Costa Rica's Best Wildlife Watching Spots

National parks, wildlife refuges, and biological reserves are found throughout the country. They range from swampy wetlands to dry-forest environments and from lowland rainforests to high-mountain cloud forests. Sign up for guided natural-history excursions or hire a local naturalist guide. You’ll see many times more critters in the company of an eagle-eyed guide.

Orange-billed nightingale-thrush in La Paz Waterfall Gardens. Photo © Christopher P. Baker.

• Asociación Salvemos las Tortugas de Parismina: Leatherback, green, and hawksbill turtles come ashore at this private sanctuary.
• Corcovado National Park: This remote and dense rainforest is one place you may be able to spot tapirs and jaguars, and scarlet macaws are a dime a dozen.
• Curú National Wildlife Refuge: Three species of turtles come ashore at this private refuge.
• Gandoca-Manzanillo National Wildlife Refuge: Turtle lovers are sure to spot leatherbacks (Apr.-May), greens (July-Sept.), and hawksbills (Mar.-Aug.).
• Crocodile Safari on the Río Tárcoles: Guaranteed close-up sightings of giant crocodiles.
• La Paz Waterfall Gardens: This splendid park has a fabulous aviary, plus snake, butterfly, hummingbird, and frog exhibits.
• Manuel Antonio National Park: This popular park offers easy wildlife-viewing from wide-open trails.
• Monteverde Cloud Forest Biological Reserve: Monteverde draws bird-watchers keen to spot a quetzal.
• Ostional National Wildlife Refuge: This 248-hectare (613-acre) refuge protects the major nesting site of olive ridley turtles.
• Palo Verde National Park: This national park is known for its vast flocks of waterfowl and migratory birds.
• Playa Camaronal: Olive ridleys nest year-round and leatherbacks nest in March and April.
• Los Quetzales National Park: Your chances of seeing quetzals are vastly improved at this national park.
• Tortuguero National Park: This is my favorite place for wildlife-viewing. You may see river otters, caimans, and even manatees. Turtle-viewing at night is icing on the cake.

Excerpted from the Tenth Edition of Moon Costa Rica.