Sibu Wildlife Sanctuary — Attraction in Nosara

One of the highlights of our summer in Costa Rica was visiting Sibu. Highly recommend for those looking to better understand wildlife and plant life. We did a bunch of research and decided this was the right nature experience for us; we were not disappointed. We drove 2 hours from Playa Grande/Tamarindo and the roads were very bumpy so plan for extra travel time.

It was tough to find; we thought Google Maps had dropped us in the middle of nowhere because we didn't see the welcome sign or gate from our angle of entrance off the road, but volunteer Amy was at the gate and waved us in (phew!).

There were 7 people in our group (4 adults + 3 kids 6-11yo; note that another family mentioned that there's a min age requirement of 5yo in case you have littles). We were joined by a couple and another family of 4. Sibu tries to keep group sizes small, and only offer a couple tours a day and only a couple days a week, so snagging a spot is special.

A combo of Fabian and Amy (both extraordinary) delivered the +/-45min walking tour through the jungle; we saw monkeys, learned about a lot of plants, termites, the matapalo tree, families of coaties, and were offered coconut waters, juice, water.

Then Vicki, the founder/owner, delivers a quick +/-30min presentation in (what feels like) a treehouse balcony since it's a landing built around trees on the edge of a landing. We hear the founder's story, nonprofit origin story, risks and opportunities to monkey preservation, and so much more.

Then Fabian helped us visit the couple of monkeys (+/- 30mins) that they care for who are unable to return to the wild for a number of reasons. Hearing the stories of each monkey was my favorite part; equal parts heart-wrenching and promising.

Then we were gifted a calendar/family and invited to buy t-shirts; I'm bummed that I didn't act fast enough to snag one before we were whisked into the owner's truck to hitch a ride down the mountain back to the entrance gate.

We truly loved this visit and urge you to make it happen too. Couple notes from us: wear pants and/or bug spray (inc. on your face; my son got bitten on his face - the only place where we didn't apply!). There's a lot of tree coverage, but you should still wear sunscreen, closed toed shoes, hats, stay hydrated, pee before you get there (bathroom stop about an hour into the tour), book ahead, contact them directly if you have trouble. They are a legit, scrappy, exceptional nonprofit organization and could use...

Firstly, it was 65.00 USD cash.

Upon receiving a last minute email announcing a cancelation leaving a space open for 2 participants to tour the sanctuary we raced against time (2hr drive) to arrive at the front gate promptly for 1030am - which our guide came to open at 1040am. She had a very excitable energy, and proceeded to walk us down the landscaped 'jungle' path having us identify very common plants.

It was a big build up to venture up a set of stairs, only to reach the top to enter a shanty greenhouse, identify lettuce and cilantro with a small carrier with bedding featuring a baby skunk. We were then directed to a seated educational presentation on a covered platform about primates, which was geared towards a 3rd grade level, at the end of which we had to each wash our hands to enter the monkey enclosure.

Our highly exclusive tour group entered the very large cage constructed from 3 different grades of wire, and very spacious - only to view 2 monkeys from the other side of the wire wall once we were in it. They had a volunteer bring out a baby monkey who had suffered a concussion, which was immediately covered by a blanket "due to the pet trade" anytime one of us attempted to capture a photo, but once the the majority of the group left she uncovered the baby and allowed us to take a pic - which we found a bizarre contradiction, but appreciated anyways.

The gift shop was promptly introduced to buy stuffed animals, seeds and what not, each of us were given a calendar and shown to the road leading out to our cars. We noticed all proceeds go towards "enclosure construction, volunteer housing, gasoline and car repairs" which was unsettling after forking out such a large sum...

My friends and I visited the sanctuary while on vacation in the area. Staff were friendly, and the fellow who led our tour was funny and kind. The tour starts along a walking trail of a few hundred metres, then up a total of 120 steep stairs (my friend counted). About halfway, there is a break and staff provide coconut water straight from the coconut, juice boxes, or bottled water (I’d recommend they provide a higher ratio of water to juice to be more accessible to those with dietary restrictions). At the top, the owner shares an engaging presentation on how the sanctuary came to be, and what threats the wildlife face in the area. As someone who does facilitation for a career, I was impressed with how well-done the presentation was, and how it followed some basic principles of learning. The staff are very clear and reasonable about boundaries related to photo taking (no selfies with an animal, no photos showing the owner’s house), and it was a delight to see so many monkeys and wildlife. The owner is very kind, and even led me aside for an extra chance to photograph an iguana who was passing by in the trees. It is a wonderful service they are providing to vulnerable animals in Costa Rica, and I hope they continue to get the recognition and support...