, have been injured, and kept illegally as pets. These include monkeys, birds, pigs, cats, and many others. Our guide Carlos was very knowledgeable and he was very entertaining explaining such hard topics such as poaching, illegal animal trade. He was great with the kids. The tour was great! This is a very worthy cause and I would recommend this to any visitors to Costa Rica.

This was an amazing experience and one of the best things we did on our trip in Costa Rica. Carlos was an amazing guide and we learned a lot about the animals and how they do their best to rehabilitate them if possible. I highly recommend doing the volunteer option! The tour was great but we really loved that part of the visit.

This was a really eye opening tour (booked through their website) of this rehabilitation center for injured and rescued (from captivity) wild animals. Highly educational. Great for kids or anyone to learn from. The animals were beautiful and surrounding nature was wonderful. It is about a 30 minute drive from the center of La Fortuna give or take. The roads there are well paved.

This was the highlight tour of our trip! Carlos was so knowledgeable about the animals, the rehabilitation process, and engaged so well with the kids in our group. I have a lot of respect for Proyecto Asis and the work they do. We also helped prepare the food and then fed the monkeys. We all greatly enjoyed the experience, left feeling more educated about the animal trade in Costa Rica. Highly recommend this tour!

This place is worth every penny! Your money goes toward the ethical rehabilitation and release of animals. Our tour guide, Carlos, was fun, knowledgeable, and passionate. My family, including my 7-year-old daughter, loved the tour and the volunteering experience of making the animals their snacks. This was a worthwhile and memorable experience! I highly recommend this for anyone visiting Costa Rica-- especially because it highlights how to ethically visit the country in terms of experiencing its wonderful wildlife. We also got lucky and saw a wild sloth and her baby on the property 🦥 💜

My wife and I signed up for the tour plus feeding the animals lunch. Carlos explained why the animals need help and how much work goes into releasing them in the wild. It was one of the most rewarding experiences in all of Costa Rica. Definitely recommend. I can’t stop thinking about it.

The place itself is beautiful, and the experience—especially the zipline—was unforgettable. The entire staff, from the hotel workers to the zipline guides, were absolutely wonderful. Kind, helpful, warm, and truly working together like a family. Their energy made the experience feel welcoming and fun. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about the German owner. Her attitude toward guests was shockingly cold and unwelcoming. She was dry, unpleasant, and at times even rude. Her behavior stood in stark contrast to the rest of the team. There was a stiffness and lack of basic friendliness that felt completely out of place in a hospitality setting. It’s honestly baffling how someone in her position could treat guests with such disregard. It’s a shame, because the people working under her were fantastic. If only the owner could match their level of warmth and professionalism, this place would be perfect.

Zip Line Review Only: - we had the time of our lives today! The zip line crew was so funny, clearly experts at what they do, and made our group (from 14 to 40 years old) feel comfortable and confident! - we loved our adventure, from beginning to end. We started with lunch at the hotel clubhouse and it was delicious (thank you to the host and chef who made us wonderful local food). Then we rode about 30 mins out and up up up to the start of the zip line course - once we got a good tutorial on how to ride, we were off and moved SO FAST through the forest. It was raining the whole time which only added to the fun! - the crew clearly cared about our time and made lots of conversation, poked fun, made jokes, and corrected us in the right ways to stay safe and feel good about our trip. - 10/10 adventure today! We all said that it was going to clearly be a highlight of our vacation!

This review is for the zip lines. I would not recommend it nor would I do it again, but we still had fun. The guides were great and they did a lovely job. The problem is the length of the zip lines. They are just too short to really have any fun. Most were only a couple of seconds long. You have to brake on your own using a glove, and since the line is so short there is really no time to enjoy the scenery or look at the waterfalls. You go with a large group of people and only a few guides. They have a guide at the start and end of the zip line. It’s great for safety but this means you have to wait for the entire large group after every zip line or every small group of zip lines. It took us several hours to get through the course. The price was also very high for what it is. I think it could be much improved if you were able to complete the course without waiting for an entire group of people. We felt very safe, the guides really knew their stuff.

What an amazing placing. The adventure starts on the way there, The views are breath taking. I went to med schooling CR and know quite a few zipline (canopy) places, this is by far my favorite. It's hard to describe the feeling when you are flying over 11 waterfalls. The staff was incredible nice and well prepared. I would most definitely recommend. CAN'T WAIT TO COME BACK!!!!!!!!

Review of the zip line, as we didn’t stay at the hotel. As a rookie zip liner, wasn’t sure what to expect… the guides are great and you ease into things. Felt safe and secure the whole time. Beautiful route through pretty waterfalls while you hear the screech of howler monkeys waiting to jump off. The truck ride to the starting point is pretty intense with the rocky road. Wear bug spray liberally if you’re prone to bug bites.

