Come face to face with 50 species of reptiles and amphibians, including poison-dart frogs, rattlesnakes, crocs and turtles. The star attraction is a gigantic 80kg Burmese python. In addition, you'll see every freshwater turtle Costa Rica has to offer, plus a butterfly garden. It's 200m north of the cemetery.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Dave & Dave's Nature Park

0.03 MILES

Father and son Dave and Dave greet all comers to this 4.5-hectare reserve on the Río Sarapiquí, 200m north of the cemetery. You don't have to be a birder…

2. Heliconia Island

10.77 MILES

Down a rugged road and across the hanging bridge is home to more than 80 varieties of heliconias, tropical flowers, plants and trees. The two-hectare…

3. Frog’s Heaven

13.13 MILES

The frogs hop free in this lovely tropical garden, a perfect habitat for more than 28 species. On bilingual guided tours you’re likely to see old…

4. La Paz Waterfall Gardens

14.4 MILES

This polished storybook garden complex just east of Volcán Poás offers the most easily digestible cultural experience in the Central Valley and is the…

5. Catarata del Toro & the Blue Falls

14.7 MILES

Find a beautiful 90m-tall waterfall that cascades into a volcanic crater (free for overnight guests) and two trail options through virgin forest (one 4…

6. Parque Nacional Volcán Poás

17.3 MILES

Here's your chance to get frighteningly close to this extremely active volcano, which last erupted in 2017. At an elevation of 2708m, the mighty Poás is…

7. Parque Nacional Juan Castro Blanco

18.69 MILES

This little-visited national park is where five of Costa Rica's major rivers originate. The 143-sq-km reserve has a sizable but little maintained trail…

8. Parque Nacional Braulio Carrillo

21.57 MILES

Enter this underexplored national park and you will have an idea of what Costa Rica looked like prior to the 1950s, when 75% of the country’s surface area…