Zoo sights in Northwestern Costa Rica
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A
El Jardín de las Mariposas
One of the most interesting activities is visiting the butterfly garden. Admission entitles you to a naturalist-led tour (in Spanish or English) that begins with an enlightening discussion of butterfly life cycles and the butterfly’s importance in nature. A variety of eggs, caterpillars, pupae and adults are examined. Visitors are taken into the greenhouses, where the butterflies are raised, and on into the screened garden, where hundreds of butterflies of many species are seen. The tour lasts about an hour.
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B
Bat Jungle
Learn about echolocation, bat-wing aerodynamics and other amazing facts about these (incredibly cute) flying mammals. The stellar Bat Jungle, a labor of love realized by biologist Richard Laval, has terrific exhibits including a free-flying bat habitat, beautiful sculptures and a lot of bilingual educational displays. The bats are most active during feeding times (9am, noon and 3pm). The Bat Jungle makes up part of the new Paseo de Stella visitors center, a modern hacienda that also houses a cafe specializing in Argentine chocolate, a museum of Monteverde history and an art gallery. The wide terrace is a wonderful spot to stop for coffee and a handmade truffle.
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C
Ranario
Monteverde’s cloud forest provides a heavenly habitat for amphibians, which, if you’re lucky, you’ll see in the park. But at the Ranario about 25 species of Costa Rica’s colorful array of frogs and toads reside in transparent enclosures lining the winding indoor-jungle paths. Sharp-eyed guides lead informative tours in English or Spanish, pointing out frogs, eggs and tadpoles with flashlights. Many resident amphibians are more active by night, so it’s best to visit during the evening. The adult combo ticket includes admission to the butterfly garden.
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D
Serpentario
Here you'll find about 40 species of snake, plus a fair number of frogs, lizards, turtles and other cold-blooded critters. Sometimes it’s tough to find the slithering, venomous stars in their comfy, foliage-filled cages, but guides are available in Spanish or English for free tours.
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Las Pumas
- Cañas, Costa Rica
- Sights › Zoo
This wild-animal shelter was started in the 1960s by the late Lilly Hagnauer, a Swiss environmentalist. It’s the largest shelter of its kind in Latin America, housing big cats including pumas, jaguars, ocelots, jaguarundis and margays – plus a few deer, fox, monkeys, peccaries, toucans, parakeets and other birds that were either orphaned or injured. This is a labor of love. The shelter does not receive any government funding and relies on visitor admission and donations to survive. Volunteers are always welcomed, but you must make arrangements beforehand. The shelter is still operated by the Swiss Family Hagnauer, a local Cañas institution; Lilly’s husband Werner manages…
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