We stayed here for one night because I thought it would be different and fun compare to the normal hotels. I was wrong. The room itself is alright. It's almost too basic but at least it was clean. There is no wifi at all however. We went to the office asking about it. They told us to try to get on a different network then sent us back. There is NO another different network. I work in the IT industry... I know what I am doing! The office just wanted us to leave them along or they don't know what they are talking about. The hotel ground is not well maintained. The Advertised trampoline is not in working order. The pool looked not well kept and not inviting. The maze is over grown, obviously not loved. Now the worst part is the owner, a German lady. She has this insufferable attitude and made me feel very unwelcome. I thought it was me who she didn't like. Later on we verified from an independent source that is how she always is and treats everyone! She is on her 70s and maybe running this hotel is not her dream job. It really shows! The next day, we did zipline tour. That was good. But I would not stay here again and probably would not zip line here again due to the overall experience.

We didn’t stay at the hotel but we came for the zip lines. It was so fun. Wagner and the other guides were awesome. I loved when we got to swim in the waterfall. Amazing views and a memorable experience. The lunch was great and the lady cooking and serving the food was so nice.

Do NOT pay extra for a tour guide for this hike. We loved the fact the hike is almost all shaded. The waterfall is beautiful and we got a decent workout on the way back up. The water is refreshing and very clear. Expected a more environmentally friendly space. We also didn’t see a single animal except for a few fish in the water.

Incredible waterfall well worth the admission ticket. The power and height is really impressive. There are several other smaller cascading waterfalls to see on the way down. It's atleast 500 steps down with a railings. Going down is the easy part. There is a wading area separate of the waterfall to swim and get wet. The no love scenes sign was quite funny.

One of the "must see" spots on your Costa Rica trip! The waterfall is picturesque, well maintained and easy to access. It does require you to descend about 530 steps to the waterfall (and then the same back up). I saw people of all sorts and fitness levels doing it. Just take it easy going back up (enough space to rest without blocking the way). It took me about 10-12 minutes to go down and 20 mins to come back up with stops. Important to carry a rain shell with you. When I started from the first viewpoint and start of the steps, the rain was strong. When I reached the base of the falls it had stopped with intermittent drizzle. So, don't wait for the rain to stop - better to start walking and wait at the falls if you need to. If the water is too strong, they won't let you swim directly at the falls. There is another area by the falls where people can swim. Photos can be taken at the base (on the rocks), from the main viewing deck at the bottom (wait your turn when busy), from the viewpoint at the top, and from a few spots along the path. 24-70 mm lens is good. The area is quite developed. You will find a gift shop, bathrooms, and a restaurant serving okayish to decent food. PS: it was raining heavily when I reached the restaurant but eased off again after 10 mins (you get the picture!). There is WiFi at the restaurant. Dedicated/managed parking on site. You can expect to spend 2-2.5 hours here at a normal pace. Tickets can be bought in person at the entrance. Expect this to be one of the more visited places (more tourists). Normal footwear is okay (that will hold up in wet conditions).

Once in a lifetime experience! This waterfall was beautiful and unforgettable. There were a ton of steps, so be sure to wear grippy shoes and a raincoat/poncho if you prefer. I was fine with getting wet with just a t-shirt, but it did get a bit cold. You can swim in the waterfall and there are more spots around to view scenery and smaller waterfalls.

It's a not very difficult staircase leading to a cool waterfall, and you can swim there which is fun. I got there just after the opening hours so there were only few people. However, there's no walking path alongside the river, only 2 spots to swim basically. Still, worth a visit if you arrive early enough.

La Fortuna Waterfall is a must-see! The facilities are well-maintained, and there are rest stops along the 500 steps down (and back up!). No washrooms at the bottom, but there's potable water to drink or rinse off after a swim. Showers, a souvenir shop, and free parking are available near the entrance. Entrance fee is around $50 USD per person."

Definitely worth seeing! There are around 500 steps down/back to access so prepare for that but waterfall is gorgeous and the swimming area has river trout. We recommend going early in morning

What a beautiful place. We visited day time on a Friday and there was about 15-20 other people there all day so it was extremely peaceful. The pools and facilities were very clean and staff very helpful. We ate at the poolside bar instead of the restaurant which is definitely a cheaper option with a good selection of salads, pastas, burger etc. you also don’t have to get changed into clothes to eat here like you do for the restaurant. Expect to pay around $10-$15 dollars for a meal

Had a wonderful time at the hot springs! We couldn’t book online but when we arrived, the let us inside with no issues. There weren’t many people, we had plenty of room to move between five pools even on a Saturday. Change rooms and lockers were clean all the time. We had access to clean towels the entire time. Staff was very kind and professional. Buffet was Amazing! Definitely recommend it! Lots of food options for entree, main, and desserts.

