North from the Central Valley, in the middle of Alajuela and Heredia provinces, a beautiful place in Vara Blanca is waiting for you! The zone of Vara Blanca is known for its beautiful landscapes, full of waterfalls. You can do a lot of trails around the area, but the safest trails, you’ll find them at La Paz Waterfalls Gardens!
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La Paz Waterfall Gardens
La Paz Waterfall Gardens is a combination of wildlife refuge, natural park, and hotel. This place is considered to be the most visited, privately owned ecological attraction in Costa Rica. In here you will see more than 100 animal species (felines, monkeys, snakes, sloths, and much more…). You will also have access to 3.5 kilometers of cloud and rainforest hiking trails.
How to get there
The park is 45 minutes away from San José city center, making this place a great place to make a one-day trip from San José. This place is also really close to Poás Volcano (20 minutes). So, you could make La Paz Waterfall Gardens/Poás Volcano one-day trip. Just make sure you book the tickets for Poás Volcano for early morning or afternoon beforehand.
Buy La Paz Waterfall Gardens Tickets
Another good way to visit La Paz Waterfall Gardens is to stop by on your road trip around Costa Rica. If you are going from San José to La Fortuna, for example (a typical trip), you can visit this place on your way. The park is just 2 hours away from La Fortuna. Drive to La Paz Waterfall Gardens
Fees and Schedule
Schedule:
You can visit the park every day of the week from 8 am – 5 pm. The minimum time to do and see the main things is two hours but you can easily spend the entire day.
Tickets:
- Foreigners: $48 + taxes (kids between 3-12 years old pay $32 + taxes).
- Locals and Residents: $28 + taxes (kids between 3-12 years old pay $19 + taxes).
You can also pay an extra $14 (for adults) or $8 (for children between 3-12 years old) for a buffet lunch. There are no restaurants near the park so, this option is great if you are spending a while there.
The Peace Lodge
The hotel is an 18 room, five-star boutique hotel with full access to any part of the park. One of the big pros of staying in this place (besides enjoying a five-star hotel) is the fact that you can see the animals before 8 am and after 5 pm. Around those hours, it’s when the animals are more active.
Most of the rooms have a fireplace and are full of fancy details. The Prices go from $400 in the standard room to $1,700 in the most luxury villas.
Attractions
Wildlife
I am not a fan of zoos; I rather see the animals free in their habitat. But at La Paz Waterfall Gardens, none of the animals have been taken from their natural habitat. These animals were entrusted to their Wildlife Refuge’s care by Costa Rica’s Wildlife Ministry (MINAET). Most of these animals were illegally held as pets when the MINAET found them.
After giving them to La Paz Waterfall Gardens Wildlife Refuge, they are evaluated. If they cannot be released back into the wild for any reason, they remain at the refuge.
Birds, Insects and Monkeys
Aviary
I suggest starting your tour at the aviary section; this is a big dome where birds fly around you. If you are a bird watcher, you’ll enjoy your time here! In here, you won’t need binoculars to see some of the most exotic birds from Costa Rica.
There are some dome sections where you’ll find smaller domes/boxes home to the less common birds, like the scarlet macaw or the toucans.
Insects
After having fun looking at the birds, you’ll want to go to the insects’ section. This section has spiders, beetles among other insects. This section connects with the butterfly’s garden.
Butterfly Observatory
This section is similar to the aviary; here, you’ll be able to see a lot of butterflies flying around you. Some of them will even land on your hand if you are lucky. There are more than 25 species inside the observatory and around 4,000 butterflies flying around.
A section inside teaches you about the butterfly’s Life Cycle, how it goes from egg to larva, to pupa, and finally, a butterfly.
Monkeys
At the Monkey Pass, you will be able to see two types of monkeys. On one side the White-throated Capuchin, and on the other the Black-Handed Spider. These are two of the main monkeys you can find in Costa Rica, and unless you visit Manuel Antonio, it will difficult to see them so close.
Related Post: Manuel Antonio National Park Full Guide
Hummingbird Garden
After passing by the Monkey Pass, you’ll reach the hummingbird’s section. Here, lots of hummingbirds will be flying close to you, from one direction to another. You will have the chance to take nice and close photos of the hummingbirds.
There are around 57 different hummingbirds in Costa Rica; you can find 26 of them in this garden. There are flowers and sweet water around the garden that attract the hummingbirds. When I visited this place, we had luck since a coati decided to stop by for a photo!
Snakes, Jungle Cats and Frogs
Snakes
Right next to the hummingbird garden, you’ll have access to the serpentarium. There are 137 snake species in Costa Rica, 22 are venomous, and there are 30 species at this serpentarium.
Some of the main snakes that you will be able to see here are Boa Constrictor, Giant Parrotsnake, Fer de Lance (Terciopelo), Neotropical Rattlesnake, Central American bushmaster.
Jungle Cats
One of the highlights of the Wildlife Refuge is the jungle cats section! Here you will be able to see jaguars, margays, ocelots, and pumas.
Looking at these animals free in their habitat is very rare; they are usually nocturnal, and they avoid humans. So when you visit La Paz Waterfall Gardens, you can’t miss this section!
Ranarium
Before starting the waterfall trail, don’t miss the renarium. Costa Rica is one of the best places in the world to see frogs, and here you will see plenty.
Some of the main frogs you can see are red-eyed leaf frog, bullfrog, blue jeans poison dart frog, and much more.
Waterfall Trail
Once you finish your visit to the renarium, you will be really close to the waterfall trail’s starting point. The Waterfall Trail is a fully paved trail accessible for almost everyone that follows “La Paz River.” If you like to have an easy walk with fantastic landscapes, you can’t miss this Waterfall Trail.
The first waterfall you will find is the Templo Waterfall; this is a 26m (85ft) high waterfall. There is a really close lookout to the waterfall, making it a perfect spot for your Instagram photos!
La Paz Waterfall
After the Templo Waterfall, you will find the Magia Blanca waterfall (image below), which is the highest of all five waterfalls at 37m (120ft). After checking Encantada and Escondida Waterfalls, you will reach the famous La Paz Waterfall. This is the most famous waterfall around the zone since you can pass by this beautiful waterfall on the road.
After you finish the Waterfall Trail and pass the gift shop, you will find the shuttle to take you back to the main lobby. You can go back to enjoy things you might miss, have lunch at their restaurant or discover the other trails and lake.
Related Post: Extreme Hike near Poás Volcano
Other Trails and Lake
Besides the Waterfall Trail, you can also enjoy a couple of more trails inside the property. Fern and Río la Paz trails are on the east side of La Paz Waterfall Gardens. These trails are not as well maintained or famous as the Waterfall Trai. But I can almost guarantee you will have a peaceful walk surrounded by nature.
Right next to the Fern Trail, you’ll find the Trout Lake (cover photo of this article), where you can even fish and spend some excellent time.
La Paz Waterfall Gardens Recap
- Location: Vara Blanca, Heredia (Drive there)
- Difficulty: Easy
- Access: Any car
- Contact: (+506) 2482-2720
- Cost: $48 foreigners / $28 locals (Check Fees and Schedule section for more info)
- Parking: Yes
- More info about the place: La Paz Waterfall Gardens
- Hidden Gem Score: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
