To zoo or not to zoo, that is the question! There are plenty of good reasons not to visit things named zoos, wildlife parks and wildlife sanctuaries around the world: they’re not always what they say; they’re not always well-regulated; they’re not always ethical. We have our fair share of regrets on that front from over the years. But there was a very good reason we decided to pick one to visit during our Costa Rica trip.
We had so many incredible wildlife experiences but many of them were high in trees or far away. Fine for us adults with binoculars and long camera lenses or access to a guide’s telescope. But we knew that these things would be hard for the kids to see.
So we wanted to visit one of Costa Rica’s many, many wildlife sanctuaries so that they could experience the creatures close up. Knowing this, we did our research and La Paz Waterfall Gardens seemed a reputable option where no animal has been taken from the wild and all are unable to return to the wild for one reason or another.
We were rewarded with one of the best days of our trip. It’s such a brilliant place, set in stunning grounds with insane views! The animals appear well-cared for and most have a good amount of space. All the enclosures were occupied but not overcrowded. Every public space is kept pristine and is beautifully designed – even down to the sinks and taps in the bathrooms!
Small and Tiny had the best time: here are their highlights:
Snakes
Big Cats
The Butterfly House
They also loved the toucans but they were in a long, walk-through aviary and, at several times, the birds flew like speeding bullets from one end of it to the other! Woe betides anyone who gets in the way of those sharp, hard beaks!
La Paz was also the kids’ favourite place for taking photographs on their own cameras.
There was an impressive orchid garden and a traditional house complete with cows and pet rabbits to visit too.
The animals were wonderful, but then there are the waterfalls! There are about 3.5km of trails, many of which lead you amongst several incredible waterfalls and viewpoints, surrounded by lush rainforest. It’s a pretty steep walk – and it was such a hot day – but there was great excitement about finding each new fall or view which kept us motivated and we managed the whole thing!
Once you get to the end of the trail, there’s a gift shop and a shuttle bus back to the entrance.
Our lunch here has also gone down in family history as the moment Small bit into a piece of garlic bread and declared her first wobbly tooth! There are a few places to eat. When you book, you can also pay for a ticket to the all-you-can-eat buffet. We didn’t pay ahead but had no trouble paying on the day. We thought it was great, with local food as well as a wide range of other options. We didn’t pay for the kids (who were quite fussy) but took some sandwiches for them and gave them a few little bits from our plates.
All in all, a pretty perfect day out!
We’d originally intended to spend a day hiking on Poas volcano which, unfortunately, had begun erupting a few weeks before our visit and was closed to the public.
We’d pre-booked La Paz tickets for a particular day, en route to Sarapiqui, because we thought it might be very busy during the Easter holidays (it wasn’t). However, when our Poas plans changed, we phoned them and they were absolutely fine with rescheduling our tickets for our now-empty day. And actually, it worked out for the best because it would have been such a shame to only have a few hours to spend there.
Key information: tickets are £40/$56 for adults without lunch (13+) and £52/$72 with; £29/$40 for children without lunch (3-12) and £36/$50 with; you can stay onsite at The Peace Lodge; the trails around the wildlife sanctuary are even and walkable (although steep in places), but you definitely couldn’t use a pram to see the waterfalls and some younger children would find that walk too challenging.
As we’d intended to visit Poas National Park (tickets and further information can be found here), our accommodation was near there. It was a beautiful area.
When I saw these dome tents online, I became obsessed with the idea of staying in one! However, unfortunately, the reality was nowhere near what we’d hoped for and fell a long way short of what we expected for the price.
So that no one else makes the same mistake, here’s why! The ‘transparent’ panels looking over the views were so dirty/old that you could barely see out of them; the cooked breakfast in the nearby house (which cost extra) seemed like it had been sat around for hours; the level of cleanliness in the tent was poor; and, when we visited (in April), it was incredibly cold despite the heater we rented from the owners. There was one redeeming feature, though: the place is owned by someone who doesn’t live on site (though was very responsive when we needed to complain about a strong drains smell), but their parents are the ones doing the day-to-day running of the site and they couldn’t have been more friendly and as helpful as they were able to be.
We managed to cosy up and make the best of it in the end, letting the kids watch cartoons under the covers, munching on volcano-grown strawberries from a roadside vendor, and microwaving cup noodles (they don’t often do kettles in Costa Rica because everyone has a coffee machine!).
We weren’t too sad to check out, as you can imagine, but we were very excited to head to Sarapiqui, our final destination of the trip!
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All information is correct at the time of posting. Follow us on Instagram @four_go_exploring for more independent family adventures.
Check back soon to read all about our trip to Selva Verde Lodge in Sarapiqui
Meanwhile, in case you missed them, here’s how the earlier destinations in the trip unfolded:
Rincon de la Vieja National Park
Soon, I’ll also share a guide covering accommodation and loads of practical information to help you plan a visit!
world wandering wonderings 