Ecotermales truly exceeded all expectations for our wedding! From the moment we booked, the staff was incredibly attentive, helping us plan every detail to perfection. The venue itself is stunning, with lush greenery and beautifully maintained grounds that provided a magical backdrop for our reception. Our guests raved about the delicious food and the seamless service. What stood out most was the team's dedication to making our day special; they went above and beyond to ensure everything ran smoothly. We couldn't have asked for a more perfect place to dance the night away. Bonus points for allowing fire dancers! If you're looking for a wedding venue that combines natural beauty with exceptional service, Ecotermales is the ideal choice!

A highlight of our trip - beautiful hot springs, variety of pools and temperatures, peaceful and relaxing. Went at the end of May during rainy season and it wasn't too busy. It did rain twice but this made the experience even more unique being in the hot springs while it rained! The lunch buffet was also delicious. Worth every penny!

Visited Ecotermales for the hot springs evening slot as well as had dinner there! I recommend booking directly through their site as it’s cheaper than any of the travel booking sites. Easy to find via Uber, we chose the 5-9PM slot without any meals included and they have lockers and towels waiting for you as well as a wristband that you can charge drinks and food to so that you can truly disconnect and not have any devices! There’s 9 pools total, and the service is 10/10! Servers come to you and deliver your items, highly recommend to anyone wanting to include hot springs in their La Fortuna trip!

Ecotermales Fortuna was absolutely beautiful, quiet, and incredibly relaxing. The pools were well maintained, each with different temperatures, from a refreshing cool to a muscle soothing hot, making it easy to find the perfect spot to unwind. The staff were all friendly and welcoming, and the server Stephanie at the restaurant, Los Litos, was especially wonderful—so friendly and accommodating. The food was delicious too! I absolutely loved my time here and would return in a heartbeat.

Great experience in these Hot Springs. Rejuvenating, peaceful, great cocktails! Staff could be mire accommodating with regard to admission to include food OR drinks!!😉Not a good idea to eat and go back into the Springs! 1 or 2 cocktails for a RESPONSIBLE DRINKER should suffice!!

We had the luxury room, our view of the volcano from our balcony was gorgeous. The staff greeted us upon arrival were very polite and professional. Our room was nice however the room with the hot tub in it was very slippery maybe some matting would be safer for clients. Also we went out in evening and returned and found an enormous amount of ants. All in all nice room good staff not far from town .

It’s the place to enjoy the Hot springs in the area. Very tastefully designed and decorated aswell as located. A boutique experience. Nice hot springs . Multiple pools. Very well maintained. Good breakfast. Amazing staff. It’s the place to be away from the madness but still get to enjoy the Hot springs at your convenience.

Paradise Hot Springs in La Fortuna is truly a gem! The location is beautiful and peaceful, surrounded by nature with amazing views of the area. The rooms are comfortable and well-kept, and the hot springs are absolutely relaxing — the perfect way to unwind. It’s a great getaway from the city, with excellent amenities and delicious food. Highly recommend for anyone looking for rest, relaxation, and a touch of luxury in Costa Rica!

We flew from Maui and drove from San Jose and after traveling for almost 24 hours this place was like heaven. Truly paradise. If I could stay here for a whole month I would. Hot springs were all amazing. Food was great. Service was great. If I ever come back to Costa Rica, I will definitely come back.

I got a day pass with a meal add on. While the pools, gym and coffee shop were all great, the meal option felt like a huge rip off. The website made it sound like a three course meal but it’s really just access to their underwhelming lukewarm buffet. If you visit for a day, I can’t recommend staying away from that day pass + food option enough, especially since the other food available is much better and significantly cheaper.

We used only the hot pools. The whole place is very pleasant and the time was well spent. Don't eat dinner there though as the food was extremely boring and mediocre.

Our room was big with a hot tub and always very clean. They arranged for rides to and from airport ~$200 US each way for 2.5 - 4 hr trip. Van had great air conditioning and drivers were very friendly. Hotel staff was great. Pool was very nice and warm. Great view of volcano from roomy balcony. Breakfast was 3.5 stars. Had very fresh fruit and juice. Coffee was inconsistent ranging from 1.5 - 4 stars. Eggs were a little runny at times but overall decent breakfast. Had a really fresh and tasty poke bowl and upstairs cafe with nice volcano view. We did have like 40 ants in the room first night but we killed them and hotel staff sprayed. It is in the jungle and right by the mountains so some to be expected. Was very clean rest of stay. We loved the super comfy bed and shower was great. Great location with cheap Uber less than 10 mins from most places. 30 mins or so to hanging bridges. Birds can be loud starting at sunrise but we had earplugs and headphones with noise app so no issue. Nice to hear birds once up. Air conditioning worked great. Had it in 19-23 range throughout day and colder at night. No issues.